When should I pick green tomatoes?

Question

My tomato plants have withered and dried up.

Some tomatoes are still green and are on the ground.

Is it better to:

A) Pick the green tomatoes and have them ripen indoors

B) Leave them on the vine & ground to ripen

C) Leave them on the vine, but elevate them to prevent rot

Do withered vines still help the ripening process?

Thanks!

Answer 1

You could pick them and make fried green tomatoes.  They are so good.  It is a summer treat my husband looks forward to every year.  I just slice them and then coat them in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs and shallow fry them until they are golden brown and crispy.  My hubby likes them with ranch dressing, but he puts ranch on everything.

Answer 2

Put them in a paper bag and leave inside your house They will ripen slowly by themselves at room temps.

Answer 3

I haven't had great luck in having mass quantities of tomatoes ripen indoors.

I have made jam and a vegetarian mince meat out of green tomatoes. Both turned out quite well. I found recipes at my local library.

Beyond that I've given them to friends who really love fried green tomatoes.

Answer 4

If the vines are dead then they are of no use to the tomato as far as the ripening goes.  It would be best to take the green tomatoes out of the garden all together if the vines are no good. You can eat green tomatoes, just slice them and roll them in flour and seasoning and fry them in butter,   yum yum they are really good.  I have tried picking the green ones at the end of the fall just before frost and let them ripen on the window sill, but they never do well for me, however I have heard others say that it works fine for them.  I guess you have to have the right nack.

Answer 5

The secret to ripening tomatoes indoors is to keep them out of sunlight.

They won't be as good as vine ripened, but still better than store bought.

Store tomatoes and peppers in boxes, 1 to 2 layers deep, or in plastic bags with a few holes for air circulation.

If you have a cool, moderately humid room, simply place them on a shelf.

Keep fruit out of direct sunlight. They may be stored in the dark.

As tomatoes ripen, they naturally release ethylene gas, which stimulates ripening. To slow ripening, sort out ripened fruits from green tomatoes each week. To speed up ripening, place green or partially ripe fruits in a bag or box with a ripe tomato.

Do not refrigerate tomatoes - it kills the flavor.