Monday, October 20, 2014

Enjoying the Last of the Season’s Tomatoes By Joyce D’Agostino

Are you already missing vine ripened tomatoes? It seems to hit us this time of year that summer is over and even though there might be green tomatoes still on the vine, they will likely not ripen. 
But there are a few ways to enjoy ripened tomatoes for a few more weeks. One solution is very simple. Pick your green tomatoes and then wrap them in newspaper or wax paper. Place them in a box in a single layer and then place in a cool, dry place.
Photo by Joyce D'Agostino
The tomatoes will then ripen over the upcoming weeks and allow you to enjoy a few more fresh tomatoes from the garden.This method works well but does require some regular checking to ensure that the tomatoes are ripening and not drying out or rotting. Each variety of tomato can ripen at different rates, so putting the box so it is accessible and can be regularly checked is advised. 

Photo by Joyce D'Agostino
As you can see in the pictures, all types of green tomatoes can be ripened indoors. The red tomato in the second picture had just a small amount of pink color and was mostly green when picked, and then ripened within a week when wrapped in newspaper. 
So if you have picked some green tomatoes, try this method to ripen them indoors. Here are two Planttalk publications about ripening your tomatoes that will be helpful: