How to Ripen Tomatoes Quickly

A big, juicy red home-grown tomato is a gardener's delight and incomparable in taste and texture. Freshly picked right out of the backyard garden or farmer's field, there is nothing better to pair with a light grilled meal, an aromatic and colorful, pungent salad, or topped with cottage or mozzarella cheese. The key to any great meal or snack featuring the tomato is where the fruit is in the ripening process.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Paper bag
• Cardboard box
• Plastic bags
• Counter/storage space

1. Gently rinse with cool water all of the tomatoes that are to be ripened quickly. If you want to keep some green to ripen slowly and use later, just keep those separated and in your refrigerator's crisper. Now cut the extra vines, leaves, twigs and stems off the fruit. Do not remove the stem as this may cause the fruit to rot.

2. Now, check for color of the fruit. You can tell the stage of ripening by the color of the tomato. Assemble groupings of the tomatoes by color and stage they are in as they will ripen at the same speed. Now you and your tomatoes are ready for ripening, and there are several easy ways to accomplish this final process: by paper bag, plastic bag or a cardboard box.

3. If you have a large quantity of tomatoes that will ripen at the same time, select a cardboard box that can accommodate as many tomatoes as can make two layers. You won't want to use more than two layers because all you will do is bruise or destroy the bottom fruit. Line your box with newspaper, butcher paper or, if you are really a fruit-ripening whiz, fruit styrofoam or cardboard fruit packing is also good. If you really want to speed up the process, add a ripening banana, but the extra fruit is not necessary. Store the box in a cool, dark place with controlled humidity. A pantry or cabinet shelf is ideal and make sure to check on the ripening progress each day.

4. Or, choose a brown paper bag. For a few to several tomatoes, this ripening process is the most frequently applied.Simple lunch-bag sized brown bags that can be found in any grocery store are used. Place a few tomatoes inside the bag, fold over the ends and store in a cool, dark place with controlled humidity.

5. Another choice: Find a plastic bag. Any size zip-style bag can be used and the size will depend on how much fruit you want to ripen. Take the plastic bag and punch several holes in it with a toothpick. You need to vent the plastic as it doesn't breathe like cardboard or a paper bag. Place tomatoes inside and seal the zipper. As with all tomato-ripening methods, store in a cool, dark location with controlled humidity.

Tips & Warnings

• Check each day on ripening progress--you don't want to overripen.
• Always wash fruit before ripening.
• Remove excess leaves and vines before ripening.
• Group fruit by color to ripen.
• Do not remove the stem of the fruit--this can lead to decomposition and rot.
• Do not cram fruit into tight spaces, as this will result in bruising.
• Do not store in direct sunlight.