Can You Eat Split Cherry Tomatoes?
Cherry tomatoes are a delicious and nutrient-dense addition to many dishes. However, you may sometimes find these small tomatoes with cracks or splits in their skin when growing them at home. This leaves many home gardeners wondering – can you eat split cherry tomatoes safely?
The short answer is yes, you can eat split cherry tomatoes as long as the split is superficial and hasn’t exposed the inner flesh. Deeper splits that penetrate through the skin into the flesh can allow bacteria and fungi to enter, making the tomato unsafe to eat.
To understand why splits happen and how to determine if a split cherry tomato is still edible, let’s take a closer look at what causes splitting and when you should throw them out
What Causes Cherry Tomatoes to Split?
There are a few key reasons that lead to tomato splitting while on the vine:
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Fluctuating soil moisture – Tomatoes need consistent soil moisture while growing. Dramatic shifts from very wet to very dry conditions leads to unequal swelling and growth of the tomato flesh inside, causing the skin to crack.
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Heavy rainfall after dry periods – If cherry tomato plants experience a heavy rain after an extended dry spell, they can take up water very quickly. This rapid water absorption leads to swelling and cracking.
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High temperatures – Warm weather causes cherry tomatoes to grow rapidly. If the inner flesh expands faster than the skin can keep up, splitting occurs.
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Uneven watering practices – Inconsistent watering habits like overwatering one day and underwatering the next also causes uneven growth and splitting.
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Genetics – Some tomato varieties are simply more prone to cracking than others. This is an inherited trait that can’t be controlled through growing practices.
While fluctuations in soil moisture due to weather can’t be controlled, you can aim to water cherry tomato plants as evenly and consistently as possible. This will limit splits from excess moisture changes. Growing split-resistant varieties can also help.
Evaluating Split Cherry Tomatoes for Safety
When you spot a cracked cherry tomato on the vine, use these guidelines to decide if it’s still safe to eat:
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Superficial splits in skin only – If the skin is just lightly cracked but the inner flesh is not exposed, the tomato is likely still safe to eat. Cut away any cracked skin before eating.
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Small splits exposing flesh – If a small split goes deeper but only a small amount of flesh is visible, cut away the split portion completely and eat the rest.
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Large gashes exposing seeds and juice – Deep splits that open up large gashes into the inner flesh, seeds, or juice are unsafe. The exposure to air allows fungal and bacterial growth. Discard these tomatoes.
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Soft, discolored, or odd smelling – Any very soft, discolored, or foul smelling cherry tomatoes even with small splits should be discarded. This indicates spoilage.
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Lingering on vine – Leaving split tomatoes on the vine increases chances of infection setting in. Pick split tomatoes right away and inspect for safety.
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Healed splits – Sometimes the tomato flesh will heal over a split naturally. This appears as thick whitish scar tissue. You can cut out the healed section and eat the rest.
When in doubt, remember it’s better to be safe and throw out produce with significant splitting rather than risk eating a contaminated tomato.
How to Use Split Cherry Tomatoes
If you harvest some cherry tomatoes with minor cosmetic splits, don’t let them go to waste! There are plenty of ways to use up split tomatoes:
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Sauces – Cook split cherry tomatoes down into a fresh tomato sauce. The cooking process will get the tomatoes hot enough to kill any bacteria present.
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Soup – Chop and add split cherry tomatoes to vegetable or tomato soups and chilis. The tomatoes will cook through fully.
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Canning – While you should avoid canning split fresh tomatoes for shelf storage, you can refrigerate canned items like ketchup or tomato jam.
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Juice – Split and damaged tomatoes are perfect for juicing. The skin won’t affect the final product.
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Roasting – Roasting split tomatoes concentrates their flavor. Cut away any badly split sections first.
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Freezing – Cook split tomatoes into a sauce or paste and freeze in batches for later use.
While you’ll want to eat split cherry tomatoes in cooked preparations rather than fresh, this allows you to enjoy their delicious flavor in safe ways. With proper handling, minor splits don’t have to mean the tomatoes are destined for the compost pile.
Preventing Cherry Tomatoes From Splitting
To reduce the number of split cherry tomatoes in your garden:
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Water evenly – Use drip irrigation, hand watering, or timed sprinklers to keep soil moisture as consistent as possible.
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Avoid excessive pruning – Removing many leaves limits the plant’s ability to take in sunlight and moisture evenly.
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Pick ripe tomatoes quickly – Harvest tomatoes as soon as they are fully ripe to limit time on the vine.
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Consider split-resistant varieties – Some types like Roma tomatoes are less prone to cracking.
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Mulch plants – Add 2-3 inches of mulch to reduce soil moisture evaporation and fluctuations.
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Monitor rain and water before/after – Avoid overwatering just before or after heavy rainfalls to limit rapid moisture changes.
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Stake/cage plants – This prevents foliage from shading tomatoes and improves air circulation.
While you’ll likely always deal with some split tomatoes, proper care can significantly reduce their frequency. The joy of harvesting and eating homegrown cherry tomatoes makes it worth the effort!
The Bottom Line
Finding split tomatoes among your thriving cherry tomato plants can be disappointing, but minor cracks and splits don’t mean they have to be discarded! Enjoy split cherry tomatoes in cooked dishes, sauces, juices, jams, and more. Just be cautious with deep gashes that expose inner flesh to potential contaminants. With careful handling and inspection, split cherry tomatoes can be a delicious part of your seasonal harvest.
Why Do Tomatoes Split?
Brian Chau, food scientist and principal of Chau Time, explains that cracks and indents form on tomatoes when the skin grows slower than the flesh.
The temperature could impact tomatoes’ growth—warm sunny spells followed by colder nights could lead to tomatoes expanding rapidly and bursting the skin. “Weather [also] impacts water conditions,” says Chau. Heavy or sudden rainfalls can lead to the tomato’s interior growing and swelling.
While fluctuating weather conditions cannot be controlled, gardening habits could affect the tomatoes appearance. Chau adds that watering too much on one day and not enough on another makes the tomatoes grow unevenly, causing them to crack.
Are split tomatoes safe to eat?
FAQ
Are cherry tomatoes still good if they split?
Why do some tomatoes split after picking? Tomatoes can split after picking if they’ve over ripened—but, don’t worry, they’re still good to eat!Aug 8, 2024
Are cracked cherry tomatoes safe to eat?
A tomato that has split open can attract fruit flies and develop fungus, mold, and bacteria inside. Skip the cracked tomatoes if you’re doing any tomato canning. However, cutting around the cracks of a tomato and using the good parts in salads, sandwiches, salsas, and sauces is perfectly fine.
Can you eat tomatoes if they have split?
“If you cut around the cracked part, the rest of the tomato can still be eaten, (but) the cracked part can attract flies or cause mold to grow.”Aug 17, 2024
Why do my cherry tomatoes have splits in them?
The reason your tomatoes split and crack open, is pretty straight forward. This happens when the plant gets too much water all at once, either from a heavy rainfall or a good watering. The fruit grows faster than the skin, therefore causing the skin to crack and the fruit to split open.
Are split Tomatoes safe to eat?
Split tomatoes are unsafe to eat when their flesh and seeds are exposed. At that point, there is a risk of infection from pests, such as fruit worms that feed on the fruit by burrowing in it through the crack. Chau adds that when the tomato’s interior is exposed, it could also attract pests like fruit flies, causing bacteria and mold to grow.
Can you eat tomatoes split open?
If there looks like an infestation or infection, to be on the safe side, I would probably toss the offending fruit into the compost. That said, if it looks minimal, eating tomatoes that are split open is fine, especially if you cut out the area surrounding the crack.
What happens if you eat split Tomatoes?
You know, these split tomatoes are perfect for recipes where appearance doesn’t matter, like soups, jams, salsas, and juices. Be cautious if the cracks expose the flesh and seeds. This exposure can attract pests like fruit worms, which burrow into the fruit through the cracks. If you spot any critters in your split tomatoes, throw them away.
Can you eat a cracked tomato?
The cracked tomato can be used in recipes where appearance doesn’t matter, like soups, jam, salsas, and juice. Split tomatoes are unsafe to eat when their flesh and seeds are exposed. At that point, there is a risk of infection from pests, such as fruit worms that feed on the fruit by burrowing in it through the crack.
Can you use split Tomatoes the same as regular tomatoes?
Most of the time, you can use split tomatoes the same as you would regular tomatoes unless you waited too long and your tomatoes got invaded by unwanted pests through the cracks, or they became soft or moldy. When the cut or crack is deep, or it’s been split and still on the vine for a long time that bacteria or fungi can set in.
What should I do if my tomatoes split?
Time is also an important element. If you notice a split, try to pick the damaged fruit as soon as you are able to. Leaving it on the vine longer, outside in the sun, increases the risk of bacterial or fungal growth and infection. If you are able to save a few tomatoes that only have minor splits, first off, cheers to you!