Beyond compare

Exactly what is the comparison in "beyond the beyond".  For instance, what is riper than ripe? Take in these ceramic tomatoes from Yountville.  Huge, more colorful than their namesakes.  As they say in that small state with sexy curves (NJ, of course), never, never slight the tomato.  And who would you believe:  the one who says the poem is in the stem or she who says the poem is all flesh?