If the weather is rainy and cold in August, fruits and vegetables ripen much more slowly. The question then arises as to whether sun lovers can be harvested green like tomatoes and then allowed to ripen? The advantages and disadvantages of this method at a glance.
Harvesting tomatoes green: In which cases does it make sense?
Tomatoes are in season in August. And the delicious vegetable has numerous uses in German cuisine. Of course, home-grown tomatoes taste best. However, if they ripen very slowly, they can also be harvested green. This makes sense in the following cases:
1.It rains very often:If they ripen later than usual due to storms and rain. Heavy rain can damage the fruit, wet soil causes rot and the entire plant can die. In bad weather and temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius, the plants stop the ripening process anyway.
2.To prevent pest infestation: Basically, the longer it takes the fruits to turn bright red, the higher the likelihood that pests will find them and crawl on them or eat them. To avoid this, you can harvest the tomatoes green.
3.If the plants are sick:Some diseases spread quickly in the vegetable garden. If a tomato becomes diseased, you can harvest the neighboring plants. An early harvest is also recommended if the tomatoes suffer from fruit end rot due to high nitrogen levels in the soil. Then you can harvest the healthy fruits, even if they are still green.
In some cases the fruit simply will not ripen. For example, if the tomatoes are too small, if they have black spots or if they have split open. Even if you need seeds, you need to find ripe fruits.
Harvesting and storing unripe tomatoes correctly: This is what you need to pay attention to
The best way to harvest green tomatoes is to cut off the entire tomato panicle with sharp secateurs. This means they ripen faster and last longer. Alternatively, if the entire plant only has green fruits, you can cut them off close to the ground and bring them indoors.
The right time is in late summer and early autumn. The tomatoes are picked on a sunny, frost-free day.
Only harvest large and medium-sized specimens; the very small tomatoes will no longer grow and will rot in the storage room. If you are not sure what size the ripe tomatoes should be from a variety, you can check the degree of ripeness. Cut a tomato in two - if there is liquid around the tomato seeds, the fruit will continue to ripen. However, if you cannot move the seeds back and forth with the knife, the fruit will rot.
Tips about storage
Proper storage then plays a crucial role. Unripe tomatoes are not particularly aromatic. To ensure that the taste of the pulp improves as it ripens, you should leave the fruit on the tomato vines for the first time. However, the leaves must be removed so that they do not become entry points for mold and bacteria.
Storage depends on whether you have harvested individual fruits or cut off the entire plants.
Individual fruits: Separate ripe and unripe tomatoes. The green fruits are placed in paper bags or wrapped with packaging paper and the ripe fruits are kept cold. Whole plants are hung upside down in the storage room.
Dark cellars and attics are ideal for storage. The optimal temperature in the storage room is between 19 and 21 degrees Celsius and the humidity should be between 60% and 80%. Tomatoes don't like direct sunlight; they ripen best when stored in a dark place.
Allowing tomatoes to ripen: Useful tips
The ripening time depends on the respective variety. It is important that you check the tomatoes often and remove rotten or diseased specimens. Ripe tomatoes are kept cold or used. If you want to speed up the process, place a ripe banana next to the green tomatoes. It will release ethylene - a gas that promotes ripening. Ripe apples also have a similar effect.
Can you eat green tomatoes raw or processed?
Green tomatoes contain the substance solanine, which is in higher quantitiestoxic to humans and animalsis. To avoid accidents, you should not eat unripe tomatoes raw or process them further. Anything that doesn't ripen is thrown away. You also need to let the tomatoes ripen in a place in the house out of the reach of pets and small children.
