Tomatoes that are still green or unripe can be ripened in various ways. We’ll show you the five best ways to do this.
Tip 1: Let the tomatoes ripen on the plant
In order to preserve as much flavor as possible, it is best to let your tomatoes ripen directly on the plant. As soon as the temperature outside falls below ten degrees Celsius, you simply cut off the entire tomato plant with a sharp knife and remove its leaves. Then hang them upside down in a warm place. The warmer it is, the faster your tomatoes will ripen.
Tip 2: Wrap the tomatoes and let them ripen
If you only have a few green tomatoes left, you can easily wrap them in newspaper or paper bags to ripen. You can also make these paper bags yourself. Simply take the fruit off the plant with a piece of the stalk and wrap it in the paper. You then store the tomatoes in a warm, slightly damp place for a few days. The fruits do not need light with this method.
Attention: You often read that the printer’s ink on the newspaper is poisonous. Carcinogenic substances are severely restricted and partially banned by the European chemicals regulation REACH. The members of the Association of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry also voluntarily undertake to comply with stricter guidelines. If you still want to avoid any printing inks, you can use unprinted paper bags.
Tip 3: Post-ripening in the container
If you have too many tomatoes to wrap individually, but you can’t let them ripen on the plant, you can use a variety of containers.
1) Let the tomatoes ripen in the box
Remove the tomatoes from the mother plant with a piece of the stalk and place them in a box or basket lined with newspaper. Make sure the fruits don’t bump into each other to avoid bruising. The tomatoes will now ripen in a few days in a dark, cool place.
2) Post-ripening in a mason jar
Place your tomatoes in clean, dry mason jars and seal tightly. Depending on the size of the jar, you should only add 2-3 tomatoes so they don’t crush each other. You then place the jars in a warm, dark room and let the fruit ripen there for about two weeks.
3) Leave to mature in the clay pot
Clean your chosen clay pot well and then place it in water for a few hours so that it absorbs moisture. Put your tomatoes in and cover the jar. You now fill the lid and the saucer with water so that the humidity remains constantly high due to evaporation. The tomatoes will now ripen within a few days in a warm place. You may need to top up the water from time to time.
Tip 4: Post-ripening in the greenhouse
Another good option is post-ripening in the greenhouse. With a minimum temperature of 16 and a maximum of 25 degrees Celsius and high humidity, the fruit here only need a few days to ripen.
Tip 5: Add apples
During the ripening process, fruit releases the gas ethylene, which is released into the environment. As a result, fruits influence each other during ripening and can speed up the process. Apples emit a particularly large amount of ripening gas, which is why fruits around them ripen faster. So you can simply add two to three apples to your green tomatoes and you will have beautiful red tomatoes in a few days.
