dtizme
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Location: Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada. Zone 5a

cherry tomatoes not ripened.

We got snow here last night so today I picked all my unripened cherry tomatoes (about 5 pounds worth). If I just let them sit out will they ripen eventually? I read somewhere it might be a good idea to put them in a bag to trap the ethylene. Any other ideas would be appreciated. Thanks

Asica
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I have never did that with cherry tomatoes, but I did with other bigger types. I just set them close to the windows with plenty of light. They all got red.
Wow 5 pounds, that is no joke!

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applestar
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I think it's best to spread them out on a flat dry surface -- maybe a flat cardboard box -- and keep them dry with no condensation.

Some -- especially ones that already color broke (green to pale green) and started to blush will ripen first. Hard green ones likely won't. You may want to sort them accordingly,

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digitS'
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When I used to cover my unripe tomatoes, I'd forget them for a few days. Lose a few, lose a few more ... for me, it was a bad idea.

Right now, those tomatoes are in the utility room; I see them every time I use the backdoor. Other years, the kitchen table has been their home. They can go from the green basket to the ripe basket, sorted almost daily.

As the days pass, I become more inclined to cook them. DW likes small tomatoes best for salsa sauce. They will start out under the broiler so that their skin can be peeled. If you think checking them often for ripeness is a bother, you should try broiling the tomatoes, cilantro and green onions for salsa. You may as well just pull up a chair and watch ...

;) Steve

catgrass
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I put mine between layers of newspaper. Dark is usually better than the light, in a dry place. You will have to check periodically to toss out the ones that go bad.

dtizme
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Location: Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada. Zone 5a

a month and a half or so later and they all ripened but the few really small ones. just threw them out. I just left them in a basket in the kitchen and checked every other day or so and pulled them out as they started to turn red.

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digitS'
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My wife and I discussed what to do with the final 2 tomatoes last night. One is a smaller variety, the other, a beefsteak. Both came into the house green, off plants that had dodged severe damage from the late September frosts. They continued and lived through most of our near-record warm October.

She wanted to slice them for sandwiches. I doubt that they have much flavor and don't even want to bother with them fresh. Especially if they are just going on leftover turkey, that we have eaten 4 days in a row ;).

It must have taken these final two over 6 weeks off the plants to fully ripen. The last few have been used for pasta sauce.

Usually, I will make cream of tomato soup with the final few. Most of the flavor would be from the grated cheddar cheese. I think I'll hold out until she sees the wisdom of doing something like that. Of course, we have made turkey and rice soup and they could be chopped, microwaved thoroughly, and go in that. I'd better have a handful of grated cheddar for those 2 bowls of soup, also.

:) Steve



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