by Getty Stewart, Professional Home Economist
We’ve pulled all of our tomato plants (sigh) and took home a bunch of green, somewhat orange and red tomatoes. Looks like we’ll have a few more soups, sauces, salsas, salads and sandwiches to enjoy – as long as we can store them properly, that is.
Here are a few tips we’ve discovered about storing tomatoes:
Tomato Storing Tips
Tip # 1 – Do not store split, punctured or damaged tomatoes, even the ones with just a tiny spot. It only takes a couple of days for any tomato that has a wound to turn really, really nasty and spread mold and rot to your nice tomatoes. Trust us, we know! Two days after storing a batch of tomatoes I went to the basement to do laundry – that’s when I learned just how critical this step is. The smell was intense!
Tip # 2 – Place unripened tomatoes in a cool dark place. We place ours in a single layer in a shallow cardboard box with a folded newspaper on top. Our friend Chris, who is able to keep tomatoes for a very long time, wraps each one individually in newspaper and places them in a box.
Tip # 3 – Check and smell your tomatoes regularly to catch any trouble before it spreads.
Tip # 4 – Once the tomatoes are ripe – use them, they won’t last very long once they are fully ripe.
Tip # 5 – Store tomatoes with the stem down to prevent air from getting into that scarred area and decreasing the shelf life.
First Published on www.veggiedelight.ca.
