How to keep tomatoes fresh
Many of us love a salad made from fresh vegetables such as cucumbers and tomatoes. In this article, we will look at how to keep tomatoes fresh for as long as possible at home.
Storing fresh tomatoes
Tomato storage rules
To keep tomatoes as fresh as possible, you need to determine the optimum temperature.
At 5-6º, red vegetables lose all their beneficial properties. The optimum storage temperature is above 20º. Tomatoes in such conditions, became more useful, saturated in their composition.
It is not recommended to store tomatoes for a long time. Unripe tomatoes are stored better (from 20 to 70 days).
Red, ripe fruits can be stored for about a week. Again, the shelf life of tomatoes depends on their degree of ripeness, appearance and transportation conditions.
Storing green tomatoes
Do not store green tomatoes in the refrigerator. They will deteriorate or remain green.
The ripening process of tomatoes should take place at room temperature (15-20º). If it is too hot in the room, the fruits will stop emitting coloring pigment and will not ripen. It is best if the temperature reaches 13º. Only in this case will they turn red and retain their taste.
Tatiana Orlova (Candidate of Agricultural Sciences):
If there is a need for the plucked green fruits of a tomato to ripen faster, it is enough to put 1 red one to a group of green tomatoes. After 3-5 days, all the fruits will also turn red. A fresh ripe banana in a box of green tomatoes has the same effect. This is because ripe fruits release ethylene gas, which accelerates the ripening of the fruit.
Storing fresh tomatoes
Properly store fresh tomatoes in the refrigerator in the fruit and vegetable compartment at the optimum temperature. You can also store tomatoes on the bottom shelf. This will keep the tomatoes fresh for as long as possible.
Ripe tomatoes are stored for 2-3 days. Unripe - up to 7 days.
Tomatoes cannot be stored in a package
Recommendations:
- It is best to store tomatoes in a row. You can, of course, put them in two rows, but so that the bottom row is not squeezed too much.
- If a tomato lies in the refrigerator for several days, and then gets into a room at room temperature, then it begins to release useful substances.
- Wrap paper over each tomato. This will preserve the fortress for a long time. In addition, the tomato is not squeezed in paper, if the fruits were laid out in two rows.
Storing tomatoes in a plastic bag will not lead to anything good. The fruits do not breathe, the humidity rises in the bag and after a few hours such vegetables can simply rot.
Storage in a glass jar
Storing tomatoes in glass jars allows you to preserve the fruits for several months. The main thing is to choose tomatoes that do not contain rot and mechanical damage.
A new way to store tomatoes like this is as follows. Fresh tomatoes must be thoroughly washed and dried.Then we put them in a glass, necessarily sterilized jar. When the jar is full, pour in 3 tbsp. l. alcohol. After that we close it with a plastic lid and twirl it well in our hands. Then we need to lower the wick inside the jar and set it on fire. When the alcohol starts to burn, the can needs to be rolled up with a metal lid.
Balcony storage
You can store tomatoes on the balcony at temperatures from 5 to 12º. How to do it correctly:
- First you have to find a box, preferably a wooden one.
- We cover it with paper and put tomatoes there. The paper can be replaced with cotton cloth.
- If the tomatoes are laid out in several rows, then we must lay paper or cloth between the rows, but it is absolutely impossible to use plastic bags or film.
- Vegetable boxes can be stacked on top of each other.
In order to extend the ripening period of green fruits and thereby lengthen the period of its consumption, all harvested green tomatoes are split into several batches and stored at different temperatures. One group of fruits can be placed in a room (for example, on a windowsill). They will reach maturity in 7-10 days. Keep the second batch on the balcony or glazed loggia, where the usual autumn temperature is + 12-15 degrees. The third batch is in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment.
How to store cherry tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes are one of the most sought-after and delicious varieties. They are most often used in salads. At home, they are best kept in the refrigerator until winter.
Cherry tomatoes are stored for a long time in wicker baskets.
Cherry tomatoes keep well after freezing. But large fruits cannot be frozen, since they usually crack when thawed. When the cherries are thawed, they should also be eaten within a few hours.
