Valuable recommendations on how to properly store tomatoes at home

Storing a tomato harvest is not an easy task, especially when a lot of vegetables have been collected.

Organizing proper storage includes discarding damaged fruits, preparing the area and choosing a method for storing tomatoes.

We will tell you in this article how best to store tomatoes at home.

Methods for storing tomatoes

Depending on how many tomatoes are collected and how much stock can be placed in each designated place, the optimal option for organizing the storage process is selected.

Collected from the garden

Freshly picked vegetables must be sorted immediately. At this stage, damaged fruits are laid aside.

If the tomatoes are dirty, wipe them dry with a rag. Wet vegetables require drying. To do this, the harvested tomatoes can be laid out on rags or on a wooden platform in the shade.

After preliminary preparation, it is necessary to determine in what form and where exactly the storage will be organized.

In boxes

In the basement and cellar, it is convenient to store tomatoes in boxes made of wood, plastic or cardboard. If plastic is chosen as the packaging material, it must have holes for air circulation. Wicker baskets can also be used.

The bottom of a box that will be sent for long-term storage should be lined with burlap, paper or straw. A layer of tomatoes is laid on top of this base with the petioles facing up. After that - paper or straw, and only then - another layer of vegetables. If everything is done correctly, the tomatoes can last up to 3 months.

In jars with mustard

You can try to keep tomatoes fresh for a long time by using mustard powder. To make the preparation, you will need to wash and sterilize three-liter glass jars in advance.

Procedure:

1. Wash and sterilize jars.
2. Wash and dry the tomatoes.
3. Add a couple tablespoons of mustard to the bottom of each jar.
4. Place the tomatoes in a neat layer.
5. Put down a sheet of paper.
6. Sprinkle a little mustard.
7. Add tomatoes again.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 until the jar is completely filled.
9. The last layer is mustard.
10. Close the jars with lids.

For this type of preparation, tomatoes must be selected without damage, preferably of the same size.

The video will show you how to store tomatoes in jars with mustard:

In paraffin

Treating tomatoes with paraffin is a labor-intensive method. To implement it you will need paraffin. To get it, you can melt a candle.

It is necessary to immerse each tomato in hot liquid paraffin for a few seconds.. Once the top layer becomes hard, the vegetable is ready for storage. The tomatoes are placed in boxes and put away for storage.

Vegetables must be folded very carefully so as not to disturb the top protective paraffin layer.

On the bushes

When the outside air temperature drops to +5°C, tomatoes must be collected, since their further stay in the garden does not make sense - the fruits will begin to deteriorate before they reach the ripening stage.

One way to organize the storage and ripening of a vegetable is to tear out the entire bush., with leaves and fruits.

After this, they are hung upside down in a room with an air temperature of about +12-14°C. With this method, tomatoes can not only ripen, but even increase in size due to the influx of nutrients from the leaves, stems and roots.

Cherry

Cherry tomatoes picked from the bush in an apartment can be stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment in paper. This way the vegetables can sit quietly for a week.

In a vacuum

Fresh ripe tomatoes have a relatively short shelf life. Packaging in vacuum bags allows you to extend the shelf life of the product, preserving its quality and appearance for 2-3 months.

The task of vacuum packaging (both industrial and domestic) is to remove air. Its absence will contribute to better storage due to the fact that oxidation is excluded. Also, this type of packaging helps protect vegetables from mold, loss of taste, etc.

The process must include mandatory preparation of vegetables and sorting of the crop. If a special container is used for vacuuming, it should not be overfilled with fruits so that they can move freely when air is pumped out.

This video will tell you about storing tomatoes in vacuum packaging:

In its own juice

Tomatoes prepared in their own juice last for an average year. After the jar is opened, it must be placed in the refrigerator and the contents consumed within a week.

How to prepare tomatoes this way - in the video:

Where should it be kept in the apartment?

In a city apartment, there are not many places to store tomatoes, especially in large quantities. The following can be selected for keeping vegetables: a balcony, a refrigerator, a pantry (if there is one) and even the space under the bed.

Balcony

You can keep tomato stocks on the balcony, but with some restrictions. If this room does not have glazing, then care should be taken to protect the crop from weather conditions - provide protection from the penetration of light, rain, etc.

You can install a special box on the balcony to store vegetables. Additionally, it may have protection in case of cold weather. If weather conditions deteriorate, for example, frost sets in or heat sets in, an open balcony for storage should no longer be used.

It is recommended to store tomatoes separately from other vegetables and fruits.

Fridge

The refrigerator is usually used to store vegetables for current use. It will not be possible to place large reserves. Refrigerator suitable for ripened vegetables. If the tomatoes are still green, it is better to first keep them in another place until they ripen.

To keep vegetables better, place them in the vegetable compartment. It is better to use a paper bag for packaging. There is no need to wash the tomatoes in advance.Before serving, tomatoes should be removed from the refrigerator in advance to allow them to warm up and become more flavorful.

This video will show you how to properly store tomatoes in the refrigerator:

Under the bed

Laying tomatoes under the bed makes sense if the apartment is not hot and the tomatoes themselves have not reached full ripeness. Paper or burlap is spread on the floor and vegetables are laid on top. It is advisable that they be arranged in one layer.

In the pantry

You can use a pantry to store tomatoes if it is kept cool and there are no windows. It is also important that there are no pears or apples nearby, the proximity of which accelerates the ripening of vegetables. Depending on the size of your pantry, tomatoes can be stored in drawers, baskets or boxes.

Is it possible to place the harvest in the cellar?

An unprepared cellar or basement is not the best storage place, especially when there are other vegetables and fruits nearby.

It is possible to use such a room only if it is prepared and equipped.

You need to start by cleaning, checking the walls and ceiling for mold.. The vegetable storage facility must have a constant temperature and humidity level, as well as ventilation. To monitor indicators, you need to use a thermometer and a hygrometer.

The room should be ventilated and disinfected in advance, and the remains of last year’s harvest should be removed. After processing and drying, it is advisable to equip the cellar with shelving. This will allow you to store vegetables quite compactly and have good access to them.

When arranging tomatoes the following points must be taken into account:

1. Do not place vegetables directly on shelves, much less on the floor - it is better to use boxes.
2. The number of layers in containers should not be more than 5, preferably less.
3. The temperature should be around +15°C.

If you need green tomatoes to ripen, it is better to move them to another place.

Summer and winter

The approach to storing tomatoes depends not only on the condition and type of vegetable, but also on the time of year during which the product should be stored.

Time-tested popular recipes come to the rescue:

• storage in vegetable oil;
• preparation in brine;
• keeping in vacuum;
• storage in mustard;
• pickling;
• freezing;
• drying.

In the summer, tomatoes collected from the plot can be stored fresh. Storerooms, cellars and other places with low air temperatures, protected from light, are suitable for this.

Is it worth freezing?

Tomatoes are vegetables with high water content. Despite this, they can be frozen for future use.

Freezing should include the following steps:

1. Sorting tomatoes, choosing firm and ripe ones from the total mass.
2. Preliminary processing. At this stage, the vegetables are washed and the stalks are removed.
3. Drying.
4. Preparing tomatoes - cutting, blanching, blending, etc.
5. Packaged in separate packages.
6. Signing packages.
7. Place the preparations in the freezer.

Depending on how the workpiece is planned to be used in the future, different approaches can be used. Tomatoes can be cut into rings, cubes, etc. It is possible to use food containers, ice cube trays, zip-lock bags, etc. as packaging.

The freezer must maintain a stable temperature no higher than -18°C. If possible, it is better to use the fast intensive freezing mode first.

Several ways to freeze tomatoes are presented in the video:

Conclusion

The choice of storage location for vegetables is one of the determining factors affecting how tomatoes retain their qualities. Various storage methods make it possible to store tomatoes both fresh and as preparations, even for a long period of time.