tomatoes "white" and watery looking? or sunburned?

[meanwhile]

Two heirloom tomato plants (Czech Excellent Yellow and Black Plum) have green tomato that look just fine. But then, one by one, the tomatoes are turning white-ish looking and when we touch them, they are too soft on outside and appear watery. Some have warped looking sides too.

What to do and is it too late to save the rest of the fruit?

We have 3 other varieties planted in same row, with same hay bales around and that fruit is, so far, doing OK. Thank you

Sounds like sunburn, commonly called sunscald. theres a picture here of sunscald on a green tomato, compare that.
http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4dm...s/tomaprob.htm
you can't undo whats already done, but if you shade the tomatoes, it wont happen to new ones.

[fretti]

This was on MSNBC just now.

Sunscreen for fruits, veggies? Farmers try it
Warming, drought will make heat stress 'bigger issue,' expert says

FRESNO, Calif. - Sunscreen for fruits and vegetables is being tested in Australia and Chile, and now California farmers are checking it out courtesy of a local vendor.

Just like people damage their skin in the sun, produce can also get nasty burns. That's why farmers are increasingly applying sunscreen to their crops to prevent skin blistering, heat stress and blemishes.

Climate change and drought in Australia and California's Central Valley have meant challenging growing conditions for farmers that are affecting the quality, yields and price of produce. Sunscreens alleviate at least one worry for farmers, who lose money with each fruit or vegetable that develops sun damage....

Plants react to sun stress like humans. They perspire — a process called transpiration — which means the more temperatures rise, the more water they need. As drought grips several of the world's key growing regions, scientists are looking at ways to conserve by helping plants use less.

SPF 45
Liquefied clay has been used for years, but now a California company is finding positive results with an SPF 45 product made of multicrystaline calcium carbonate crystals that are engineered to specifically deflect ultraviolet and infrared light from the plants and trees on which it is sprayed. The product keeps out the bad light, but lets in the good photosynthesis rays that aid ripening.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25907647/

[meanwhile]

Thank you! It is sun scald! The tomatoes that have it are exposed to the sun and lying out on top of hay bales. We can now put up a screen......not sure what we will make it from but we have some old fabric and that might work. Thank you! I think we can save some of the rest of the tomatoes. Thanks!

[Ravenlost]

There's an article in the new Mother Earth News I got yesterday that discusses different types of screens, lattices, etc. to put up in the garden to protect plants from the sun.