Tomatoes

In season in SW Michigan

In season

Months from the MSU Extension seasonal availability guide. Weather shifts dates a little each year.

Key nutrients

%DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults and children 4+. Values are USDA lab averages scaled to the serving; your harvest may differ.

Wellness

A medium raw tomato has about 22 calories, plus 17 mg of vitamin C (19% DV). That makes it a good source of vitamin C. (USDA) The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements says the body needs vitamin C to make collagen, which helps wounds heal, and that vitamin C improves absorption of iron from plant foods and helps the immune system work properly. (NIH ODS) Harvard's Nutrition Source notes that some studies link tomatoes, or lycopene, the pigment that makes them red, with lower prostate cancer risk, while others have found no link or only a weak one. (Harvard)

Pick, store and use

• Store

  Keep tomatoes at room temperature; ripen them in a loosely closed paper bag. Ripe tomatoes keep 2–3 days in the fridge. (MSU Extension · MSU Extension)

• Pick

  For canning, choose firm, disease-free fruit, preferably vine-ripened. Don't can tomatoes from dead or frost-killed vines. (MSU Extension)

• Can

  Always acidify home-canned tomatoes: 2 tablespoons of bottled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon of citric acid per quart. (MSU Extension)

Where to get it nearby

• Bonamego FarmsLawrence · Van Buren Co. U-pick
• Sill Brothers U-PickSouth Haven · Allegan Co. U-pick
• Barden's Farm MarketSouth Haven · Van Buren Co.
• Fruit Acres Farm Market & U-PickColoma · Berrien Co.
• Sommerfeldt FarmsBenton Harbor · Berrien Co.

See all farms →

Farms whose listing mentions tomatoes. Check with the farm before you go.