How to ripen tomatoes?

[skeggysteve]

I have a good crop of tomatoes that are still green and don't want leave them on the plant as we have started getting morning frosts so what's the best way to ripen them?

Or can I do anything (simple!) with a load of green tomatoes?

[chris116]

skeggysteve said:

I have a good crop of tomatoes that are still green and don't want leave them on the plant as we have started getting morning frosts so what's the best way to ripen them?

Or can I do anything (simple!) with a load of green tomatoes?

My mom always recommends putting them in a bowl with either a couple of ripe tomatoes or some pieces of banana skin. Either are supposed to make them ripen quicker.

[RealSquirrels]

ethene or cyclopropene will do it.

[Mobile Chicane]

RealSquirrels said:

ethene or cyclopropene will do it.

Ethene is given off by ripening bananas.

[netherfield]

Green Tomato Chutney possibly.

[thinfourth2]

Same here

we have tons of green tomatoes as we started late on building a greenhouse


So any recipes for green tomatoes

Lots of green tomatoes

[skeggysteve]

Mobile Chicane said:

RealSquirrels said:

ethene or cyclopropene will do it.

Ethene is given off by ripening bananas.

Interesting, thanks.
I'll pick them and but them in a bowl with some bananas.

netherfield said:

Green Tomato Chutney possibly.

Sounds good but I'm no cook!

[GTDNB]

According to Gardener's World last week... put them in a dark drawer, and add a banana to speed up the process.

[sleep envy]

GTDNB said:

According to Gardener's World last week... put them in a dark drawer, and add a banana to speed up the process.

Yup, that's what we do.

Anything that is still green then gets turned into chutney.

The freezer is a little full this month...

[BertB]

My Granddad used to suggest placing them in a brown paper bag with a ripening banana.

[Zeemax_Mini]

My friend swears by just putting them in a dark cupboard/drawer and giving them a few days!

Dom

[Simpo Two]

This is a gardening question, not a restaurant question. He wants to ripen them, not eat them.

Suggest it's put back to the forum from which it came.

[jfrf]

I put them in the airing cupboard in a plastic bag which seems to work after a few days

I read heat and dark are whats needed

Tried the bananna trick without much success

[GreenDog]

My dad swears by putting a ripe apple beside the tomatoes, or an apple cut in half.

[littlegreenfairy]

Mum picked the rest of mine today (I was leaving them and hoping for a few hot days ) and said fried green toms with a dab of brown sugar are to die for.

[Marty63]

As above - seen an ad for fried green toms...............

[skeggysteve]

Simpo Two said:

This is a gardening question, not a restaurant question. He wants to ripen them, not eat them.

Suggest it's put back to the forum from which it came.

Simpo,
Thanks for the post.

But, like you, I've been here long enough to know how it works!

littlegreenfairy said:

..fried green toms with a dab of brown sugar are to die for.

LGF, thanks for that. I might try that before they, hopefully, ripen!

[eltawater]

One week ago I placed all my green toms on a plate and left them on the kitchen window sill.

Today, they look like this. I'm not hopeful on some of them, but at least a few have come up nicely!

[Mobile Chicane]

Beautiful picture!

However from that green (IME) they don't ripen to the point where they taste good.

I'm thinking... "Chutney."

[eltawater]

The crop has been really bad this year from my four plants, mainly I think due to the really crap overcast summer.

Most of the tomatoes came out really small and never got any bigger than finger sized, so I'm praying for a better summer next year.