Where is the best place and how to properly store green tomatoes at home?
In autumn, the question of how to preserve the harvested tomatoes becomes especially acute. Before frost, all tomatoes are harvested - including those that are already fully ripe and completely green.
Difficulties often arise with the latter if they need to be not only preserved, but brought to maturity.
We'll tell you how to store green tomatoes at home in this article.
Content
Why pick unripe tomatoes?
Tomatoes are very sensitive to temperature conditions. During the season, they are collected at least once every 5 days, and if it is hot, then more often, as they ripen. But when frost approaches, you have no choice.
Cold weather is approaching
If the temperature drops to +5°C and even more cooling is expected, it is necessary to collect the entire harvest from the garden.
A sharp drop in temperature harms fruits. Left on the bushes, they no longer ripen as much as we would like.
Green tomatoes, like ripe ones, need to be picked carefully, trying not to damage them. The morning hours are suitable for picking, when it is dry outside and the sun has not yet warmed the fruits.
Late blight
Another reason to harvest tomatoes before they are fully ripe is the risk of crop loss due to late blight. It is recommended to process such green tomatoes before storing them.
Processing of picked unripe fruits before storage
To prevent the fruits removed from the bushes from spoiling, they must be processed. The simplest and most affordable way is heating using hot water..
This will help prevent the pathogen from entering the tomatoes from the surface of the skin, but will not help if the tomatoes are already affected by late blight. To work, you will need hot and cold water, as well as 2 large pots or other containers.
Processing procedure:
- Rinse the collected tomatoes in running water.
- Pour hot water into a prepared container, for example, a large saucepan (temperature should be about +60? C).
- Place tomatoes in water
- Leave for 2 minutes.
- Remove the tomatoes and immediately plunge into a container of cold water.
Another method of combating late blight is often used. For it you will need:
- warm water (up to +40? C);
- tincture of iodine from a pharmacy (10 ml per 10 liters of water);
- large capacity.
Procedure:
- Heat the water to the desired temperature.
- Dissolve iodine in water.
- Place tomatoes in water.
- Leave for 20 minutes.
- Remove and dry.
No washing or even rinsing with water is required after treatment.
The video will tell you about the treatment of green tomatoes against late blight:
How to preserve harvested vegetables so that they do not turn red longer?
Before you start collecting unripe tomatoes from the garden, you should decide what to do with them. They can be used for preservation, left to be stored green or stimulate their ripening.
Completely green - laid. If everything is done correctly, they can be preserved until the New Year holidays.
At what temperature?
The air temperature where harvested green tomatoes are stored plays a very important role. When placed in a warm place where the indicator is between 18-20°C, the ripening process accelerates.
If the temperature is lower, from +8 to +12°C, ripening is slow. In cases where there is no goal to speed up or, conversely, slow down ripening, tomatoes are kept at temperatures from +13°C to +15°C. The higher the air temperature, the faster the ripening of the crop.
Lighting
Exposure to light helps vegetables ripen faster. Therefore, if it is necessary to slow down the ripening process so that the tomatoes remain green longer, they need to be kept in the dark.
Humidity
Recommended humidity for tomato storage is up to 80%. If the value is higher, rotting is possible.
Selecting a location
Tomatoes that are not fully ripe and completely green and do not require rapid ripening can be stored in areas with suitable conditions for vegetables. In a city apartment this is most often a refrigerator, in a private house - a cellar.
At home in the refrigerator
Green tomatoes taken from the bush and placed in the refrigerator will ripen quite slowly. Since the air temperature here is not high, tomatoes can remain green even for weeks in cool conditions.
Is it possible in the sun?
Tomatoes should not be placed directly under direct sunlight. This will not lead to rapid ripening, but will only speed up the spoilage of the product.
In the cellar
The cellar is one of the best places to organize vegetable storage. An equipped basement can hold a lot of supplies if they are arranged wisely.
When using a basement or cellar, it is recommended to install a thermometer and a device for measuring humidity levels in them in order to always be able to control the storage conditions of green tomatoes.
Methods
To keep tomatoes harvested green, you can use different approaches. The choice depends on the existing conditions and what result should be achieved - fast, medium or slow ripening of vegetables.
The following varieties of tomatoes are stored very well green:
- Giraffe,
- Vasilisa,
- Long Keeper et al.
In boxes
Storage in boxes is the simplest, most understandable and convenient way to store harvested fruits. To do this, undamaged dense tomatoes are selected and placed in boxes made of wood or plastic. Wicker baskets can also be used.
It is better to store tomatoes in sawdust or you can use paper. Even green, firm tomatoes should not be stacked in many layers.
The quantities of packaging material must be calculated so that each box contains no more than 10 kg of fruit. 2 or 3 layers are enough. There should also be paper or sawdust between them.
On the bushes
Residents of the private sector have the option of preserving and ripening tomatoes directly on the bushes. If the vegetable has not ripened in season, and cold weather has already arrived, the crop must be removed from the site.
Procedure:
- The bushes are dug up straight from the roots. It is better to do this in dry weather.
- The earth is shaken off from the roots.
- Each bush is separately hung upside down in a barn, cellar or other suitable room.
When using this method, nutrients will flow to the fruits, and they will gradually begin to ripen. And they may even gain weight.
Another option is to stack cut bushes with tomatoes directly on the site. Straw is placed on top of these stacks for insulation. In this form, tomatoes can ripen in 1.5 months if all the necessary conditions for temperature and air humidity are met.
In paper bags
Paper is one way to securely pack tomatoes. Tomatoes can simply be placed in paper bags. Alternatively, wrap each vegetable in paper separately. In this form, green tomatoes are placed in a dark place.
If you want the tomatoes to not ripen quickly, there should be no apples or bananas near them. Otherwise, ripening will be rapid. This is because some fruits produce substances that speed up the ripening of other fruits and vegetables.
In alcohol
Pre-treatment with alcohol involves gently rubbing each vegetable. This will prevent the development of putrefactive processes and preserve the harvest.
Conclusion
Preserving green tomatoes even in large quantities is quite accessible when the necessary conditions are available. It is easier and more convenient to do this if there are outbuildings, including cellars.
