Tomatoes may need help ripening

This is the year of the green tomato.

With the late spring and cool summer, there was definitely a lack of heat to get tomatoes ripe in a timely manner. So here we are at the end of the growing season with vines loaded with green fruit and a frost not far off. Once we start getting night temperatures into the 40s most green tomatoes won’t ripen. So now what do you do?

Green tomatoes can easily be ripened off the vine. Depending on the variety of tomato and how they are stored some of them might still be available as we approach Thanksgiving.

The entire plant can be dug up and hung in a frost-free garage, shed or basement room. Remove the green leaves and dirt from the roots and hang them from a sturdy shelf, rafter or table. The tomatoes will ripen naturally over a few weeks depending on how warm the space is. Check them frequently and pick any that are close to getting ripe. Cleaning up overripe tomatoes that hit the floor is a chore.

The tomatoes can be picked individually and placed in flat cardboard boxes one or two layers deep. Select fruit that doesn’t have any nicks, cuts or cracks and is shades of pale green, white, yellow or pink. Breaks in the skin can allow rot to set in quickly while fruit that is colored a bit is more likely to ripen. Place the fruit in the box so they aren’t touching each other with paper between the layers. This way if one of them goes bad, the rot isn’t as likely to spread to other fruit.

In both methods, the temperature of the space will have an effect on how quickly the tomatoes ripen. The cooler the temperature, the slower the ripening process. The best range is between about 50 and 85 degrees. For a longer “harvest,” keep the bulk of the tomatoes in a cooler place and bring those that are turning red into a warmer place to finish ripening. Avoid putting them on a windowsill as they will sunscald easily. Unfortunately, ripening tomatoes by any method indoors does affect the flavor but it still beats the grocery store stuff.

If all else fails and you still have green tomatoes coming out your ears, you can use them in some interesting recipes. Firm green tomatoes can be sliced, dipped in egg and flour and fried to a golden brown for a traditional Southern delicacy that takes on its own complex flavors. There are dozens of recipes for green tomato relish that can run from sweet to spicy. One of my favorites uses lemons, onions and green tomatoes for a tangy treat that goes well with sandwiches and burgers. How about green tomato mincemeat for a Thanksgiving pie or heck, let’s just make a green tomato pie. The possibilities are almost endless.