I have been picking my tomatoes once they get a pinkish blush on them. In past years I just let them go as red as they could get on the vine - they are great bird attractors when red! I have not had bird problems this year.
I don’t have a lot of hope for tomatoes this year but the bell peppers are coming along fine in the cold weather.
I will have to try picking mine a tad underripe. All it takes is one heavy rain while they are turning, and we get huge cracks in them. :(
The local Saturday and Sunday garden shows were talking about getting red Christmas balls and some Styrofoam balls and hanging them on the plants early in the growing season. Birds try to eat them and think they are the worst tomatoes ever and will let the garden alone. I am doing that next year.
That is best because the birds are your friends. They eat all the big bugs that eat you tomatoes.
Everyone needs to try Armenian cucumbers. Even too big they are great.