Post-Harvest Handling Decision Tool > Crop Groups > Tomatoes
The primary considerations in the post-harvest handling of tomatoes are to avoid damage from handling and to control the ripening process of the fruit. Rough handling results in both visible and latent damage. Some dust may need to be removed from the fruit as well.
Large commercial operations harvest fresh market tomatoes at a mature green stage and use controlled atmosphere and ethylene gas to control ripening. Pack lines sort by size and provide a belt for grading and sorting the tomatoes according to ripeness. A slow roller conveyor that slowly turns each tomato provides an opportunity to inspect thoroughly for defects. A brush washer using very soft brushes and a small amount of water may be used to remove dust and foreign material.
Upper Midwest tomato market farms rely on hand sorting and modest temperature control to grade and prepare tomatoes for market. None of the surveyed farms uses a mechanical washer or grader of any kind. All of the farms were using some sort of manual wiping to remove dust and contaminants.
Harvest and Packing Practices
To a large degree, harvest practices determine the necessary post-harvest handling steps. Operations selling primarily through a CSA were more likely to sort tomatoes for ripeness in the field, while operations selling through wholesale markets had developed more sophisticated systems for grading tomatoes by ripeness.
Spring Hill Community Farm harvests all of their tomatoes at the “red” stage (90% or more red) and packs them into CSA shares the same day. Stems are popped in the field, and no sorting happens except as the tomatoes are packed into CSA shares.
At Hog's Back Farm, tomatoes are harvested once each week, on Tuesdays for Thursdays delivery, and sorted and graded in the field into oranges, reds, and over-ripes. The tomatoes are allowed to sit for a day to expose any latent problems before packing. Two workers harvest the tomatoes, and David, the farmer, does the sorting. Two thousand tomatoes (600 to 800 pounds) takes three people a little under four hours to harvest and pack.
At Gardens of Eagan, tomatoes are harvested twice a week, still showing a hint of green. This stage is known as “pink” in the tomato industry. Workers harvest using white cotton gloves and remove the calyx in the field. Packing may happen in the field or in the packing shed, depending on quality. A large, laminated table in the packing shed provides space for grading. Tomatoes are graded according to the needs of different buyers.
Featherstone Fruits and Vegetables harvests tomatoes at the breaker stage and brings them into their temperature-controlled packing area to cool them down to fifty-eight degrees. Tomatoes are harvested in the afternoon and cooled overnight. In the morning, using a packing list, two workers use an ad hoc arrangement of plastic tables in the temperature-controlled room to pack out of harvest totes into boxes. A rag is used to remove dirt. It takes about ninety minutes to grade and pack 800 pounds of tomatoes. Packing in the cool room prevents condensation on the tomatoes and makes it possible to harvest tomatoes before orders are received.
This information is part of a Post-harvest Handling Decision Tool developed by Chris Blanchard of Rock Spring Farm in Decorah, Iowa. The tool is a project of the Fruit and Vegetable Working Group affiliated with the Value Chain Partnerships program. This project was funded by the Iowa State University Extension Value Added Agriculture program and the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Blanchard conducted case studies of three vegetable operations to gather information for this decision tool. Products referred to in this tool are not an endorsement by Iowa State University.