lavender Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 According to the original report on the late blight the fruit was safe to eat. We were advised to rinse it in a solution of bleach although ingesting the fungus was said to be harmless. At Ag Days this week the Master Gardeners at the County Extension booth were advising against using them. I contacted our county extension agent to find out what was now the official position. The Department of Food Sciences is taking a different position than the disease specialists. They are not saying that it is not safe to ingest the fungus but they are saying that if the tomato itself is infected the pH may be raised so they are not safe to can. As you may have heard this is also a concern with low acid tomatoes. The second problem is that if the skin is actually broken secondary infections may occur or the tomato may be more heavily infected than is visible. The secondary infections could be harmful. Tomatoes that come from blighted plants, as long as there are no visible lesions on the plant,are OK. They should be used immediately though as even the bleach apparently does not kill enough of the fungi to keep the tomatoes from spoiling. Any tomatoes that have visible lesions should be discarded. Here is the website that carries the information http://foodsafety.psu.edu/LateBlight.htm I did ask if it would be safe to use the green tomatoes as a relish which would be highly acidic and I'm still awaiting an answer on that one. Will keep everyone informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted August 21, 2009 Share Posted August 21, 2009 I would think that as long as you are adding something such as Citric Acid on a regular basis they should still be safe to can. I always used it anyway just in case I accidentally got some low acid tomatoes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 I have some tomatoes that I took off the vine when green and 1/2 are turning red with out turning bad are they ok to eat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 I finally made it to the one garden and there are not only ripe tomatoes but the plants are healthy! They need fed because I assumed they were also going to die and didn't make arrangements for anyone to care for them! Now to make the walker trek to the other bed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted August 22, 2009 Author Share Posted August 22, 2009 I have some tomatoes that I took off the vine when green and 1/2 are turning red with out turning bad are they ok to eat? From what I have been reading on the Penn State websites if they haven't turned bad or have spots they are safe to eat. They are safe to can if no lesions are present. The fungus can not harm you. Secondary infections that may have entered through the breaks in the skin could be harmful if they do start to turn bad. Don't can anything that has visible lesions in the event that the pH is off or more harmful organisms are present. I'm still waiting for information on if they would be safe to can if done in vinegar or something as a relish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted August 22, 2009 Share Posted August 22, 2009 From what I have been reading on the Penn State websites if they haven't turned bad or have spots they are safe to eat. They are safe to can if no lesions are present. The fungus can not harm you. Secondary infections that may have entered through the breaks in the skin could be harmful if they do start to turn bad. Don't can anything that has visible lesions in the event that the pH is off or more harmful organisms are present. I'm still waiting for information on if they would be safe to can if done in vinegar or something as a relish. Thanks I should have some to eat in a day or two. mmmmmm:dance: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 Let us know if you die! We'll update PSU County Extension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoonie Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Let us know if you die! We'll update PSU County Extension. Check the obets on Tues. and look for death by tomato.:puke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnutcookie Posted August 23, 2009 Share Posted August 23, 2009 Ughhhhhh glad i hate tomatoes sorry for all that lost thier crop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted August 23, 2009 Author Share Posted August 23, 2009 Check the obets on Tues. and look for death by tomato.:puke: Will do! Donations to the Save the Tomato Foundation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Staci Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 It's a shame that so many people have lost their tomato crop. My husband is having the best tomato season he has ever had. He's got some italian tomatoes with more than 25 on each plant. I am not sure why he hasn't had the tomato blight like everyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisin momma Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 It's a shame that so many people have lost their tomato crop. My husband is having the best tomato season he has ever had. He's got some italian tomatoes with more than 25 on each plant. I am not sure why he hasn't had the tomato blight like everyone else. Please let me know by pm if you will be able to sell any of them. I am so desperate this year I have contacted a farm in Erie to see if they have any to pick. The prices I am being quoted for a bushel are outrageous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipcat Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I had picked some green tomatoes because most of the plants and tomatoes got it. Out of about a dozen tomatoes, only half are going to make it for now. I ended up with one red one. Hate to see the price of tomatoes and anything made with them. Same goes for potatoes. Does anyone know how the potatoes are doing. My neighbor's got hit, at least the plant above ground. Don't know how the actual potato will be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
domino Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I had picked some green tomatoes because most of the plants and tomatoes got it. Out of about a dozen tomatoes, only half are going to make it for now. I ended up with one red one. Hate to see the price of tomatoes and anything made with them. Same goes for potatoes. Does anyone know how the potatoes are doing. My neighbor's got hit, at least the plant above ground. Don't know how the actual potato will be. FIL has tomatoes and potatoes...both are great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokefree Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Threw some old potatoes in my composter and they were growing like crazy. I should have just left them there. LOL When I pulled them out there were little baby potatoes on them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest snellma Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 Please let me know by pm if you will be able to sell any of them. I am so desperate this year I have contacted a farm in Erie to see if they have any to pick. The prices I am being quoted for a bushel are outrageous. I can give you a lady's name and number who sells them for $8 a bushel - you pick. That is where I get my grapes, tomatoes, apples, and peppers every year. Send me a p.m. if you are interested. I talked to her about a week ago and she said she had beautiful tomatoes but they were still green. No blight up there yet. I go the last weekend of Sept. for grapes and she still has tomatoes then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 I had picked some green tomatoes because most of the plants and tomatoes got it. Out of about a dozen tomatoes, only half are going to make it for now. I ended up with one red one. Hate to see the price of tomatoes and anything made with them. Same goes for potatoes. Does anyone know how the potatoes are doing. My neighbor's got hit, at least the plant above ground. Don't know how the actual potato will be. Tell him to dig the potatoes right now. The faster he gets them out the less likely they will rot. If he doesn't get them all and they are infected he will have the blight in the soil next year. This is how the Irish Potato Famine kept going. I've got a new formula for washing the tomatoes to replace the bleach. I'll post it as soon as I have a few minutes to dig it out. I received it yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisin momma Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I washed all my tomatoes just like it said with the bleach solution but must have had the blight on them harder than it looked because I may only get 1 tomato to eat. All the rest are gone- rotting as they sit. Still looking for some to buy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delta Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I've been lucky so far-- just septorium, or something, on the leaves, which hasn't affected the fruit. I seem to get it every year. My neighbor and I wonder if our tomatoes may be catching it from an old flowering crabapple tree which seems to have the same affliction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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