Knowing how to care for your fresh tomatoes is key. Follow our guide on how to care for your fresh tomatoes.

HOW TO STORE:

• NEVER refrigerate – less flavor and less firmness
• Keep ripe fruit at 55-60 degrees F
• Keep at 85-95% relative humidity
• Store stem-up to prevent bruised shoulders
• Keep out of direct sunlight

HOW TO DISPLAY:

• Bright red, ripe tomatoes will sell best so put them up front
• Rotate your fresh tomatoes daily, removing overripe and bruised fruit
• Display bulk and packaged tomatoes on dry tables
• Use alternative produce, such as avocados, as a color break
• On wet racks, insulate tomatoes to keep pulp temperature above 55 degrees F

TO TEST FOR RIPENESS:

• Check the color – even, bright red
• Check firmness – yields slightly to pressure
• If tomatoes are unripe, store at 58-68 degrees F and 85-95% relative humidity, but keep out of direct sunlight. Place in an area with moderate air circulation and inspect daily until ripe. To ripen more quickly, stack boxes together on a pallet.

WHAT’S IT WORTH?:

• One medium-sized tomato (5.6oz/148g) has:
  • CALORIES 25
  • POTASSIUM 340mg
  • PROTEIN 1g
  • VITAMIN A 20% of RDA
  • CARBOHYDRATES 5g
  • VITAMIN C 40% of RDA
  • FAT 0g
  • IRON 4% of RDA
  • SODIUM 20mg
  • CHOLESTEROL 0mg Also: Contains 1g of dietary fiber (about as much as a slice of whole wheat bread)