Do you know if some commercial tomatoes ripen off the vine?

[Tinkie_Bear]

I saved some seed last summer from a yummy beef tomato I had in a restaurant, planted the seed and 18 healthy plants grew.  They are all big and strong with lovely big fruit, trouble is none of them have ripened, indoors or outdoors.  One of mine suffered some wind damage and a couple of fruits fell off so I put them in a shoe box and a week later they were perfect.

My real question is this - is there a comercially grown variety that is picked green and ripens on the way to the shops?

Thanks in advance

Helen

[Tinkie_Bear]

[saddad]

I don't follow commercial varieties but that would seem to be a desireable property...
???

[tim]

Don't they use ethylene?

[jennym]

Think most of the tomatoes grown commercially are picked unripe, and are ripened using ethylene, a hormone gas. Ttry keeping them in a warm place and putting very ripe bananas with the tomatoes, and a couple of sheets of newspaper on top.

[Merry Tiller]

Yes, I think you'll find that most supermarket tomatoes are picked green :'(

[amphibian]

It is also worth remembering that the tomato you saved the seeds from was most likely an F1, the F2 seeds you sowed may carry oddities, there is a gene in tomatoes that literally prevents ripening occuring.

The gene rin delays ripening significantly, Nr prevents ripening all together.