Greenhouse Tomatoes

At what color should greenhouse tomatoes be harvested?

Greenhouse tomatoes have a reputation for being harvested as a "vine ripened" tomato. They should never be harvested at the breaker stage, like most field tomatoes that are picked at this stage and then gassed with ethylene to promote softening and red color after they are shipped. And, of course, they should never EVER be picked green (unless you are selling them for "fried green tomatoes"). They should be picked either at the red stage (if primarily sold retail at the door), or light red stage (if some are retailed and the rest are wholesaled locally). If shipping long distances, they can be picked at the pink stage. Remember, greenhouse tomato growers have a reputation to uphold for raising high quality vine ripened tomatoes. To view the color stages, see the Tomato Color Chart.