Love Apple (Tomato) Tips & Hints

If there's one thing I've learned by living in southern Michigan, it's that September and October mean one thing: be prepared for bushels of tomatoes, red and green! Green, too? Oh, heavens, yes! We never know when a plant-killing frost is going to hit so we have to know what to do with the unripe fruits.

When I'm faced with a garden full of tomato plants sporting green orbs, I do a couple things. First, I pull off the larger, soon-to-ripen fruits. Those are then carted to the kitchen counter. I place a few apples among the light green tomatoes to enhance the ripening process. Now, if I'm faced with more than my kitchen can contain, some of the less ripe ones are wrapped in single sheets of newspaper. Those are carefully packed, up to 4 layers high, in a potato crate and are kept in the crawl space.

The darker green, rock-hard tomatoes remaining on the plants stay there. I carefully pull the entire plant from the ground, gently transporting them to the pole barn. I attach them to the rafters with baling twine, plants upside down, in a corner of the barn. (I keep the roots intact but I know some folks who cut them off.) You can also do this in a root cellar, basement, crawl space or attic.

Of course, some folks like green tomatoes, even preferring them over the ripe ones. If you're one of those people, you'll want to store them in a cool spot (but NOT the refrigerator!) until ready to use. Make absolutely certain that they are stored completely away from any other vegetable or fruit for best results, especially apples (they release a gas which enhances ripening in other produce).

Whatever method you decide to use, please make certain that the fruits you are going to store are free of blemishes and are brought in *before* a frost for best results. Check your stored tomatoes on a weekly basis, too. You know the story about "one bad apple...", right? Well, this goes for tomatoes, too.

For tomato recipes, especially for canning purposes, please visit the Michigan State University Extension Office site at: http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/mod01/m...

Have fun with those "love apples"!

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