Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: Jar Method - For Small Amounts of Tomatoes
• Method 2 of 4: Carton Method - For More Tomatoes
• Method 3 of 4: Plastic Bag Method - For Any Number of Tomatoes
• Method 4 of 4: Paper Bag Method - Small Tomatoes
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

The end of the gardening season and you have an unprecedented harvest of tomatoes - green tomatoes? In this article, you will find simple tips on how to help tomatoes ripen using ethylene, the gas needed to ripen tomatoes.

Steps

1. 1 Harvest regularly. For each method, the tomatoes need to be harvested on time. If possible, remove green tomatoes from the branches, which have begun to blush a little at the inflorescence and are no longer as hard as completely green tomatoes. If you pick them earlier, when the fruits are not yet ripe, then they simply will not ripen. Green tomatoes can be cooked too.
   • If you are not sure if the tomatoes are ready for picking, then cut the fruit in half, if the inside is yellowish sticky jelly, then the tomatoes can be harvested. For obvious reasons, a cut tomato will not ripen, but will allow you to look inside the green fruit that has been picked from a branch.
   • If you find out that frosts are coming, which will spoil all the tomatoes, then instead of picking the fruits one by one, get the whole bush out of the ground along with the roots, shake the ground and hang the bush right in a sheltered place, for example, a garage. Just avoid extreme changes in light exposure (from direct sunlight to complete darkness). Tomatoes will die! Tomatoes will ripen perfectly on the bush.
2. 2 Before storing, remove the tomatoes from the bush, remove all twigs, leaves, stems, etc.that can scratch or damage the fruit during ripening. If the tomatoes are dirty, wash them carefully and air dry first.
3. 3Use one of the following techniques for storing and ripening tomatoes removed from a bush.
4. 4 Make sure that the tomatoes do not start to deteriorate and become moldy. If you notice such a fruit, immediately remove the damaged fruit and ventilate the area. The colder it is in storage, the longer the tomatoes will sing. Usually, in warm home conditions, tomatoes ripen in 2 weeks. If the room is too cold, then the tomatoes may not ripen at all or become tasteless.

Method 1 of 4: Jar Method - For Small Amounts of Tomatoes

1. 1 Prepare jars and remove lids.
2. 2 Place a ripe banana in each.
3. 3 Place 2-4 medium sized tomatoes in each jar. Do not overfill the jar to avoid damaging the fruit.
4. 4 Close the cover securely.
5. 5 Place them in a warm, semi-humid, dark room. Check regularly - if the banana has begun to deteriorate and the tomatoes are not yet ready, replace it with a fresh one. In this way, after a week or two, you will get ripe tomatoes.

Method 2 of 4: Carton Method - For More Tomatoes

1. 1 Prepare a cardboard box. Place styrofoam, extra cardboard at the bottom, or just cover with newspaper.
2. 2 Place the tomato layer one by one in the box. If you have a lot of tomatoes, then you can lay out another layer on top, but very carefully. There should be no more than two layers in the box. Tomatoes can be laid out in multiple layers by adding about 6 pages of black and white newsprint between the layers. In this case, you will need to check the tomatoes for ripeness more often. Don't put bananas in the box unless you plan to use all the tomatoes at once.
3. 3 Add ripe bananas if desired. The tomatoes will ripen on their own as they release their own ethylene, helping each other to sing. However, bananas can speed up this process.
4. 4 Place the box in a cool, slightly damp, dark place. If there is room in a cupboard or cupboard, then place the box there.

Method 3 of 4: Plastic Bag Method - For Any Number of Tomatoes

1. 1 Prepare plastic bags. Make several holes in them for air circulation.
2. 2 Place 3-4 tomatoes and 1 banana in each bag. Depending on the size of the bags, you can put more or less fruit. Look at the size of the tomatoes and banana.
3. 3 Store in a warm, slightly humid, dark place.

Method 4 of 4: Paper Bag Method - Small Tomatoes

1. 1 Open the bag and put the ripening banana and tomatoes (as many will fit) into it.
2. 2 Store in a warm, semi-humid, dark place.
3. 3 This method is suitable if you have few tomatoes and little space.

Tips

• Bananas should be ripening - yellow bananas with green ends are most suitable. All ripening fruits release ethylene, a gas that helps the fruit to sing. Bananas aren't the only source of ethylene, but when ripe they produce far more ethylene than other fruits. And, unlike tomatoes, when bananas are harvested, they ripen very well.
• Air humidity is an important point. Too humid and your tomatoes may start to rot. Too dry and they become dehydrated. Keep an eye on the fruit and adjust the environment around as needed.
• In the same way, you can leave the green, sweet pepper to ripen.
• To enjoy the flavor, eat the tomatoes as soon as ripe. Tomatoes will begin to lose their flavor after about a week of refrigeration.
• Children can be involved in the process - for them it will be an interesting scientific experiment. This can explain to children the joy of growing vegetables in their own vegetable garden.
• If you remove large green tomatoes from the bush, a few weeks before frost, then this will allow the remaining tomatoes to ripen faster, since the bush will direct more energy to their growth.

Warnings

• Tomatoes, beaten by the first frost, are spoiled; try to collect them before frost!
• Do not waste time on sick and pest-infested fruits; save only healthy, good tomatoes.
• Tomatoes will ripen with any of the above methods, but only tomatoes ripened on the bush will be the most delicious and fleshy.
• Do not put tomatoes in the light, only bushes (especially leaves) need it; the tomatoes themselves will ripen better in the dark.

What do you need

• Green tomatoes, freshly picked from the bush (except for the bush ripening method)
• Jars: 1 ripening banana for 1 jar, 1 jar with a tight-fitting jar for 3 medium tomatoes.
• Cardboard box, ripe bananas (optional) - several for each box, depending on its size.
• Plastic bags, (large, transparent) ripe bananas, one per bag.
• Paper bag ripening banana
• A shovel (to dig up the bush before freezing), twine or wire to hang the bush.