Following a really heavy frost last night (-7 just over the hill and -3
in my greenhouse) the tomatoes are looking decidedly unwell. There is
still a good deal of fruit on them, some orange, some yellow and some
still green.

I know that I can pick the orange ones, bring them indoors and ripen
them on a window cill with the help of a banana skin, but what about the
others?

I'm not into chutney so I'm hoping someone has some ideas as to if and
how I can either ripen them or use them.

Ta!

Roger T

700 ft up in mid-Wales

"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Following a really heavy frost last night (-7 just over the hill and -3
in my greenhouse) the tomatoes are looking decidedly unwell. There is
still a good deal of fruit on them, some orange, some yellow and some
still green.

I know that I can pick the orange ones, bring them indoors and ripen
them on a window cill with the help of a banana skin, but what about the
others?

I'm not into chutney so I'm hoping someone has some ideas as to if and
how I can either ripen them or use them.

Ta!

Roger T

700 ft up in mid-Wales


Put the lot in a box rather than on a window sill. AIUI the ethylene gas
which ripens them is heavier than air and this will concentrate the gas
round the toms and help them to ripen.

Steve

On 25 Oct, 21:14, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Following a really heavy frost last night (-7 just over the hill and -3
in my greenhouse) the tomatoes are looking decidedly unwell. There is
still a good deal of fruit on them, some orange, some yellow and some
still green.

I know that I can pick the orange ones, bring them indoors and ripen
them on a window cill with the help of a banana skin, but what about the
others?

I'm not into chutney so I'm hoping someone has some ideas as to if and
how I can either ripen them or use them.

Ta!

Roger T

700 ft up in mid-Wales

A web search will find recipes other than chutney. The quickest I know
is to fry them in butter, which uses up a lot, as they're mostly
water.

Chris

We wrap our green toms in newspaper and have a feast at Christmas
We also make green tomato jam delicious

............................Leslie

"Janet" wrote in message
...
In article 6245b808-10eb-4888-9712-a124b97804d2
@g13g2000yqj.googlegroups.com, says...

On 25 Oct, 21:14, Roger Tonkin wrote:
Following a really heavy frost last night (-7 just over the hill and -3
in my greenhouse) the tomatoes are looking decidedly unwell. There is
still a good deal of fruit on them, some orange, some yellow and some
still green.

I know that I can pick the orange ones, bring them indoors and ripen
them on a window cill with the help of a banana skin, but what about
the
others?

I'm not into chutney so I'm hoping someone has some ideas as to if and
how I can either ripen them or use them.

Green toms will ripen to red with no assistance; just keep them
somewhere cool so they don't dry out while you wait. My MIL kept hers
under the spare bed in an unheated room.

Janet

Janet wrote:
Green toms will ripen to red with no assistance; just keep them
somewhere cool so they don't dry out while you wait. My MIL kept hers
under the spare bed in an unheated room.

I've never managed to get them to ripen without turning either wrinkley and
unpleasant looking (although maybe still ok to cook with in place of
sundried??) or looking mottled and blightish.

In message
wrote:

Janet wrote:
Green toms will ripen to red with no assistance; just keep them
somewhere cool so they don't dry out while you wait. My MIL kept hers
under the spare bed in an unheated room.

I've never managed to get them to ripen without turning either wrinkley and
unpleasant looking (although maybe still ok to cook with in place of
sundried??) or looking mottled and blightish.

At the end of the season, we used to ripen all father's remaining
tomatoes in a chest of drawers. They rested, separated from each
other, on old blankets. I never liked tomatoes so I wasn't concerned
whether they ripened or not. but they did.
--
Don

On Mon, 25 Oct 2010 22:12:25 +0100, "shazzbat"
wrote:


"Roger Tonkin" wrote in message
...
Following a really heavy frost last night (-7 just over the hill and -3
in my greenhouse) the tomatoes are looking decidedly unwell. There is
still a good deal of fruit on them, some orange, some yellow and some
still green.

I know that I can pick the orange ones, bring them indoors and ripen
them on a window cill with the help of a banana skin, but what about the
others?

I'm not into chutney so I'm hoping someone has some ideas as to if and
how I can either ripen them or use them.

Ta!

Roger T

700 ft up in mid-Wales


Put the lot in a box rather than on a window sill. AIUI the ethylene gas
which ripens them is heavier than air and this will concentrate the gas
round the toms and help them to ripen.

Steve


Agreed. I bought a tray of greenies in and now they're all red!
--
http://www.bra-and-pants.com
http://www.holidayunder100.co.uk

Contrary to popular belief, apples are a better source of ethylene than bananas.

Actually ethylene (C2H2 molecular mass 28) is close to the same density as nitrogen (N2 mm 28), and less than oxygen (O2 mm32), so it is very slightly lighter than the average density of air. But clearly an enclosed space will discourage the ethylene from diffusing into the room quite as quickly.

Whoops arithmetical error. C2H2 is mm 26, so lighter than nitrogen. So something like 10% lighter than air.

"Therefore" wrote in message
...
We wrap our green toms in newspaper and have a feast at Christmas

My mother used to do this, wrap green tomatoes in newspaper, put them away
in a drawer and get them out, red and perfect, at Christmas.
Tina

"echinosum" wrote in message
...

shazzbat;903743 Wrote:
"AIUI the ethylene gas
which ripens them is heavier than air and this will concentrate the gas

round the toms and help them to ripen.
Actually ethylene (C2H2 molecular mass 28) is close to the same density
as nitrogen (N2 mm 28), and less than oxygen (O2 mm32), so it is very
slightly lighter than the average density of air. But clearly an
enclosed space will discourage the ethylene from diffusing into the room
quite as quickly.


I sit corrected.

Steve