Keeping green tomatoes green

enchant · September 1, 2018

This has been a pretty crummy year with the heat stress. So many green/yellow shoulders and it looks like my season is ending prematurely. I usually harvest well into October, but I'm seeing the beginning of the end already.

At some point, I generally pull down about 10 lb of green tomatoes and make a batch of piccalilli. I'm pretty sure I don't have 10 lb available right now, and it's only going to get worse. If I pick what I have now, perhaps in a couple weeks, a few more will get large enough for picking as well, but I need to keep these ones green.

To me, common sense would say that if I put them in the fridge, that should inhibit ripening. Would that be right? Is there anything else I should do to prevent ripening?

Labradors2 · September 1, 2018

If you have enough space you could freeze them whole! I do that with my extra red ones throughout the growing season, then wait for a cool day to make sauce. Skins zip off after a blast from the hot tap, and I leave them to thaw (in coolers) for a couple of days. An amazing amount of liquid comes out, so that I do not have to cook them for so long....

Just a thought. Not sure if this would work for piccalilli though.

Linda

brownrexx · September 1, 2018

Last week I picked 2 totally green tomatoes to make some fried green tomatoes. Then we had a few other commitments and I didn't have time to make them right away so I put them in the refrigerator.

3 days later I had time to make them and one was still totally green but the other had a faint pink spot at the blossom end. When I sliced this one it had quite a bit of pink on the inside so I think that if the tomato has started to ripen at its core when you pick it, that it will continue to ripen in the refrigerator, although more slowly.

I also freeze some whole red tomatoes in a gallon sized ZipLoc bag. I run them under some warm water for a few seconds and peel but I use them right away in soups or chili. I don't let them thaw totally before using. I just cut them up frozen and use them.

GrowingCoastal · September 1, 2018

Someone once told me about keeping tomatoes green in the fridge in closed plastic bags. Once out of the bag they ripened on the counter. I have never done it so can only relate their experience.

enchant · September 1, 2018

A friend of mine who doesn't garden, doesn't cook and doesn't particularly like piccalilli asked me why I don't just pick all the tomatoes I can, find what percentage of the desired amount I got, and then just reduce the ingredients by that much. If I get more tomatoes in a few weeks, do it again. Have to admit it's probably a good idea.

September 1, 2018	#1
enchant Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Boston, MA Posts: 142	Keeping green tomatoes green This has been a pretty crummy year with the heat stress. So many green/yellow shoulders and it looks like my season is ending prematurely. I usually harvest well into October, but I'm seeing the beginning of the end already. At some point, I generally pull down about 10 lb of green tomatoes and make a batch of piccalilli. I'm pretty sure I don't have 10 lb available right now, and it's only going to get worse. If I pick what I have now, perhaps in a couple weeks, a few more will get large enough for picking as well, but I need to keep these ones green. To me, common sense would say that if I put them in the fridge, that should inhibit ripening. Would that be right? Is there anything else I should do to prevent ripening?

September 1, 2018	#2
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,887	If you have enough space you could freeze them whole! I do that with my extra red ones throughout the growing season, then wait for a cool day to make sauce. Skins zip off after a blast from the hot tap, and I leave them to thaw (in coolers) for a couple of days. An amazing amount of liquid comes out, so that I do not have to cook them for so long.... Just a thought. Not sure if this would work for piccalilli though. Linda

September 1, 2018	#3
brownrexx Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Southeastern PA Posts: 1,420	Last week I picked 2 totally green tomatoes to make some fried green tomatoes. Then we had a few other commitments and I didn't have time to make them right away so I put them in the refrigerator. 3 days later I had time to make them and one was still totally green but the other had a faint pink spot at the blossom end. When I sliced this one it had quite a bit of pink on the inside so I think that if the tomato has started to ripen at its core when you pick it, that it will continue to ripen in the refrigerator, although more slowly. I also freeze some whole red tomatoes in a gallon sized ZipLoc bag. I run them under some warm water for a few seconds and peel but I use them right away in soups or chili. I don't let them thaw totally before using. I just cut them up frozen and use them.

September 1, 2018	#4
GrowingCoastal Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2016 Location: Vancouver Island Canada BC Posts: 1,253	Someone once told me about keeping tomatoes green in the fridge in closed plastic bags. Once out of the bag they ripened on the counter. I have never done it so can only relate their experience.