Green Tomatoes Say, "Ripen Me Not on a Sunny Windowsill!"

Green tomato season is approaching as Oct 15, first frost date nears.  If you have a good harvest of tomatoes still to ripen and a freeze threatens your tomato plants, you can harvest the green tomatoes and either ripen them inside or try one of the many pickled green tomato recipes abounding on the internet.

Storing green tomatoes inside allows the warmth of the home and the ethylene gas they emit to ripen them under the right conditions.  Do not store them on the windowsill in the sunlight.  The light shining on the fruit will cause the skins to become tough.  Rather, store them in a box, not allowing them to touch each other lest one starting to decay spreads it to the others.  If you have more than one layer, separate the layers with cardboard or newspaper; if storing in a paper bag, wrap each individually in newspaper. Check periodically for ripening (or decay) and harvest as needed.

One year we had fresh tomatoes from the garden until Thanksgiving using this method.  Others have had tomatoes even longer.

Visit the Prairie Homestead's site to see 4 Ways to Ripen & Save Green Tomatoes.