by Leslie Cox; Monday; September 28, 2020
Who does not love the flavour of homegrown tomatoes? We sure do. So…when we feel the first frost is just over the horizon, we will pick all of our tomatoes…red and green. It is typically quite a good haul.
Because storage space is usually at a premium in my cool pantry downstairs…what with all the jars of preserves…I utilize beer flats and newspaper to store the unripe tomatoes.
I prepare a beer flat from the liquor store by lining it with 2 – 4 sheets of newspaper. Leaving the blossom stem on, I wipe down each tomato with a damp cloth and lay them in a single layer on the newspaper.
It is a good idea to separate the unripe red tomatoes from the green ones. If you just have half a flat of each, you can use a rolled-up sheet of newspaper as a barrier between the two…if you must to conserve space.
Once the bottom of the flat is filled, I lay a couple of sheets of newspaper over top. You want to keep direct light off the tomatoes to allow them to slowly ripen. This will extend your eating pleasure.
Personally, I find it helps to write the name of the tomato on the side of the beer flat with a felt marker. But you don’t have to.
I can usually fill at least six beer flats with unripe red and green tomatoes each season. And this is where the beer flats come in real handy. They are stackable! Crisscross them one on top of another to about four or five high…depending on the weight of your tomatoes in each flat. You definitely do not want any flat sagging in the middle so it is resting on the tomatoes underneath!
Be absolutely religious in checking each flat every week for any ripe tomatoes! After going to the effort of picking, washing and storing the last of your homegrown tomatoes, you do not want to have to throw any out.
If you cannot eat them fast enough, de-stem the ripe ones and place them in a zip-lock freezer bag. Remove the air from the bag and seal it tight. Properly sealed, they will keep in the freezer for at least a year. They will still be excellent for sauces, soups, chili and stews.