Last night, right before dark I went around to all the tomato plants and picked as many near ripe tomatoes as I could. As much as I would like all my tomatoes to ripen on the vine this year, it’s just not going to happen.
We are already a week into September and although there are plenty of green tomatoes in the garden, the red ones are a little harder to come by. I figure I have about 3 more weeks for these babies to ripen.
So by picking the almost ripe ones, I am actually doing the rest of the tomatoes a favor by freeing up the plants energy to concentrate on the other tomatoes.
Maybe it’s time to start playing classical music, or giving them a daily pep talk and telling them it’s okay to ripen. Dear Tomato, please ripen so I can eat you. Because if you don’t, I will leave you on the vine to shrivel up and die a slow, moldy, frost bitten death.
Roma, Hartman’s Yellow Gooseberry, Super Sweet 100, Brown Berry, Amish Paste, Italian Heirloom, Sun Gold, Moonglow, Red Pear, Green Zebra, Beefsteak
C’mon tomatoes… get your act together.
This is your chance to be something great…
Like pasta sauce, or salsa.
Let’s get the show on the road before I get hauled off to the loony bin for talking to produce.
By the way, how are your tomatoes doing?
Have you started cursing talking to them yet, or am I just losing my mind?
~Mavis
The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook ~ Amazon
Sara says
That would be a shame to waste them. Start roasting them green then freeze, making jam, relish, salsa, and more. Lots to be done with green tomatoes so they can be used over winter.
Desi says
Mavis, do you leave your unripe tomatoes out there? 🙁 jk We have had great luck with picking all tomatoes and laying them on a tarp in a spare room to ripen.
Melanie says
Don’t waste them, green tomatoes make delicious relish, just switch cucumber for green tomatoes and voilà…
Sherle says
Here’s one of the best tasting recipes I have ever used for using up green tomatoes:
http://moderncomfortfood.com/2010/09/green-tomato-salsa-verde/ So very yummy, can be canned or frozen. I froze mine and it was fantastic all winter long!
As to tomatoes ripening there are a couple of things you can do and removing tomatoes that are almost ripe helps the green ones get more “juice.” One other trick you can try is to snip some of the plant off; this keep the “grow juice” from going to the plant and sends it all to the tomatoes instead.
As to talking to your tomatoes, I don’t think you’re insane I do it all the time. My kids often laugh at me for it, but I still believe it helps. lol!! Who knows if it actually helps, but it’s fun anyway!
Mari the Kiwi says
Hi Mavis.
I leave mine as long as possible but do cut away all foliage and stems beyond the fruit. This means the plant puts everything into the fruit and not the plant. If there are any damaged fruit, get rid of them now and don’t just hope they will be ok.
If u do pick them green, put them in paper bags with an apple and this helps ripen them. When they start to show half colour, put them on a sunny window sill in a single layer and they will ripen.
Dawn says
We pick all our green ones, put them in paper bags and keep them in a cool dark place. We check them weekly to see if any are starting to ripen. We have had fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving!
Sara says
I have got approx 20 plants. I have done one batch of sause (4 pints), 12 qt salsa/chili mix, and 14 pints of eating salsa. I am pulling off almost ripe tomatoes as you are. However I have about 5 weeks left so lets pray they turn red. If not I read where you can pull the tomatoe plants out by the root and hang in the garage until they are ripe? I have never had to do this but time will tell
nancypantsgirl says
Must be a bad tomato year. Ours have been VERY slow to mature. Immature tomatoes. Going into the garden is like walking into a middle school, I tell ya.
Kelly says
It seems the only thing I can grow this year are tomatoes, but then I’m on the other side of Washington. My 3 year old just helped me pick 2 quarts of cherry tomatoes last night off of 3 plants. The rest of my garden was destroyed by squash bugs this year, but the tomatoes are delicious.
Heather T. says
I have been doing the same with my tomatoes they are loaded with green so as soon as they have some color I pick them to ripen on my counter that gets evening son I can’t leave them outside or the critters nibble at them darn buggers. My latest obsession is making a knock-off V-8 yummy!