Any clever ways on how to store tomatoes that are coming in now at the speed of sound?!...

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dawnnys

Well-known member
Not the transpanted ones, they are hopelessly small. But I have many more that I started from seeds, all with orange or red (some green) huge tomatoes on them?

I've read some articles, but unfortunately I don't have a place that is 50-60 degrees - just 70-75-ish or 40-ish (the refrigerator).

Cellar? A special way in the refrigerator (I've heard this is a no-no)? Covered, or open to the air? Covered with sawdust (I have heard this works for some fruits. High humidity or low?

TIA

P.S. And any advice on what to do with the green ones if a (shhhh......) frost comes before they ripen?

 
Except for fried green tomatoes, lol, I remember something about wrapping the green ones

in newspaper and storing them. My Mom did this. Not sure how cool it has to be. You have to check them once in awhile to see if they've ripened. I'm not sure how long it takes, probably 4 days or so depending upon how green they are. Perhaps someone else has done this and can give more specifics.

Do you do any canning? That would be a great way to handle them...tomato catsup, sauce, green tomato relish. Or just canned whole tomatoes. I've also read you can freeze them whole to use in soups or sauces, but I'm not fortunate enough to have had the priviledge of first-hand knowledge on the subject.

 
A long time ago I ended up with some pots of tomato plants and we had.....

a rare sunny summer here in Southeast Alaska--they went nuts. At the end of summer they were still loaded with green tomatoes. We were about through with job where we were and the crew was tiring of fried green tomatoes--one of the guys said his mom made Green Apple pie, but he didn't have a clue how. I found this recipe in an ancient copy of Joy of Cooking.
Well it was great and he said it was what he remembered.
If I remember the recipe said just follow the apple pie recipe.
I juat found this on recipezaar, looks close

http://www.recipezaar.com/65354

 
Green Tomato Chutney is very nice.

Green Tomato Chutney

From Preserves & Pickles by Alison Burt

3 lbs green tomatoes
12 oz onions
6 oz (good cup) seedless raisins
12 oz cooking apples
2 tbsp salt
12 oz (1 1/2 cups) white sugar
1 1/2 pints (3 3/4 cups) spiced vinegar *

Wash tomatoes and chop. Peel the onions, chop finely and place then in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to the boil and cook the onions until they are tender, drain well. Chop the raisins if they are large. Peel, core and chop the apples finely.

Place the prepared fruit and vegetables in the cooking pan with the salt, sugar and vinegar. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Pour into hot sterilized jars. Process for 15 minutes.

* Spiced Vinegar

1 1/2 pints (3 3/4 cups) malt vinegar
1 1/2 inches stick cinnamon
9 cloves
8 blades mace
12 allspice berries
8 peppercorns

(Spices may be varied according to taste. Do not use ground spices.)

Place the vinegar in a bowl over a saucepan of cold water. Cover the bowl with a plate. Bring the water to boiling then remove the pan from the heat and allow the spices to steep in the warm vinegar for about two hours. Strain and use for pickles.

 
My mother in law did this--wrap in newspaper. They don't ripen in the paper.

You can take them out as you need them to let them ripen. She sometimes had tomatoes into November from these being in her basement. I would assume it would be good to check them from time to time.

 
i'm in the same boat - they will ripen in the paper as long as they've 'begun' the process -

i did this last year, just check them frequently, as any mould/blight will spread to others if it goes unchecked. Once ripened, I slow-roasted them in the oven for 8 hours, drizzled with some olive oil, garlic, sea salt & pepper. I then froze them in small batches & used them in curries, sauces, etc. they are amazing, almost a cross between sundried tomatoes & tomato paste!

 
If frost comes I have read that you can pull the 'maters up, roots and all and hang them in . . .

a frost free place to keep for a while. I'd shake the dirt off the roots, trim the roots up and put them on newspaper covered shelves, or even an open patio, if you don't experience reaaly cold weather for a while yet.

As an alternative, check out dark closets located in the center of your house/apt for tomato storage. You want a closet that is surrounded by rooms (for insulation value), but not right next to a furnace. I keep taters in our hallway closet as it is the coolest "room" in our house, especially during the summer. Wipe unblemished tomatoes carefully with a mild bleach-water solution, let air dry then store them, stem on, right side up; make sure you handle the tomatos carefully as any bruises/cuts/nicks will shorten the shelf life. Check frequently to catch things that may start to go over as "dead" tomatos are one of the most smelly things on earth, maybe worse in some respects than a dead animal!

Of course you could trim the cores and 1/8" off the blossom end and dice 'em up, bring to a boil then pack them into bags to freeze, instead of canning them. When you wish to use for a sauce, blenderize thoroughly to puree all seeds and skins. Or boiling-water bath can them and use the blender to do the same when you open the jars.

 
From my favorite gardening book: Dig up plants bearing fruit that is turning from dark green to

a whiter green, and hang upside down in a cool dark place; in a few weeks they will ripen. Or wrap picked tomatoes touched with white in tussue paper and let ripen in a cool dark place. The dark green tomatoes won't ripen, and it is best to use them for relishes.

If you don't have a basement, a low shelf in the pantry may be the coolest spot in the house.

Ripe tomatoes can be frozen raw and whole, sealed airtight, or make your favorite tomato sauce and freeze it.

(From Grow It, Cook It by Jaqueline Heriteau)

(From Ste. Julia Child:) Tomatoes that are refrigerated before ripening lose all their flavor, even though they eventually turn red and fill with jelly.

That should explain the majority of supermaket casualties. So I think it's better if your "cool place" is too warm rather than too cool.

 
Thanks. I was referring to the ripe ones, but this is good to know for the green ones in October...

I ended up taking them BACK out to the garden (by the way, I have a house and a large basement) and putting them in the deep grass near the garden (where they came from!). Then I covered them with a sheet of newspaper, so it reflects the sun in the daytime.

That way they get the humidity and the cool from the ground at night (45-65 degrees now), and the circulation around them. So hopefully, I can keep them from rotting too soon.

I like Mistral's idea of wiping them with a mild bleach-water solution, though, to preserve them a little longer. Thanks!!

 
i used to live in the arctic and brought home lots of green tom's from the greenhouse. despite the

24 hr sunlight for most of the summer, they just wouldn't ripen in time. we found they kept/ripened fairly well wrapped in newspaper in the bottom of the fridge, just have to check 'em because some will start to rot. i've got a bunch of green tom recipes, including pie and cake, if you're interested! if you've got cuc's coming in, i found out they keep so much longer if wrapped in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag.

 
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