Green Toms

[rachyroo]

Hi peeps

Please help this is my first year ive still got loads of green tomatoes (due to the great British weather)
Do I still leave them in the greenhouse or is that it now should they all be picked to make a chutney

Please help as I'm not sure when they should be picked by & I hate waste

Many thanks for your help x

[rachyroo]

[ed dibbles]

I suggest you leave them to ripen further since with luck frosts are a few weeks off yet.

They can continue to ripen on the plants, albeit slowly even after the first frosts. Or you can pick the fully formed green ones, bring them inside, and they will ripen in a warm place.

Then the few that eventually fail to ripen can then be made into chutney (or in another recipe) if you prefer.

[BarriedaleNick]

I'd leave em for a couple of weeks at least - people have been know to pick greenhouse toms in December!  So no rush really - depending on where you are of course.  Bananas are also good at ripening underripe fruit so if you want put yout oms in a bowl with some nanas..

[Jayb]

Hi Rachyroo, first post, welcome to A4A 

Agree with the others leave them for a bit. I've still got green ones too, they seem to be ripening slowly. I'll leave mine pretty much for as long as they continue to ripen or until we have a harsh frost forecast. I'm going to remove some more foliage to help air circulate and continue to gradually cut back on watering to push them to ripen their fruit a bit more quickly. Nothing wrong in wanting to get your crop picked and cleared either just I love having fresh toms it seems worth the effort to keep them going for as long as possible.

[Digeroo]

If you put tomatoes in a paper bag with a banana they soon ripen.  If you put them somewhere airy they take longer  so with a bit of care you can be eating your own tomatoes until christmas.  The ripening needs a chemical given out by ripe fruit (Ethylene (C2H4)).   Hanging a banana on your tomato plant can help.

[rachyroo]

Brill thanks everyone I've not heard of the banana trick my mam told me a red apple but that didn't work.
X

[Toshofthe Wuffingas]

A green tomato halfed and fried is pretty good with bacon and egg too.

[debbilove]

I agree with the comments. Leave them for a few more weeks at least and they will eventually ripen.  Bananas do work well too. They ripen the green tomatoes really quickly.