An Explanation On How To Ripen Tomatoes

By Shawn Hunter


It is not such a difficult task to ripen tomatoes indoors. Even though they will not be the same as those which have undergone the natural ripening process, they will be better than the greenhouse ones. The explanation below touches how to ripen tomatoes indoors.

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 flat-surface container is lined with an absorbent material in preparation to spread out the tomatoes. The containers should not allow for liquids to penetrate. The spongy material is meant to contain the liquids released from the rotten tomatoes in order to prevent their spread.

The spacing must be done in such a way that each of the tomatoes has enough space to breath. The ideal distance between them is two inches. The containers should be lined with thick leafs of newspapers or towel papers. After cleaning and drying the fruits, they are arranged in a single layer inside the container. Ensure none are touching.

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.

One of the greatest dangers to ripening of green tomatoes is rot. One rotten tomato is enough to destroy the rest of the bunch. Humidity ought to be kept low and good circulation maintained to prevent mildew and mold from growing.




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