Almost everyone does that. I pick my tomatoes and let them ripen on the counter, then process them at their peak. I will let the experts give you the final go ahead but I would be shocked if they said no. :)

Sure, I often do that. I'll pick a bunch of tomatoes with great intentions and then life gets in the way. A day or two or even three on the counter is fine.

By the way, there is an ongoing debate about "refrigerate or never refrigerate". I personally can tell the difference if I'm eating them fresh, but I've had to refrigerate some (sudden out of town trip and I didn't want to leave them on the counter in a hot kitchen while I was gone). They worked fine in salsa and sauces. No one could tell the difference later when we taste tested the two different batches.

Thank you sue_ct and malna. That's quite reassuring!

They can also be washed and frozen until you get to them. If your toms are quite ripe, this might be an option. You can weigh and freeze whole, or chop/prep them for the salsa and freeze measured quantities.

Ah, great idea, balloonflower! Thanks very much for the suggestion.

Freshness, Quality (Subjective) though are desirable but that is not a health safety issue. As long as your tomatoes are blemish free, should be just fine for eating, salad, in cooking and jarring. Plus , why do we have certain processing time requirements? That is to take care of any issues related to bacteria and mold growth. Then on top of that you acidify, to prevent bacterial growth.