they will be much sweeter if you do, I'd only pick them if the weather conditions mean that the fruit will be damaged or the plants go over, mine are in a greenhouse and are just starting to turn

They do keep much better if you keep them on the plant.they also freeze very well if you get a glut.

true Tulsa-- I also freeze tomatoes and the two make lovely sauces in the winter

I have never frozen tomatoes before but i'm going to have a go this year. How you do yours Pam?

simply wash & dry them and drop them in a carrier bag in the freezer drawer, just adding to them as and when. To use them for sauces I take some out and put in a bowl ( think snooker balls!) then pour boiling water over them , leave a few moments and pick up a tom and the skin will come off in your hand, put it in a separate bowl and repeat, you'll now have a bowl of skin free toms, to use as you will, makes lovely spaghetti/chilli sauces or tomato soup, I sometimes add a bit of tom puree from a tube if the toms are a bit under ripe --- keep me going for months!

That sounds great Pam thanks,really simple. I made some tom soup last week ,mmmmm lovely.

tomato & pepper is good too Tulsa-- we shouldn't be talking soup! its still summer but we've needed it recently!

we sure have Pam cold wet and windy here, have you got a good recipe for tomato&pepper soup never made that one, sounds good.

I tend to make things up as i go along ( went to catering college and was a manager for about 20 years!) so I'd probably skin the toms as above and skin the peppers which is more complicated but so worth it as it sweetens them up no end!,
cut pepper in half and grill the skin side until it goes blsck then immediatly put in a plastic bag and seal the top - the bag will steam up as it cools down and you can rub off the black skin quite easily ( if theres a little bit left don't worry!--- ( at this stage you could use the peppers for all sorts of things, lovely marinated in garlic basil & olive oil-- especially on toast cooked over the bbq
the soup --
put chopped onions with some oil in a saucepan and cook over a gentle heat without browning,
add some garlic & basil if liked then the squashy tomatoes and chopped peppers, add some stock eg chicken or veg-- and water also some tom puree if needed, allow to cook through then either liquidise or food process the soup and pass through a sieve ( to remove seeds etc.) taste and season-- tom soup alone sometimes needs a little sugar to counteract the acidity
reheat as required, can add milk or cream if liked
this is making me hungry!!

It's making me hungry as well Pam .love the sound of that soup,thanks so much for telling me, i love trying different things even at my time of life LOL.