How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors
If you live in a short season climate like me, you probably have a hard time getting tomatoes to ripen in your garden before frost. Keep reading to learn how to ripen green tomatoes indoors!
We live in short season climate where it’s hard to ripen tomatoes on the vine. I used to pull the entire tomato plants and hang them upside down, but the tomatoes would shrivel. After a few years I figured out how to ripen green tomatoes indoors in a way that better preserved their appearance and texture. This year we used this method to ripen 400lbs of green tomatoes in the house.
How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors
This year we had a late frost on June 15. Even though my tomatoes were covered, they had some damage and were definitely set back quite a bit. Now it’s September, and our nighttime temperatures are dipping down into the 30’s, danger close to freezing!
As usual, I still have loads of beautiful green tomatoes out in the garden, or had, I should say. I picked them yesterday and brought them indoors to ripen.
I used to pull the entire plant and hang it in the barn so the tomatoes could finish ripening. It’s a common technique, but I just wasn’t happy with the results. Tomatoes ripened this way always seemed to shrivel up and lose their juiciness. They just weren’t very good.
The good news is, after some experimenting, I finally found a method to ripen tomatoes that works much better!
What is This Magical Method of Ripening Green Tomatoes?
When the first frost threatens, pick all of your green tomatoes and bring them indoors to ripen. I keep an eye on the weather forecast starting in late summer so I can pick all my tomatoes before they freeze. Frozen tomatoes will tend to rot rather than ripen, so be sure to harvest them before your first frost! When learning how to ripen green tomatoes indoors, this is probably the most important tip you need to know!
Spread them out in a single layer on shelves or in shallow boxes, wherever you can find the space. Roma-type tomatoes, like these San Marzanos, can be stood up in boxes to save space.
They will ripen slowly over the next few weeks, remaining plump, juicy and delicious!
Every few days, look through your tomatoes, pulling out ripe fruit to use, and checking for any that are starting to go bad.
That’s it! Pretty simple, really.
This year, I’ll be making salsa, dehydrated tomatoes, ketchup and probably some canned pasta sauce with my “shelf-ripened” tomatoes. The indoor ripened tomatoes work for most tomato recipes, and are even good fresh too!
Need more ideas of what to make with your garden’s bounty? Check out “The Heirloom Tomato: From garden to table”. Written by Amy Goldman, who grows 600 varieties of tomatoes, the book features hundreds of beautiful photographs and more than 50 tomato recipes.
My favorite method of preserving tomatoes is to dehydrate them. They are simple to dry and store, and can be thrown into the crock pot for winter stews. For quick pizza and pasta sauce, dried tomatoes can be brought to a simmer in a pan with some garlic and basil. Either crumble the dried tomatoes first or stick in a blender for 30 seconds when done. Yum!
To dry tomatoes, slice them 1/4″ thick and dry in a single layer at 135 until crisp. Store at room temperature in an air tight container. I use mine within 1 year.
Enjoy your garden bounty!
-Kait
PS: you may also want to check out this article on How to Save Tomato Seeds!
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