It’s pretty hard to beat the juiciness and flavor of a homegrown tomato. And if you’ve been watching your Beefsteaks, Big Boys, or Romas begin to plump and ripen in your garden, you can already imagine how good they’ll taste. Now that you’ve spent the spring and early summer taking care of your tomato plants, it’s time to literally start enjoying the fruits of your labor.

How do you know when tomatoes are ready to pick?

You may have bruschetta on the brain or the perfect BLT on your weekend agenda, but here’s how to tell when your garden tomatoes are actually ready to be harvested.

Unlike just about everything else you grow in your garden, tomatoes will continue to ripen even after you pick them. So while waiting until their skin is smooth, glossy, and red—or whatever their final color is—will give you the most flavor, it’s okay to pick them at an earlier stage of ripeness.

Once your tomatoes are full sized and you can see their final color start to come in around the blossom end—this is called the breaker stage—you can pick them. This may be a good idea if you’re worried about intense heat or cold, cracking, or damage from insects. Let those green tomatoes sit on the counter until their color has come in.

What’s the best way to pick tomatoes?

While it’s tempting to (gently) pull those juicy tomatoes right off the vine, using a sharp pair of pruners, harvesting shears, or garden scissors will help you make sure they don’t get damaged in the process. Clip the stalk just above the tomato so that a small piece of stem is attached.

Do handle your tomatoes with care. If you’re picking several at a time, place them gently in your basket or the hem of your shirt or whatever you’re using to collect them in, to make sure the skin doesn’t tear, crack, or bruise.

Do tomatoes last longer in the refrigerator or on the counter?

If you return from the garden with more tomatoes than you plan to eat or use right away, it’s time for the big—and often hotly debated question—fridge or counter? Well, it depends. Tomatoes that aren’t fully ripe should definitely hang out at room temperature. Keep them on the counter or the ledge over your sink— spaced out enough to allow for air flow—until they achieve full color.

But if you want to extend the life of tomatoes that are fully ripened and ready to eat, the chill of the fridge is your not-so-secret weapon that will buy you a few extra days. Now, it’s true that the cold may dim some of the flavor, so before you enjoy your refrigerated tomatoes, let them warm up to room temperature.

Is it okay to freeze fresh tomatoes?

If your tomato plant has delivered way more than you can devour and give away, consider freezing them and saving a little taste of summer for later in the year. Freezing tomatoes will give them a slightly mushy texture, but you won’t even notice it if you are adding them to a recipe where they are cooked.

How to freeze tomatoes

1. Wash tomatoes and remove any leaves, stems, or blemishes.
2. Consider blanching—dropping the tomatoes into boiling water for 30 seconds then transferring into ice water—to make it easy to remove the skins and better preserve flavor. This is optional.
3. Either chop your clean and possibly peeled tomatoes and put them in a freezer-safe bag or container, removing as much air as possible, or leave tomatoes whole, flash-freeze them on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer-safe bag or container.
4. Label, date, and freeze for as long as 8 to 12 months.
5. When you’re ready to use your frozen tomatoes, thaw them in the fridge then add them to recipes like sauces, soups, or casseroles.

Delicious tomato recipes

If you’ve taken the time to grow tomatoes at home, you may already know many great ways to enjoy them —from slicing them onto backyard burgers to turning them into homemade tomato sauce for pasta or pizza—but if your tomato plants are flush with fruit, it can’t hurt to have a few more tasty ideas.

When you are flush with tomatoes from your garden, making homemade salsa is a perfect way to enjoy them because you can use just about any variety, you can make it as spicy, fancy, or simple as you like, and there’s no need to turn on the oven.

GARDEN FRESH TOMATO SALSA