Question: I had just picked my first tomatoes when I saw the insides were still greenish. Is this typical? Are they still edible? This is my first experience growing tomatoes, or any veggies for that matter!
Answer: There are several reasons why some tomatoes maintain a little amount of green tissue inside their fruit.
To begin with, this is common for some tomato varietals. This is particularly true with heritage tomatoes, such as ‘Everett’s Rusty Oxheart’ and ‘Thorburn’s Terra Cotta,’ which have a lot of green inside even when produced under ideal circumstances. In fact, certain tomatoes, such as ‘Aunt Gertie’s German Green’ and ‘Green Zebra,’ remain completely green even when fully mature. Green inside or not, such tomatoes will be perfectly edible and delicious.
Possible Problems
Green flesh within the apple, on the other hand, signals a concern in certain circumstances.
Tomatoes normally develop from the inside out, so they are fairly red on the inside even before the skin has taken on its final hue. Unfortunately, maturing is not always easy. Several stresses might cause the fruit to develop unevenly. The problem can be due to:
- Immature fruit Yours may not have been as ripe as you expected. A few days more “on the vine” might allow them to redden up inside.
- A long period of drought , particularly when followed by heavy rain, may result in fruits that do not completely green;
- Excessively hot weather Temperatures over 90?F (32?C), in particular, may have a variety of consequences on tomato fruits, including uneven development.
- Cool nights Temperatures below 55?F/13?C may also cause uneven development in certain types.
- There could be a mineral deficiency (for example, a shortage of potassium), thus it may be prudent to fertilize with a complete fertilizer—that is, one that includes the whole spectrum of major and minor elements, such as hydrolyzed fish or seaweed fertilizer—just to be sure.
- Compacted or overly wet soil might obstruct nutrition intake and result in uneven maturation
- Removal of too many leaves A cause might be for any purpose. Some people remove leaves from their tomatoes “to stimulate faster maturation,” but not only doesn’t this work, it can have exactly the opposite effect;
- Insect damage Whiteflies, stink bugs, and other insects that pierce the tomato might leave immature patches within the fruit at the location of the incision.
The easiest method to prevent the aforementioned issues is to simply provide your tomato with the finest circumstances available. Obviously, you can’t control the weather, but you can make sure your plants are well watered and fertilized, grow in rich, friable soil, are kept a bit cooler by mulching, are treated against insect problems without delay and don’t suffer needlessly due to the removal of healthy green leaves.
Yes, You Can Eat Them
And don’t worry if your tomatoes are a little green on the inside; they’re still edible.
They should be excellent if they are completely mature, like in the case of a type that is generally green inside. Just bite in!
If you collected them a little early and their greenness is due to their not being fully ripe, they will still be quite excellent, although possibly not at their peak. Let them to grow for a few days longer in a dark closet or brown paper bag. Many will mature wonderfully when handled this way.
And if yours aren’t as flavorful as you’d like, consider boiling them and using them in a dish rather than eating them raw. Cooking is a great equalizer when it comes to not-quite-perfect tomatoes!
