How to Ripen Tomatoes

With the start of fall, a lot of garden owners want to make the best use of the harvest in their gardens. One such harvest is tomatoes. There is always green tomatoes left on the vine during the start of fall. The garden owner always has two choices, either to leave the tomatoes on the vine and let them be hit by frost or to pick the tomatoes. If they decide to pick the tomatoes the most obvious thing to do is to ripen the tomatoes. There are different methods which can be used for ripening tomatoes indoors. If it is not the start of fall yet, but you have picked some green tomatoes, then ripening tomatoes in the sun is the best option. The sun will save you the trouble of ripening them indoors. Having said that, let's see the trick to ripen tomatoes indoors.

How to Ripen Tomatoes Quickly

Before you start the process to ripen the tomatoes, you will have to take a few steps. The first step is to segregate the tomatoes according to their size and maturity. Also keep the bruised and damaged ones aside. The segregation according to the size and maturity helps to ripen the tomatoes equally and you do not lose on the yield. Once the tomatoes have been segregated, remove the stems from the tomatoes and clean them with a soft cotton dry cloth.

Method # 1
The first method to ripen tomatoes is the cardboard box method. It is often said to be the best way to ripen tomatoes. Line the base of the cardboard box with old newspaper. Place a layer of tomatoes on the newspaper and cover them with paper. If you have a lot of tomatoes, then place another thick layer of newspaper on the tomatoes and then place another layer of tomatoes. If you feel that the tomatoes are way too green, then you can also add a ripening banana to the tomatoes. However, if the tomatoes are half ripe, then you may not require a banana, as the tomatoes will release ethylene, which will help in the ripening process. If possible, place the box in a humid room, but away from sunlight. Now you may have a question, how long does it take to ripen tomatoes? The time taken to ripen will depend on the size of the tomatoes, how green were they, the temperature they are currently placed in, etc. It is best to check the tomatoes every day to make sure the tomatoes do not go bad.

Method # 2
In the next method to ripen tomatoes, we will make use of a plastic bag. Make small holes in the plastic bag using a needle. If you do not make holes in the plastic bag, the chances of the tomatoes rotting are very high. Depending on the size of the plastic bag, put in the tomatoes. Along with the tomatoes also place a banana. The ripening banana will release ethylene gas, which helps to ripen the tomatoes. Place the plastic bag in a semi-humid area, but away from sunlight.

Method # 3
If the quantity of green tomatoes is less, you can make use of the paper bag method to ripen the tomatoes. Like in the case with the plastic bag, place a ripening banana in the paper bag as well. Then place the green tomatoes in the bag. Close the bag with a clamp and place it in a semi-humid area, again away from sunlight.

These were the natural methods to ripen the tomatoes. Commercially, gas is often used to ripen tomatoes. However, you may not really want to make use of such unnatural methods when you are ripening the harvest from your garden. If you do not have a ripening banana at home, you can make use of a ripening apple to ripen the tomatoes as well. If you have a bigger quantity of tomatoes, then you can use different methods of storing tomatoes for winter.

I hope this article proves to be of help to you. Last but not the least, make sure you check the tomatoes every day, so that they do not over ripen and go bad.