# Question about ripening light green tomatoes



## buckytom (Oct 26, 2014)

i was wondering if anyone had any experience with ripening green tomatoes, especially those that are light green/very unripe.

i've done my duty (googling) but so far it is said that they will never ripen.

in the past, if there was an early frost coming, i would yank the entire plant out of the ground and hang it upside down in the basement to help the last of the tomatoes ripen.
i don't have time, the room,  nor the negotiating ability any more to be able to bring plants and dirt into the house.

so, has anyone had success with the brown paper bag method, or the sunny windowsill thing, or the banana in a box trick? or any other way?

am i poop out of luck with the light green tomatoes turning red?

i really don't need recipes for green tomatoes as that has been covered as recently as today in a thread by larry who-eats-what-food-eats (just kidding larry).

tia for your help.


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## Steve Kroll (Oct 26, 2014)

Interesting. I've picked many green tomatoes when frost threatens and most of them do eventually ripen, although it can take a couple of weeks. I've never used a paper bag. I just set them in a bowl on the counter.

However, the tomatoes I've done this with are mature in size. If you're talking about little tomatoes, I don't know if you'll have any luck with those.


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## buckytom (Oct 26, 2014)

thanks, steve. 

i should add that these are predominantly romas, with early girls, grape, and yellow cherries mixed in.

i still can't believe that the garden is still producing. i found flower buds on the corno di toro peppers as well as the ghost peppers today. but that might be because they were smothered by weeds to help "protect" them.


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## Dawgluver (Oct 26, 2014)

I've always put my little end of season cherry toms in a bowl on the counter, and as Steve says, they eventually ripen.

We've had a couple good threads lately about using green tomatoes.


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## Andy M. (Oct 26, 2014)

Apples and bananas give off ethylene gas that speeds ripening of tomatoes.  So the brown paper bag trick works.


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## buckytom (Oct 26, 2014)

thanks, andy. i've just heard about apples. we  have a crap load of apples after picking yesterday. so i might try that with some of them.


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## larry_stewart (Oct 26, 2014)

I usually leave mine on a towel near a sunny window.  But like what you've read, if they are %100 green, with no color at all, for me , they wont ripen.  As long as they have a hint of color, then they ripen.  This all based on my experiences.


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## menumaker (Oct 27, 2014)

I always put mine in the sideboard drawer ( with the best cutlery as you do) and keep an eye on them, turning every few days. Works fine for me and are out of the way.


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## buckytom (Oct 27, 2014)

thanks, larry and mm.

i think i'm outta luck with many of them. at least in turning red, anyway. i'll have to go with plan b. larry's thread about green 'maters.

you know, many of the romas are weird in that they are ripening half way then stopping. they look sort of like a half dipped (or double dipped to get funkier colours) easter egg with one half being green, the other red.

they are in a bowl on a side counter in the kitchen. maybe i need to move them to a sunnier spot, or do the apple/banana thing.


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## GotGarlic (Oct 27, 2014)

I've been picking partially ripened Romas and round tomatoes for a couple weeks, to prevent the birds from getting them. I put some on a sunny window sill and some in a basket and they all have eventually ripened. There are no apples or bananas nearby


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## Mad Cook (Oct 28, 2014)

If the tomatoes are mature but just not red because it's the end of the season I've used the brown paper bag method successfully. Don't know  Brown bags are important or if it works with white paper bags.

This is only speculation but I wonder if it would help the ripening if you put a banana in the bag with them? Bananas can cause other fruits to ripen so it might be worth trying.


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## buckytom (Oct 28, 2014)

i'm gonna try the banana in a bag thin first.

sadly, the white bags keep the brown bags down. 

i have a dream where one day my 4 little lunch bags can be carried to school in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of thier paper, but by the content of their homemade lunch.


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## GotGarlic (Oct 28, 2014)




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