Green tomatoes are used in a variety of recipes.
Tomatoes are warm-season fruits. Environmental factors play a large part in the ripening process. Discovering these influences gives you a better idea why your tomato has not ripened. Changing the factors in the ripening equation accelerates your harvest before frost ends the growing season.
Environmental Factors
Tomatoes often appear yellow or orange-green outside of optimum ripening temperatures.
Temperature is the top factor in ripening tomatoes. The optimum ripening temperature is between 66 and 78 degrees. The pigments carotene and lycopene that make the red color cannot be produced above 88 degrees. Temperatures above this range slow down or even halt the ripening process. Production of ethylene gas plays a role in the ripening process. Ethylene is a colorless, odorless, tasteless hormone that accelerates the ripening process. Commercial growers often pick tomatoes green, spray them with ethylene and then place them in a chamber to ripen evenly.
Variety Selection
There are tomatoes in many colors.
Tomatoes come in many sizes, shapes, colors and ripening times. The range is huge, starting with Early Girl that ripens at 55 days, to large Beefsteak types that can take as long as 90 days to ripen. Many gardeners choose a tomato by the picture on the tag at the nursery and not check the ripening days. Every part of the country has an average number of frost-free days. Choose varieties that fit your area's average or less to ensure proper ripening.
Indoor Ripening Tips
Tomatoes can be ripened indoors if they reach the mature-green stage. The tomato starts turning from dark green to light green and may have a little pink blush to it. Before a hard frost, take a pair of scissors and cut the stem above the tomato, so as not to damage the skin. Tomatoes with damaged skin rot. Wrap the fruit individually in paper and layer them in a cardboard box. Temperature plays a key role in ripening indoors. Keep your tomatoes between 60 and 65 degrees but never below 45 degrees. Tomatoes ripen in three to four weeks.
Green Tomato Uses
Once you pick all of you mature-green tomatoes for indoor ripening, pick all dark-green tomatoes left on your vine before a hard frost. There are many ways to enjoy these unripened fruits. A Southern favorite is fried green tomatoes. Other, less traditional recipes include salsa verde, relish, green tomato pie and freezer jam.
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