An Overview On How To Ripen Tomatoes

By Shawn Hunter


Indoor ripening of tomatoes is not a difficult task. This will not give you the same quality as that gotten when the tomatoes are ripened by the sun but the taste is much better compared to the green ones found at grocery stores. The discussion below outlines how to ripen tomatoes in doors.

The tomatoes should be picked from the garden before they become frosted. If there has been frost already, only the tomatoes which were protected from the frost will ripen. The ones which were affected by the frost will become dark green within one or two days after the picking.

The fruits should be washed immediately after been picked. Inspection takes place at this stage. Thereafter, they are dried off with a clean dish towel. Washing should only be done under running water for effective removal of fungus, dirt and fungus. Also, it prevents cross-contamination. Any spotted, soft or damaged tomatoes should be eliminated from the group. Nonetheless, those who wish to include then in the ripening process can still do the same but ensure they are the first ones to be taken out because they are more likely to rot.

A spacious and wide container is used for the ripening project. It should have an absorbent coat for spreading them out. This layer also functions to absorb any juices from the rotten tomatoes and makes sure it does not reach the rest for they may be affected. Given the bulkiness of the fruits packed, the layer must be thick. The container should be impermeable to liquids.

The container should be spacious enough to ensure the fruits do not come into contact. The ideal spacing should be 2 inches. The box is lined using paper towels and thick newspaper sheets. The tomatoes are then spread out in one layer.

The boxes are then placed in a room with cool temperatures. The ideal temperatures are within 50-65 F. An enclosed porch, insulated garage or a basement which is not heated are good storage spaces. If the temperatures are low, the time taken for ripening to occur is considerably longer while higher temperatures hasten the ripening. If the humidity is high, many of the fruits will rot. Humidifiers can be made use of and set at thirty to forty percent.

The tomatoes must be checked once in a week or often than that. If there are any which are fifty percent ripe, they ought to be taken out and allowed to ripen completely from the outside. In addition, they have to checked for signs of rotting. If there are any rotten ones, they have to be removed immediately because once the rotting starts, it needs just a little time to affect the whole tomato. The ripening starts from three weeks and may go on for three months.

On the same note, one rotten tomato is s a danger to the rest. This means it can spread this to all of them and you may end up with nothing to show after the process. Maintaining the humidity at a low level and ensuring the air circulation is good prevents the formation of mold and mildew.




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