We learned so much at last weekend's farm workshop Nourish Your Gut Naturally, including how to best store produce to extend freshness. Unlike with summer squash or onions, which go right in the fridge, the way you store your tomatoes will be determined by their ripeness:
With the many different colors and forms our farm fresh tomatoes take, waiting for them to turn cherry red may not be your best bet. The yellow or dark blush tomatoes in this week's Veggie Box tomato medley will never turn the bright red you may be expecting. Instead, judge ripeness by the firmness of the flesh! When your tomato is soft to the touch, it's perfect.
You may be thinking, "why doesn't she just give us tomatoes at that perfect ripeness so that we don't have to guess?" and I promise there's a reason for that! As an organic grower, I harvest crops *just* before they hit that ideal ripeness in order to beat the bugs. If I let tomatoes sit in the field, even for one more day, the bugs will be sure to get them before me. Additionally, the logistics of transport during veggie box delivery would mean that soft tomatoes would be crushed in your bags. This way, by giving you tomatoes just before full ripeness, everyone (except the bugs) wins!
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