I have always found 'vine ripened' to have a better flavor than 'kitchen ripened', but once they get to a certain stage, each day they remain on the vine, is another opportunity for the squirrels, birds and bugs to help themselves. Also, picking a little early also gives the plant a chance to divert more energy to the fruit still on the vine. The plant's purpose in life is to reproduce itself, and if you keep picking under-ripe fruits, it will try to produce replacements for them.
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