I read once how you can ripen green tomatoes in the house after the frost has hit, or just before. I've brought in loads of tomatoes, now what do I do?
grammamare from Charlotte, MI
I take my tomatoes and wrap each one in a piece of newspaper and put them in a box in a cool place. Some of them will keep until December. You have to keep a check on them as they ripen. (10/23/2008)
Just put them on a sunny window ledge they,ll ripen in no time. (10/23/2008)
By jan nash
I put my green tomatoes in several large paper bags (2 layers deep per bag) fold over the top and store in a cool place. Once or twice a week I check the bags for ripe 'maters, I toss the red ones into a ziplock bag in the freezer. They freeze individually, and I have maters all winter long for sauces, stews etc.
Good Luck! (10/23/2008)
By Julie Young
If you have only a few, you can ripen them in a bowl on the kitchen counter, just like a bowl of fruit. Don't put them in a sunny window. They don't need sun, and it just encourages spoilage. If you have a lot, you can put them in trays or in cardboard boxes, lined with newspaper, and covered with a layer of newspaper to keep them dark.
By Louise B.
My parents used to wrap them in old newspaper and put them in a dark place. You have to keep checking on them but they will ripen. (10/23/2008)
By Chris T from Latrobe,PA
I'm originally from Ohio, and I used to bring in all the green tomatoes before the first frost, wrap individually in newspaper and put into a shallow newspaper lined cardboard, cover with a sheet of newspaper, put lid on box, put on shelf in the basement. Check every few days and remove the ripe ones. For ripe tomatoes, freeze on cookie sheets, when frozen, then bag. Use in soups and stews all winter. Good Luck!! (10/23/2008)
By mklema92658
Put the green tomatoes in an open shady window to ripen. Temperture needs to be 75 degrees or above. (10/23/2008)
Put tomatoes on a newspaper stem side up next to the red tomatoes then they will ripen fast cause they oxidize against each other. (10/23/2008)
My Grandma has always told me that her Dad would do the wrappping and storing in a box in a closet and that they always had tomatoes up through the New Year. Now my Grandpa pulls his tomato plants up, leaving all the green tomatoes on the vines, and stores the plants hanging upside down in his shop through the winter where they ripen on the vine. Of course he keeps his shop just warm enough that they won't freeze. Both ways work. Good Luck! (10/26/2008)
By Jess
A neighbor told me to wrap the green tomatoes in paper and store down in the basement. He said I would have tomatoes up to christmas. I also brought in a load of tomatoes. Also the ones that are turning red, I wash, core, and cut out any blemishes and put in freezer bags and freeze. When you thaw out what you need the peels will come right off and they are ready to use in your favorite recipe that will be cooked. (10/30/2008)
When I had a house, I did the wrapping individually and putting in a box in the basement. This year my tomatoes were barely beginning to ripen, when we had a severe storm watch which included possible large hail. Anyway I picked all of the green tomatoes(not very many) on my patio and put them in a bowl in the kitchen, with absolutely no sun on them and they ripened beautifully. (08/31/2009)
By Joan
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