How to Ripen Tomatos Indoors

Ripening tomato's

Fall brings an end to the lush, summer tomato harvests. Typically, home gardeners have green tomatoes left on their plants as frost approaches. Pick the tomatoes on the vines and bring them indoors. You can cook fried green tomatoes or, if you have the space, ripen the tomatoes inside.

Things You'll Need

• Newspapers

Instructions

1. Locate a surface area in a cool, dark place in your home that maintains regular cool temperatures. If you have no such place in your home, find a place away from direct sunlight and heat.

2. Cover the area with newspapers to protect the area from dirt and debris. The newspapers create a blanket that traps the tomatoes' natural gases, signaling them to ripen.

3. Spread the tomatoes in a single layer over the newspaper.

4. Cover them with newspaper and wait for them to ripen. Check daily to see which ones are ripening; when they turn red, pull them from the bunch.

Tips & Warnings

• If you don't have room to spread the tomatoes out, wrap each tomato in an individual sheet of newspaper and put them all in a large bag to ripen. Set the bag in a dark, cool location and check it regularly.

• If a tomato appears to be rotting, remove it from the bunch.

References

• Colorado State University Extension: Ripening Tomatoes Indoors