How to speed up tomato ripening at home

To stimulate the ripening of green tomatoes, you can resort to certain tricks.

Let's look at the basic and effective ways to help stimulate ripening.

Despite the fact that August and September are still quite warm months, gardeners often have to ripen tomatoes at home.

This is most often due to climatic conditions, temperature changes and characteristics of the variety, which is why it is necessary to pick tomatoes unripe.

We will tell you how to properly ripen tomatoes at home in today’s article.

Note! At the end of the growing season (i.e., late summer-early autumn), a change in conditions is observed - the weather becomes wetter and cooler, that is, ideal for the development of the dangerous disease late blight. The disease can destroy your plants along with your harvest. To prevent this from happening, it is necessary to pay attention to the prevention of late blight (spray with fungicides, cover bushes in open ground at night with film), and, if necessary, treatment.

When can you pick tomatoes for ripening in a greenhouse?

With regular weather changes, many summer residents have to pick unripe tomatoes. You should not throw them away, as you can leave them to turn red. There are many proven methods that will allow you to turn tomatoes red in a short time without losing their taste.

In greenhouses you can pick red vegetables that are ready for use. Many summer residents use greenhouses to get an early or, conversely, very late harvest. However, in some cases, tomatoes need to be picked ahead of time. Such cases include:

• Tomatoes are picked for long-distance transportation. In this case, the vegetables should not ripen completely. Ripen during transportation;
• Pests are noticeable on the crop. To protect the harvest, summer residents often remove tomatoes to redden them;
• temperature changes are observed. In such cases, the tomatoes are picked brown or green for further ripening.

When growing vegetables in a greenhouse, you can harvest the crop a little unripe. Such actions allow you to increase the shelf life of the crop. It is difficult to determine exactly the period when it is time to pick tomatoes for ripening. The period depends on the period when the crop was planted. On average, the first harvest in a greenhouse can be obtained in June.

But the bulk of tomatoes are picked to ripen in August and September, when the main fruiting process begins?

For the picky variety, you can remove tomatoes for reddening as soon as they begin to turn red.

What about the degree of ripeness

They suggest understanding the degree of ripeness of tomatoes:

• milky occurs when tomatoes reach average size for their variety (or slightly larger), but have a greenish or whitish color.
• brown ripeness is also called blanzhevoy for the uneven coloring of tomatoes; complete pigmentation will end in a week to a week and a half (intensively manifested on unripe dark tomatoes, elongated fruits);
• pink color or cream for yellow ones is a transitional stage from brown to technical maturation, which is 5-6 days away.

I pick brown ones on the street and put them on the terrace or on the windowsill at home. Today I’ll tell you how to properly harvest and how to ripen it.

Under what conditions are tomatoes ripened?

The warmer the room, the faster the tomatoes ripen. However, this does not mean that the hotter the better. The optimal temperature for ripening is 20-25°. If conditions differ from those recommended, the following occurs:

• At 28-30°, tomatoes become too soft, while near the stalks they remain unripe - yellowish and hard.

• At temperatures above 30°, tomatoes quickly turn red, but this is only an external effect. In fact, the fruits are not yet ripe, they do not have enough sugars, and therefore they are sour. Small tomatoes in such heat wither due to intense evaporation of moisture.

• At 10-15°, tomatoes ripen very slowly. Sometimes this is beneficial if you want to get ripe tomatoes for the New Year. However, at low temperatures more rotten fruit appears.

• At temperatures below 10° the process slows down so much that many tomatoes rot faster than they can ripen. If milk fruits can still be stored at 8-10°, then brown fruits need a temperature of 4-6°.

Tomatoes can be ripened both in the light and in the dark, but it is advisable to avoid direct sunlight. Under the sun, the fruits may overheat and begin to rot, or due to the high temperature, their flesh will soften and acquire a porridge-like consistency. Also, due to the heat, a lot of moisture evaporates from tomatoes, and they can shrink. This is especially true for green fruits.

Tomatoes can be kept not in direct sunlight, but simply in a bright room. Then they will turn red faster than when ripening in the dark. They will also be more vibrant and beautiful. However, in the light, the skin of tomatoes becomes harsh, while in the dark it is softer.

Humidity also matters. The optimal indicator is 80-85%. If the room is too dry, the tomatoes wither and shrivel; if it is damp, they rot. It is especially important to maintain the recommended humidity when ripening tomatoes in cool conditions.

The place where the tomatoes are stored should be regularly ventilated. This is necessary not only to get rid of high humidity. When fruits ripen, they consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Without access to fresh air, there is too much carbon dioxide, and, on the contrary, there is not enough oxygen. Under such conditions, ripening slows down or stops altogether.

Which tomatoes are suitable for ripening?

All varieties are suitable for ripening at home. Also, many summer residents pick tomatoes with minor signs of late blight.

To prevent the fruits from being completely damaged, it is recommended to first immerse them in hot water for 1 minute. Exposure to high temperatures eliminates the fungus, resulting in tomatoes maintaining their integrity for a long time.

When harvesting, you should sort it by size. Large and small ones ripen in different boxes, since small specimens ripen faster and can be damaged.

NOTE! Specimens damaged by late blight should be stored in a separate container!

When to pick tomatoes for ripening

Based on color, there are 3 stages of tomato ripeness:

1. Green.
2. Blanzhevye. During this period, tomatoes also often turn light green or yellowish-brown.
3. Pink, red or yellow (depending on the variety). These tomatoes are considered ripe.

It is important to know exactly when to pick green tomatoes. If the fruits are still green, but have already reached the size corresponding to the variety, and fully developed seeds are visible on the cut, then such tomatoes can be sent for ripening. Small and poorly developed fruits should be left on the plant: at home they will not ripen on their own.

Regardless of the degree of ripeness, all diseased tomatoes are not left to ripen. They are destroyed so that the disease does not spread to healthy fruits.

Tomatoes can be harvested while still green, but they must be of normal size for the variety.

So, both green and blue fruits can ripen at home. But how to determine the time when it is time to pick tomatoes for ripening?

The entire crop must be removed from the bushes before the air temperature at night drops below 5°C. In the middle zone this usually happens in the second half of August. Please note: frozen tomatoes do not store well and run the risk of disease.

How to properly pick green tomatoes

Before moving on to the question of how to turn green tomatoes red, it is worth paying attention to one more aspect. It is important not only to follow the rules for selecting tomatoes for harvesting, but also to correctly separate them from the bush.

This is what is recommended:

• Pick tomatoes as they ripen, checking the bushes every three to five days. You should not delay this, since overripe tomatoes are not suitable for long-term storage, they are only suitable for direct consumption;
• Collection is best done in the morning in dry weather. The fruit should be removed together with the stalk, cutting it with sharp scissors. When harvesting, it is important not to accidentally cut the skin, as this can lead to subsequent rotting, which will destroy not only the damaged tomato, but also those in the immediate vicinity;
• After harvesting, be sure to sort through the fruits again and check for damage and disease. Even a small scratch and foulbrood should be rejected;
• To prevent the formation of late blight, it is recommended to immerse already selected fruits in hot water for a few minutes, then wipe thoroughly. High temperature will help destroy spores of pathogenic fungus that could get on the skin.

It is important to remember that all tomatoes must be harvested before nighttime temperatures begin to drop below five degrees.

If it was not possible to harvest before the first frost, such fruits are suitable only for immediate consumption; they are not suitable for ripening and storage.

When to pick green tomatoes

For green tomatoes to ripen, it is important to pick them at the right time. They are unlikely to ripen if picked too early.

Tomatoes that are ready to pick must be full-sized and beginning to soften. Ideally, a little coloring.

If you pick them before they are ripe, they will not be botanically ready and will not be able to ripen. Unripe tomatoes usually remain green and hard or rot.

Throw away damaged tomatoes immediately - they do not ripen and rot quickly.

How to properly ripen tomatoes at home

You can ripen tomatoes at home using different methods. Each summer resident independently selects the most suitable method.

In boxes

The most common method of ripening at home. The picked tomatoes are placed in a wooden box and placed in a warm, well-ventilated area. After 10-15 days, the vegetables will begin to turn red.

In order to maintain the integrity of vegetables at home, it is important to regularly inspect the crop and discard damaged specimens. Also, tomatoes that turn red should be picked immediately.

ON A NOTE. Ripening tomatoes at home reduces the shelf life.

On the bushes

At home, tomatoes can also be ripened on bushes. To do this, the bushes are carefully dug up by the roots and hung in a well-ventilated, warm room. Over time, the plant will release nutrients to the vegetables, and they will ripen evenly.

If there is no free space for hanging, you can bury the bushes in the greenhouse. It is recommended to moisten the soil in the area of ​​the buried roots a little. In this way, the plant will distribute the nutrients needed for ripening for a long time.

NOTE! Often, not only tomatoes, but also apples are placed in one box. Apples emit a substance called ethylene. The substance accelerates the ripening process.

Stacks

This method is most often used for large quantities of tomatoes. The bushes are carefully cut with sharp scissors and stacked.

In order to speed up ripening, it is recommended to insulate the stacks with straw. It is recommended to remove the insulation every few days and select ripe specimens.

Where and how to ripen tomatoes correctly

There are several ways to ripen tomatoes at home. They can be ripened in a warm and dry room, on bushes, or in layers. All methods of artificial ripening of tomatoes are easy and simple, so even a novice vegetable grower can use them.

Classic ripening

The classic way to ripen tomatoes is in a warm and well-ventilated area. Place the sorted tomatoes on a flat surface, on shelves or tables lined with clean paper or newspapers. The layer of fruit should be uniform, no higher than 15-20 cm in height. You should not place tomatoes on the windowsill, as this will expose them to direct sunlight.

For classic ripening, tomatoes require an air temperature in the range of +20-25°C, good, bright lighting, good ventilation and low air humidity. In such conditions, after 15-20 days the tomatoes will be completely ripe.

Every 4-5 days you need to carefully inspect the tomatoes and turn them over to the other side - this way the color of the fruit will be uniform. Do not forget to remove ripe fruits, as well as discard those that show signs of damage or late blight.

Layer ripening

Layer-by-layer ripening is excellent if the harvest is very rich, but there is little space for its ripening. For layer-by-layer ripening of tomatoes, you can use cardboard or wooden boxes, large pans or baskets. Place several layers of newspaper or thick paper on the bottom of the containers.

Place the green fruits in the selected container in layers, sprinkling each of them with sawdust or laying them out with sheets of paper. In this way, fill the container to the very top.

Cover the box with a cloth or cover it with a lid - but not too tightly, air should flow to the tomatoes. The air temperature for rapid ripening of tomatoes is no higher than +15°C. Layer-by-layer ripening of the harvested crop will take at least 30 days.

Ripening on the bushes

To ripen tomatoes on bushes, dig up the plants along with the root system and carefully shake off soil particles. Tie a thread or string to the roots and hang the tomato plant in a warm and well-ventilated area.

When hanging bushes, make sure that the tomato bushes do not touch each other, otherwise oxygen access to the roots will deteriorate. When the bushes are suspended in this way, all the nutritional elements from the roots, leaves and stems are directed to the fruits, due to which they quickly ripen and become large.

Ripening "in a stack"

Among gardeners, the “stacked” method of ripening tomatoes is very popular. To do this, cut the tomato bushes at the surface of the soil and stack them, without removing the fruits, in a stack no less than 45-55 cm high.

The tops of tomato bushes should be directed towards the center of the stack. Leave the tomatoes in a warm and dry room or outside, under a canopy - but in this case it is advisable to cover them with spunbond or other non-woven material. If this is not available, you can use straw.

You can ripen tomatoes on the bushes in another way - dig up the plants along with the roots and place them in wooden or cardboard boxes without removing lumps of soil from them. Leave the tomatoes to ripen in the greenhouse or take them out onto the veranda.

If it's cool in the greenhouse or on the veranda, cover the tomato bushes with a layer of straw. Every 5-6 days, water each bush at the root, picking off the already reddened fruits.

Where do you put tomatoes to ripen?

Vegetables collected for ripening at home are most often placed in boxes or boxes. However, it should be folded in no more than two layers. Otherwise, the vegetables may begin to rot and damage other specimens. If the harvest is small, the tomatoes can be spread in an even layer on paper or straw in a well-ventilated area.

How to store green tomatoes so they turn red

It is necessary to store green tomatoes so that they turn red at home at a temperature of +8°C to +15°C. Under such conditions, the ripening process will be carried out gradually. If you increase the temperature to +18°C - +21°C, then ripening will proceed faster, but there is a possibility that the quality will suffer.

Before storing tomatoes, you should carefully sort them. For example, brown fruits will ripen faster, then white tomatoes will begin to ripen, but green ones will last the longest. Leaves and stems are first removed. If you cover the tomatoes with a woolen cloth, they will ripen much faster.

Important! If exposed to direct sunlight, there is a chance that the fruit will deteriorate.

On shelves

If you have a cellar or pantry, you can send the tomatoes to the shelves until they are fully ripened. If this storage method is chosen, the tomatoes are stacked in several layers, with the stalks facing up. Optimal conditions are observed in a dry, well-ventilated area.

The ripening process can be significantly accelerated if you add several ripe apples or cover each layer with hay. It usually takes 7 to 10 days until the fruit turns red.

Comment! If the temperature is above +28°C, the fruits will lose their elasticity and taste.

In boxes

Ripening green tomatoes at home is carried out in plastic, wooden or cardboard boxes. The first step is to lay paper on the bottom, after which you can lay out the tomatoes in one layer, and cover them with paper on top. Some housewives cover the top with straw, sawdust, polystyrene foam, and polyurethane balls.

After the first layer is closed, lay out the next one and continue as long as the height of the box allows. The last row is usually carefully covered with paper. Literally after 2 weeks the fruits are ready to eat.

Attention! For each row, the stalks should point in different directions.

In fabric bags

Most storage methods are known to many housewives; they have already been time-tested and have an explanation. There is one method that experienced gardeners use, but even scientists cannot explain this phenomenon. Tomatoes ripen much faster if they are placed in red fabric bags. This method has been tested and confirmed many times. Despite this, a theoretical explanation for this phenomenon has not yet been found.

In glass jars

If there are not many tomatoes and they are small in size, then you can use glass jars to store them. Place tomatoes in a container and add a banana or other fruit that releases ethylene. After this, the jar must be tightly closed and placed in a dark, ventilated place. Redness usually takes up to 10 days.

Advice! It is necessary to regularly check the condition of the added fruit and replace it if necessary.

In packages

Another great place to ripen is in paper bags. The storage temperature in this case can be room temperature. It is recommended that each fruit, before being sent for ripening, be treated with alcohol, and then wrapped in a napkin, which is pre-moistened with alcohol. This manipulation helps prevent the process of decay in the early stages.

If the temperature in the room where the tomatoes are stored is from +18°C to +21°C, then after 2 weeks the fruits will ripen completely; if from +13°C to +16°C, then the ripening process will take at least a month.

On the windowsill

The most common place for ripening is the windowsill, which receives direct sunlight. Spread paper or cloth on the windowsill and lay out the tomatoes in one layer. Since the ripening process using this method is carried out quite quickly, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the fruit. If exposed to sunlight, the attractive appearance will be lost, the vegetables will become wrinkled and, most importantly, lose their taste. 1 week is enough for full ripening.

How to speed up the ripening of picked green tomatoes at home

To speed up ripening at home, you can use the following tips:

• if all the tomatoes are green, you need to put a few red ones in the box. This will significantly speed up the ripening period;
• Place the tomatoes in a container and cover with a warm blanket. In warmth they ripen much faster;
• If you need to speed up the ripening of tomatoes on the bushes without picking them, you need to feed the plant with alcohol. To do this, 100 grams of alcohol is dissolved in 1 liter of water. It is necessary to pour 100 grams of this alcohol solution under each bush. You can also carefully inject 0.5 ml of alcohol into each fruit;
• At home, ripening can be accelerated by covering the container with a red cloth.

To speed up ripening at home, it is not recommended to use large storage containers. The fewer fruits, the faster the vegetables will acquire a red color and a suitable taste.

Green Tomato Recipes

With proper consumption of green vegetables, you can minimize the harm to the body and at the same time enjoy delicious fruits.

One of the best ways to use unripe vegetables is to preserve them for the winter. Tomatoes can be salted, pickled, made into salads, jam and even caviar. Sometimes they are stewed or simply fried. They go well with other vegetables, and even with fruit when making jam or jam.

For those who are watching their figure, experts recommend consuming tomatoes separately from fish, meat, eggs and bread. It is best to add vegetable oil to them, which will only benefit the body.

Salted tomatoes

To complete this recipe, you need to take whole and strong tomato fruits, put them in a barrel with the addition of herbs. You can use horseradish, garlic, coriander, etc. Next, the vegetables should be poured with non-hot brine and put in a cool place. Salted tomatoes will be ready to eat in a couple of months.

How to prepare brine: you need to take 2 tbsp. l. salt and dilute in 1 liter of water. There is no need to boil the water.

Marinated tomatoes

The strong fruits of the green vegetable should be washed well and 3 cuts should be made (2 on the sides, one at the bottom). Place a clove of garlic into the slits on the sides and a piece of carrot on the bottom. Carefully place the finished tomatoes in a 3-liter jar and pour boiling water over them. Wait 15 minutes and drain all the water. Next you need to prepare the brine.

To do this, you need to take 100 g of salt and 400-450 g of sugar. This is all based on 1 liter of water. Bring the mixture to a boil and pour into each jar. At the end add 1 tbsp. l. vinegar, roll up. Sometimes, for a more varied taste, you can add one bay leaf and peppercorns.

The video presents one of the recipes for making salted green tomatoes.

Pickled green tomatoes

To prepare pickled green tomatoes you will need:

• green tomatoes - 3 kg;
• carrots - 2 pcs.;
• sweet pepper - 2 pcs.;
• seasonings: parsley, dill, bay leaf, garlic, peppercorns, horseradish.

Take tomato fruits of the same size and make a cross cut (carefully so that they do not fall apart). Place vegetables pre-chopped in a blender into each cut: peppers, carrots and garlic.

Place the finished tomatoes in a container, season them with herbs and spices, and add hot water. First mix sugar in water - 2 tbsp. l. and salt - 1 tbsp. l. Place the tomatoes under pressure and keep them out of the refrigerator for several days. When foam appears on top, you need to put the container in the refrigerator.

Caviar

To prepare caviar, you need to mince green tomatoes, carrots and sweet peppers. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and leave until the tomato releases its juice. Then put on low heat and simmer for 1-1.5 hours. 20 minutes before readiness, add 100 g of sunflower oil and vinegar to the mixture to taste. After the caviar is cooked, distribute into jars and cover with lids.

Green tomato salad

To prepare a delicious salad you need to take:

• tomatoes - 6 kg;
• bell pepper - 2 kg;
• garlic - 300 g.

How to cook:

The tomatoes are cut into slices and placed in a large saucepan. Following this, a brine is made from 5 liters of liquid and 1 tbsp. salt. Boil water and pour it over the chopped tomatoes. After cooling, the liquid is drained, and garlic and pepper crushed in a blender are added to the tomatoes. At the end, add half a liter of sunflower oil, 1 tbsp. vinegar (9%), 1 tbsp. Sahara. Add salt to taste, let the mixture cook for 15-20 minutes.

Stewed

Prepare vegetables: peppers, carrots, tomatoes, onions and garlic. Cut everything into small slices and put on the fire one by one. First they put the onion, then the garlic, and then everything else. Cook, stirring constantly, over low heat. You don’t need to add water to the dish, since during the stewing process all the vegetables will give enough juice. Before removing from heat, add salt to the mixture, add herbs and seasonings to taste.

Green tomato jam

This recipe is not at all difficult to prepare. It is necessary to cut the tomatoes into slices and put them in the freezer. After freezing, let it thaw. Over time, liquid will begin to release, which must be completely drained. After this, the tomato slices should be crushed in a meat grinder or blender with the addition of lemon. Put 1 kg of sugar there and cook over low heat. Cook the mixture in three stages: after boiling, turn off, and then repeat the procedure 2 more times. Do each cooking for 10-15 minutes, with breaks between them for 1.5 hours.

How to speed up the ripening of tomatoes

No. 1. Pick the first reddened fruit. After this, everyone else suddenly starts to turn red!

No. 2. Trim the leaves to the first cluster. On tomatoes, be sure to expose the stem to the first fruits so that the bush is well ventilated. It will be enough to leave a couple of leaves on top.

This is also the easiest way to protect tomatoes from late blight. It is from the lower leaves that touch the ground that this disease most often begins.

No. 3. Pin the crown after tying the clusters with fruits. This is done to ensure that all the nutrients go only to filling and ripening the tomatoes.

#4: Minimize watering in the month before harvest. And if the climate allows, then stop watering altogether. With minimal watering, the fruits grow tasty and sugary, the sourness and wateriness completely disappear.

Important: on soils with deep groundwater and in hot, dry summers you cannot do without watering.

Spraying soda with soda also significantly improves the taste of tomatoes: 1 teaspoon of baking soda per 1 liter of warm water. Spray once a week.

No. 5. Spray with iodine. After this simple procedure, the tomatoes turn red faster, receive additional nutrition and protection from late blight.

Dosage: 3 drops per 1 liter of water or 40 drops per bucket of water. Generously spray all leaves, fruits and especially the stem at the very bottom. Also, spraying with iodine saves strawberries from pests and rot.

No. 6. Spray with ash. To make tomatoes sweeter and ripen faster, they are fed with an ash solution: 1 cup of ash + 10 liters of water. There is no need to insist. Pour the ash into a bucket of water, stir well, and immediately pour it under the root. One plant will require approximately a liter of solution.

Important: you can feed tomatoes with ash only after preliminary watering. Otherwise, the roots will get burned, especially if the plants have not been watered for a long time.

If you practice complete refusal to water while tomatoes are ripening, you can spray the leaves and fruits with ash.

In this case, the dosage is reduced by 2 times (half a glass of water per 10 liters of water). Mix thoroughly, strain and spray the tomatoes in the evening or on a cloudy day. This is also protection against viral diseases and late blight.

No. 7. Pour potassium humate over it. Potassium humate is used for additional nutrition and to help tomatoes ripen faster.

Standard dosage: 10 grams of potassium humate per 200 liters of water. First, dilute the powder in 2 liters of hot water, stir very well and leave for a couple of hours.

Then pour this working solution into a barrel and pour strictly under the root. Make sure that moisture does not get on the leaves, so as not to provoke the appearance of late blight.

You can water tomatoes with humate every 10 days. This fertilizer will speed up the ripening of tomatoes, the fruits will significantly increase in size, and their taste will improve.

Potassium humate is a cheap and completely natural preparation. It contains a lot of potassium and a whole list of microelements that tomatoes need during the ripening period.

No. 8. Place apples or bananas under a bush or in a box with picked green tomatoes. These fruits secrete special substances that promote rapid ripening of tomatoes. =

Another option is to put green tomatoes in a box mixed with walnut leaves. Walnut leaves secrete special substances, thanks to which tomatoes in the apartment ripen quickly.

Banana to speed up the ripening of tomatoes

An interesting trick for housewives - put 1-2 ripe bananas in boxes with ripening tomatoes. The fact is that bananas also produce ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening process.

Tomatoes must be thoroughly cleaned of dirt, washed and dried, and laid out on a windowsill on clean paper or cloth. Bananas and tomatoes should not touch each other.

It is necessary to regularly inspect the fruits - all ripe specimens are removed for further consumption, spoiled tomatoes are thrown away when the first signs of rot or softening appear. You will also need to carefully monitor bananas - the fact is that these fruits spoil faster in room conditions than tomatoes, so they should be replaced with fresh ones immediately after the peels darken.

By the way, you can use red apples instead of bananas - they also contain ethylene, which is necessary for ripening.

What not to do while tomatoes are ripening

Water generously. Tomatoes do not like sudden changes in humidity. Do not let the soil dry out and then water it generously. This causes the fruits to crack. It is better to mulch the soil under the tomatoes with hay. Under mulch, moisture is retained much longer, the earth does not crack from the heat and does not become crusty.

There are also special bacteria in hay that prevent the late blight pathogen from multiplying. During fruiting, it is better not to water tomatoes.

Feed with nitrogen. From the second half of summer, tomatoes cannot be fertilized with nitrogen in any form. Mullein, chicken droppings, infusion of green mass, and mineral nitrogen fertilizers are not used.

Tomatoes will intensively grow green mass, not fruits. And such fertilizing also worsens the taste of the fruit. Even if your climate allows you to grow tomatoes until late autumn, still apply only potassium-phosphorus fertilizers.

Why is it necessary to remove unripe tomatoes?

Since premature harvesting of tomatoes is a necessary measure, it is necessary to understand why summer residents resort to it. There are several reasons for picking tomatoes early.

Reasons why tomatoes do not have time to ripen

The reason may be an incorrect selection of varieties. Quite often, summer residents, especially beginners, choose late-ripening varieties for growing in open ground. In this case, ripening occurs in the fall, when the cold weather begins. Until this time, the bush grows slowly, slowly forms ovaries and becomes overgrown with greenery. And only after all these stages the slow ripening of the fruit begins.

Such tomatoes begin to ripen only in the fall, when the air temperature no longer allows them to ripen on the bushes. If they are not harvested green, there is a risk of losing the harvest completely. Remember: late varieties are optimal for growing in greenhouses.

Attention ! To ensure that vegetables ripen before frosts in open ground, choose early and mid-ripening varieties.

Another reason is improper care of bushes. If you want to get the harvest in a timely manner, it is necessary to pinch and shape the plant during the intensive growth of the bush. Regular feeding is needed, but during the ripening of the fruits, do not overdo it. Choose fertilizers that are high in potassium.

Late planting may also be the cause. As a result, the harvest will have to be harvested prematurely so that the cold does not destroy the standing crop.

Tips and Tricks

To preserve tomatoes for a long time, it is recommended to adhere to the following recommendations:

• When removing green tomatoes, you must use scissors. Using scissors, carefully cut off the stem. If picked by hand this may damage the fruit;
• if there is no space to install boxes, you can use layer-by-layer installation. However, a layer of paper must be placed between each layer. This will protect against rotting;
• To preserve the harvest for a long time, you need to wrap each tomato in newspaper and put it in a box.

To preserve harvested tomatoes that have not yet ripened, you can use ripening at home. The methods are simple and suitable for almost every summer resident.

Common mistakes

During the ripening process, summer residents often make mistakes that lead to damage to the crop:

• placing wet fruits in a box. Before stacking, each tomato must be carefully wiped;
• use of damaged tomatoes. Damaged specimens are not used for ripening;
• storing tomatoes in a cold place. In order for the fruits to fully ripen, it is necessary to maintain a temperature of at least 15 degrees. Otherwise, the fruits will not turn red.

Often, gardeners, having collected unripe tomatoes, leave them to ripen on the balcony. However, as a result, the tomatoes lose their flavor and become limp. If a box of tomatoes is stored on the balcony, it must be insulated with at least a blanket.

The benefits and harms of green tomatoes

The tomato belongs to the nightshade family, whose fruits are known for their toxic properties due to the content of toxic substances that are absent in ripe fruits. Unripe tomatoes are hard and have an unpleasant taste.

Therefore, eating unripe tomatoes raw is not only not tasty, but also dangerous. In Russia and Europe, the plant was grown exclusively as an ornamental crop; consumption of unripe vegetables often resulted in severe poisoning.

After the discovery of the method of properly consuming these vegetables, they firmly took their place among other, more familiar agricultural crops.

Chemical composition and beneficial properties

The chemical composition and nutritional value of unripe fruits differs from their ripened counterparts. Tomatoes are lower in calories compared to red ones - 100 grams. product contain 23 kcal. They contain the most carbohydrates (up to 5.1 g) in the form of mono- and disaccharides. Proteins are contained in small quantities (up to 1.2 g), dietary fiber up to 1.1 g, fats are almost absent (up to 0.2 g).

Properly cooked green tomatoes retain their beneficial properties. They contain B vitamins, ascorbic acid, amino acids, potassium, copper, magnesium and iron. The fruits differ in the content of specific substances that determine their characteristic properties: solanine, lycopene and tomatine.

Solanine is a poisonous glycoalkoloid. Its high content in unripe tomatoes is due to the natural protection of the fruit from moldy fungi. As they ripen, the concentration of this element decreases sharply, so even light green tomatoes entering the ripening stage are safer than fruits with a dark green color.

In small doses, solanine can have a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system and has antiviral, antispasmodic and diuretic properties. However, if the safe dose is exceeded, it has a detrimental effect on red blood cells, which leads to a deterioration in their oxygen transfer functions.

Has an adverse effect on the nervous system. Its concentration in green fruits is such that for serious poisoning it is enough to eat 5-6 tomatoes. Pronounced symptoms of solanine poisoning are nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and headache.

In severe cases, an overdose of poison can be fatal. If symptoms of poisoning appear after eating green tomatoes, you should take activated charcoal and consult a doctor.

Tomatine is another potentially toxic glycoalkaloid substance found in green tomatoes. Its concentration is low; for serious poisoning you need to eat at least several kilograms of the product, which is unlikely to be possible for anyone.

In small doses, it has a beneficial effect on the body, as it has immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties. There is evidence that tomatine accelerates the growth of muscle mass during exercise and promotes the breakdown of fat. The substance is the basis of a drug such as cortisone.

Lycopene is a substance that affects the color of fruits. This substance is a powerful antioxidant and protects DNA from oncogenic mutations, inhibits the development of cancer cells and their effect on DNA.

Prevents changes in the lens and the development of cataracts, reduces the risk of developing atherosclerosis. Lycopene can normalize blood pressure and lower cholesterol levels, which is important for vascular and heart disease.

Unlike solanine and tomatine, it is non-toxic; the only possible harm in case of overdose is a change in skin color, which returns to normal after eliminating foods containing lycopene from the diet.

An overdose is only possible when consuming large quantities of ripe tomatoes or products made from them, such as juice. In unripe vegetables, the amount of it is not enough for such an overdose.

Serotonin. In addition to the three components listed above, tomatoes contain serotonin, known as the “happiness hormone”. It not only increases the level of emotional state, but also has a beneficial effect on brain function, normalizing the process of transmission of nerve impulses.

Phytoncides contained in vegetables reduce inflammatory processes. A complex of vitamins and microelements supports the overall tone of the body.

External use of unripe tomatoes can also be beneficial. Thus, applying tomato slices to the skin is recommended in traditional medicine to cure varicose veins.

Answers to frequently asked questions

Is it possible to ripen frozen fruits?

If the summer resident did not have time to collect the tomatoes and they get frozen, they are quickly damaged and are not suitable for storage. Therefore, it is necessary to try to pick vegetables in a timely manner before the first night frosts.

Is it possible to store tomatoes in paper boxes?

Wooden or plastic boxes are used to store tomatoes. Paper products become wet and damaged. This is especially suitable for cases where tomatoes are stored in humid conditions.

How to speed up the ripening of tomatoes on hanging bushes?

For such cases, you need to dig up the tops along with a lump of soil. The plant will receive nutrients and saturate the fruits with vitamins.

Methods for ripening tomatoes

Before harvesting green tomatoes for ripening, study the following rules:

1. The fruits are not washed before storage and ripening. They are simply cleaned of soil and dirt.
2. Fruits affected by late blight can be immersed in water at a temperature of +60 degrees for a couple of minutes. This procedure will destroy all spores on the surface of the tomatoes. Store affected tomatoes separately.
3. A room with low temperatures and high humidity is not suitable for ripening tomatoes.
4. Tomatoes do not tolerate being near other vegetables well, so they are stored separately.
5. Ripe tomatoes spoil quickly at room temperature, so they are immediately put in the refrigerator or other cool place. Among the green fruits, be sure to leave a few ripe ones.

Traditional ripening method

Tomatoes ripen fastest at a temperature of +28 degrees and in bright light. To do this, they can be laid out on a sunny windowsill.

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However, the harvest will ripen well even at room temperature of +20..+25 degrees. The fruits need to be placed in several layers in boxes, baskets, crates, or simply laid out on shelves.

Attention! Bananas or red apples lying nearby will help speed up the ripening of tomatoes. These fruits emit ethylene, which contributes to rapid ripening.

Laying for long ripening

Tomatoes will ripen within a month if they are stored indoors at a temperature of +12..+15 degrees and a humidity of about 80 degrees. The harvest is placed in boxes or crates in two or three layers. Each layer is sprinkled with dry sawdust or covered with paper. Air must flow to the fruits, so cover the top of the container with a cloth or loosely close the lid.

With this method of ripening, you can enjoy fresh tomatoes until winter, and sometimes even later. If ripe fruits are needed earlier, they can be moved to a warmer room and topped with red apples or bananas.