Written with contributions by Claudia Botzet, former SDSU Extension Nutrition Field Specialist.
With cooler temperatures and decreased daylength in our northern hemisphere, gardeners may have an abundance of green, unripened tomatoes this fall. Green tomatoes do not need to go straight to the compost, for they can have many uses! Green tomatoes are good pickled or even in a green tomato pie (recipes below). If these recipes don’t appeal to you, they can easily be ripened indoors with some patience.
First, keep an eye on the weather to know when your first frost will happen, as tomatoes are very sensitive to cold temperatures. When a frost is forecasted, head out to the garden and harvest as many green tomatoes as you’d like to use (only save non-diseased fruit). While it’s a personal choice, some prefer to preserve their small green tomatoes (cherry and grape varieties) and allow the larger ones to ripen indoors.
How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
There are two methods that can be used to ripen green tomatoes indoors. Neither of these methods involve the refrigerator, as red color will not develop at less than 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, do not place the fruit in a sunny window; this will shorten shelf life, and light is not necessary for ripening.
The flavor of the tomatoes won’t be quite as good if they had ripened outdoors, but they will still taste better than most of what you can buy at the grocery store, and this method can increase your supply of garden tomatoes for several weeks into the fall.
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Store them in newspaper in a box.
Picked fruit can be ripened inside the home or in a garage or basement. Place the fruit stem-side down on a layer of newspaper in a cool location. Cover with another layer of paper on top, as this helps retain some humidity to prevent shriveling of the fruit if conditions are too dry. Do not stack more than 3 layers of fruit, and do not place them touching each other. Adding 1 to2 red tomatoes will increase the amount of ethylene around the green tomatoes; this is the plant hormone that encourages and speeds up ripening. Store at about 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Tomatoes treated in this manner may ripen faster than they would outdoors during cool weather. It’s a good idea to check the fruit on a regular basis and discard any rotting ones before they contaminate other fruit. -
Pull up the whole plant and hang it upside down.
Harvest the entire plant, including the roots. Shake off as much soil as possible and hang it upside down in a cool area that gets indirect light and wait for the tomatoes to ripen.
Preserving and Eating Green Tomatoes
If you’d like to try your hand at green tomato preservation, here are two recipes to try.
Pickled Green Tomato Relish
Courtesy: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Yield: 7 to 9 pints
Ingredients
- 10 pounds small, hard green tomatoes
- 1 to 1/2 pounds red bell peppers
- 1-1/2 pounds green bell peppers
- 2 pounds onions
- 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt
- 1 quart water
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 quart vinegar (5 percent)
- 1/3 cup prepared yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Procedure
Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning.
- Wash and coarsely grate or finely chop tomatoes, peppers, and onions.
- Dissolve salt in water and pour over vegetables in large kettle. Heat to boiling and simmer 5 minutes.
- Drain in colander. Return vegetables to kettle. Add sugar, vinegar, mustard, and cornstarch. Stir to mix. Heat to boil and simmer 5 minutes.
- Fill sterile pint jars with hot relish, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. For more information see Sterilization of Empty Jars.
- Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations under the Processing Time section below.
Processing Time
The recommended process time for pickled green tomato relish in a boiling-water canner is as follows.
- Style of Pack: Hot
- Jar Size: Pints
- Process Time by Altitude:
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 5 minutes
- 1,001 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes
Green Tomato Pie Filling
Courtesy: National Center for Home Food Preservation
Yield: About 7 quarts
Ingredients
- 4 quarts chopped green tomatoes
- 3 quarts peeled and chopped tart apples
- 1 pound dark seedless raisins
- 1 pound white raisins
- 1/4 cup minced citron, lemon, or orange peel
- 2 cups water
- 2-1/2 cups brown sugar
- 2-1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup vinegar (5%)
- 1 cup bottled lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Procedure
Please read Using Boiling Water Canners before beginning. If this is your first time canning, it is recommended that you read Principles of Home Canning.
- Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.
- Cook slowly, stirring often, until tender and slightly thickened (about 35 to 40 minutes).
- Fill jars with hot mixture, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.
- Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations under the Processing Time section below.
Processing Time
The recommended process time for green tomato pie filling in a boiling-water canner is as follows.
- Style of Pack: Hot
- Jar Size: Quarts
- Process Time by Altitude:
- 0 to 1,000 feet: 15 minutes
- 1,001 to 6,000 feet: 20 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 25 minutes
Resources and References
- Growing Tomatoes in South Dakota, SDSU Extension.
- How to Ripen Green Tomatoes Indoors, North Carolina Cooperative Extension.
- Preparing and Canning Relishes - Pickled Green Tomato Relish, National Center for Home Food Preservation.
- Selecting, Preparing and Canning Fruit - Green Tomato Pie Filling, National Center for Home Food Preservation.
