Saving the harvest: how to properly store green tomatoes until fully ripe?

If, due to circumstances, tomatoes are picked from the garden beds green, special attention must be paid to their storage.

Depending on whether or not it is necessary to accelerate the process of their ripening, one or another approach to maintaining vegetable stocks is chosen.

In this article we will tell you how to store green tomatoes for ripening.

Preparation for storage

Since tomatoes do not all ripen at the same time, the harvest period can take more than one week. Usually it is carried out once every 5 days, in hot weather - even every 2 or 3 days.

It is advisable to harvest in dry and warm weather.. If the tomatoes do not require drying and there is no threat of late blight, after sorting they can be immediately sent for storage.

But in the case where late blight is the reason for the rapid harvest, it is advisable to process the fruits before sending them to storage. The causative agent of this disease is a fungus that spreads easily and can cause significant damage to tomatoes.

If the fruits themselves are not yet damaged, they can be saved, but only if timely processing is carried out. As a result, the fungus is eliminated from the surface of the fruit without having time to infect the vegetable.

The most commonly used recipe for processing is hot water.. It is very popular due to its simplicity and good performance.

To process tomatoes, you need to prepare 2 large containers. Cold water is poured into one of them, hot water at a temperature of 60? C is poured into the other.

Further procedure:

1. Immerse the tomatoes in hot water for 2 minutes, no more.
2. Remove and immediately transfer the tomatoes to a container with cold water.
3. After processing, dry.

You can also use a recipe based on iodine solution. It also requires a large container, into which 10 liters of water at a temperature of 40? C are poured and 10 ml of iodine from the pharmacy is added. The solution is stirred, after which tomatoes are placed in it. After 20 minutes they are taken out and dried.

Another type of processing before storage is on video:

How to keep unripe tomatoes so that they turn red?

In order to bring tomatoes to maturity faster, they need to create the appropriate conditions. Moreover tomatoes picked brown will ripen much fasterthan completely green.

At what temperature?

The higher the air temperature, the faster the ripening will occur. If the process needs to be accelerated, keep the tomatoes at room temperature.

Brown

Tomatoes that are not fully ripe must be separated according to ripeness and size. This will help create the most suitable conditions for each species.

Green tomatoes can first be sent for long-term storage in a cool place, and place brown ones in light and warmth. This way they will get there faster.

Gradual ripening will allow you to have fresh tomatoes on the table for a long time.

Effect of lighting

Being in a lighted place helps accelerate the ripening of fruits. It is important not to place tomatoes directly in the sun. Otherwise, the fruits will begin to wither and deteriorate without having time to ripen well. Storing in the dark slows down the ripening process.

Humidity

For storing tomatoes, the optimal humidity should be no more than 80%. High humidity is not desirable either when tomatoes are planned to be stored for a long time, or when tomatoes must ripen in a short time.

Where is the best place to keep picked fruits until they turn red?

Depending on the possibilities and the degree of ripening of the tomatoes, the most preferable places are selected for them.

In a house, apartment

In a city apartment, tomatoes can be spread in 1-2 layers on open surfaces, for example, on a windowsill or even under a bed on fabric or paper.

In the cellar

In a cellar, vegetables can be kept in boxes or baskets. The bottom should be covered with paper or straw. You should also place paper between the layers of tomatoes. This will not only protect the fruits from contact with each other, but will also promote ripening.

During storage, tomatoes produce small amounts of ethylene. – a gas that accelerates the ripening of tomatoes. When covering vegetables with straw, its concentration will increase.

Also, ripening will be facilitated by the presence of boxes with tomatoes close to them. apples or pears. These fruits actively produce ethylene, so tomatoes located nearby begin to ripen faster.

This video will show you how to speed up the ripening of green tomatoes:

Methods

Unripe tomatoes can be stored in various ways. Taking into account the space allocated for storing vegetables, it is possible to use boxes, paper bags, carry out additional processing etc.

In boxes

Storage in boxes is a traditional approach to solving the issue. You can place tomatoes in several layers in wooden or plastic containers, separating them with paper, sawdust or straw. It is advisable not to put more than 2-3 layers in each box.

Ripening on the bushes

Storing on bushes is a way by which tomatoes are not only preserved, but also ripened.

The procedure should be as follows:

1. On a dry, warm day, you need to dig up the bushes (with the fruits on them) along with the roots.
2. Shake off the soil from the roots.
3. Hang each bush with its roots up in a ventilated, warm room in the light.
4. Once a day, spray water onto the roots from a spray bottle.

How to speed up the ripening of tomatoes on bushes, video instructions:

In paper bags

Storage in paper and cardboard is very easy to organize. Such packaging can be chosen both for placing vegetables in the cellar and for being in an apartment. The paper provides ventilation and absorbs excess moisture. And yet, it traps ethylene released by tomatoes, so they will ripen faster in bags.

If the bag becomes wet, it means there is poor ventilation or high humidity in the storage location.. In this case, it is necessary to take measures to improve the conditions and replace the package with a new one.

In alcohol

This method of preservation requires the presence of glass jars, alcohol and splinters. The shelf life when using this method is up to 2-3 months.

The amount of alcohol depends on the volume of the jar:

• For a container of 3 liters you will need 1 tablespoon;
• for 1 liter – 1 dessert spoon;
• for 0.5 liters - 1 teaspoon.

Procedure:

1. Wash and dry the tomatoes.
2. Wash and dry the jars.
3. Pour the required amount of alcohol into the jar.
4. Light the alcohol with a wooden torch.
5. After the alcohol has completely burned out, place the tomatoes in a jar.
6. Roll up.

Cherry

Not all methods that are used for other tomatoes are suitable for ripening cherry tomatoes. Effective methods include placing the fruits together with apples or bananas in one cardboard box or paper bag.

As a rule, only 5-7 days are enough for brown tomatoes to ripen in a warm, but not hot place. If there is an additional banana in the bag or box, the cherry tomatoes will ripen in an average of 2-3 weeks.

Preserving on a bush is not very suitable for cherry tomatoes. It is believed that using this method will inevitably damage the taste of the tomatoes.

If the air temperature outside drops below +10°C, cherry tomatoes need to be removed from the garden, since their maturation in natural conditions will be difficult.

What should I do to make them ripen faster?

Tomatoes are essentially southern plants with a fairly long growing season, taking many months.Therefore, gardeners strive to speed up the ripening of fruits even while the tomatoes are on the bush.

These methods include:

1. Avoid thickening of bushes so that plants and fruits receive enough light.
2. Spraying with nettle solution or iodine solution.
3. Removing excess flower stems.
4. Reduce watering during fruit ripening.
5. Creating a stressful situation, for example, a through cut at the base of the trunk.
6. Covering with film when it gets cold.
7. Stepsonning.

The most popular techniques aimed at accelerating maturation already harvested tomatoes include:

1. Place several ripe tomatoes in a box with green tomatoes.
2. Storing with apples.
3. Keep warm (at a temperature of +20-25°C).
4. Place in the light in a dry place.

Conclusion

It is quite possible to ripen tomatoes at home if you use the time-tested recommendations of gardeners. The more ripe the fruits are collected, the faster they will be able to ripen even if they are picked.