Simple step by step instructions on how to turn green tomatoes red! All you need is a box, it’s so easy!
It’s a few days from November but I’m still enjoying fresh tomatoes. No, I’m not picking them from the garden, that ship has sailed. The nights became too cold a few weeks ago and the garden was pretty much minus a few hearty greens. To grab some fresh tomatoes I’m now picking them from a shoe box. To be exact, 4 big shoe boxes full of tomatoes.
Don’t you hate when it’s the end of the season and you have hundreds of green tomatoes staring at you? The sadness.. The tears. The longing to want to save all those baby green tomatoes so they can turn into big red adults one day.
We had so many green roma and cherry tomatoes left we couldn’t let them go bad. Never leave a tomato behind. We aren’t big fried green tomato fans, so it was back to the basics, time to box up those tomatoes and let them turn red naturally.
The way to do is really simple. Are you ready?
How to Turn Tomatoes Red
Put your tomatoes in a shoe box (or any type of cardboard box), close it. Put shoe box in cool place. Check on them twice a week. Watch them turn red over time. Pick the red tomatoes out and enjoy!
Now wasn’t that easy?
Here’s another tip, if you want to turn them red more quickly then add a banana into each box. Just make sure you keep a eye on the banana so it doesn’t turn into mush and make a mess.
With a bunch of green tomatoes left, we stuck them in their boxes about 10 days ago and I just checked them today to find a whole bunch of red beauties looking at me!
I’m so glad all my shoe buying finally comes in handy! 🙂
After I picked the red ones out (and made more cherry tomato sauce!) then I boxed the green ones up and they went back into the closet. Now time to wait for the next batch!
I hope this tip helps you turn your green tomatoes red!
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Lily @GastroSenses says
Love it! I’ve picked so many green cheery tomatoes in October and did the same! I still have quite a few left sitting in the basement. It’s amazing to have fresh tomatoes right from your garden in November! I’ve been fermenting and canning and putting them in all kinds of salads. Yum!
Quelcy says
Ha! This is great! After the frost, our fruitful vines changed to the green side of the spectrum as well. I took advantage though and made a pasta dish topped with fried green tomatoes- my first ever (I think?)!
I found you through BlogHer and read of your Pittsburgh roots in your bio. I’m living and blogging and urban farming in Pittsburgh, so next time your headed here, give me a shout if you want to see my fella’s burgeoning urban farm in Hazelwood.
Cheers!
[email protected]'s Recipes says
What a GREAT tip!
rebecca says
great tip
Anna @ shenANNAgans says
That is TOTALLY cool, I didnt know that. Sooooo impressed. Cant wait for my tomato plants to start giving me fruit to try this grand idea. Thanks for the brilliant tip lady. Hope you are having a wonderful and happy Halloween weekend. Hugs from Aus. 🙂
Suzanne says
Who would have known, not I. Love it. Now I just need to grow tomatoes next year to try this out. Very cool.