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You are here: Home / Ripe for the Picking: A Quick List of Common Fruit and Vegetables to Ripen On or Off the Vine

There is nothing like the taste of a vine-ripened tomato. But did you know that you can also pick tomatoes before they are fully ripe and get similar results? It’s true. Tomatoes, when they are fully mature in the “green stage,” will continue to ripen once they are picked.

What about other vegetables in the nightshade family, like bell peppers and eggplant? Unfortunately, these vegetables will only ripen on the vine. They won’t ripen any further once they are picked.

Climacteric and Non-Climacteric Fruits

Fruits and vegetables fall into two categories that define their ripening behavior. These are known as climacteric and non-climacteric.   

Climacteric fruits will ripen on or off the vine – meaning they will continue to ripen after they are picked. Tomatoes, hot chili peppers, and many common fruits like bananas, apples, peaches, and apricots are climacteric and will continue to ripen after they are harvested.

Non-climacteric fruits are those that will only ripen on the plant. These won’t ripen any further once they are picked, so it is important to harvest non-climacteric vegetables and fruits at exactly the right time to get the best flavor. Common vegetables and fruit in this category include cucumber, eggplant, bell peppers, summer squash, citrus fruits, strawberries, and watermelon.

Climacteric (Ripens on or off the vine)Non-Climacteric (Only ripens on the vine)
TomatoBell Pepper
Chili Pepper Eggplant
AppleCucumber
BananaSummer Squash
PeachWinter Squash
ApricotPumpkin
PlumStrawberry
PearBlackberry, Raspberry, Blueberry
CantaloupeCitrus Fruit: Orange, Lemon, Lime, Grapefruit
MangoGrapes

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Don't miss the annual seed swap!The Library is closed today but we wanted to let you know that our annual Seed Swap is coming soon!Eighth Annual Seed Swap Saturday, February 11th Join Outreach Librarian, Char Beach, and True to Seed for our annual Seed Swap! Bring your extra seeds (home-saved or purchased) to share with others and go home with some for your spring and summer planting. Learn about seed saving from some of our region’s avid seed savers, and take home seed varieties that you won’t find anywhere else and that are well-adapted to our growing conditions. No seed to swap? Come anyway, and consider making a donation to help cover costs and help our seed program grow. A donation is not necessary to participate. For more information contact Char Beach at cbeach@cdalibrary.org or call 208-769-2315 Ext. 651 ... See MoreSee Less

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