How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors

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By Barbara Raskauskas
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Green tomato

When fall arrives, tomato plants can be filled with green tomatoes. If subjected to repeated hard freezes, the plant will die and the green tomatoes will be lost. To avoid losing the tomatoes to freeze, one way to ripen green tomatoes is to take them indoors, but not to a windowsill. Since tomatoes ripen from the inside out, placing them in a sunny location will make them turn red on the outside, but will not ripen them on the inside.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Snip the green, non-split tomatoes from the plant. Only healthy tomatoes should be selected, so check for bug/worm holes. Though there is no need to wash the tomatoes, if you choose to rinse them, wipe them dry.
Step 2

Put the green tomatoes on a plate or tray, spacing them so they do not touch, and then cover them with a single thickness of paper towel or newspaper.
Step 3

Place the plate/tray in a warm (above 70 degrees) and dark space and allow to ripen. The warm, dark place could be a windowless laundry room, on top of kitchen cabinets not near a window or in a closet.