Let's learn how to store tomatoes at home and enjoy fresh fruits until winter

Nowadays you won’t surprise anyone with fresh vegetables in winter. But many will agree that tomatoes grown in their own garden are much tastier than store-bought ones. But is it possible to save the harvest until the New Year holidays? How to store tomatoes at home in an apartment? In this article you will learn all about how to please your loved ones with fresh tomatoes from the garden in winter.

How to collect and prepare tomatoes for storage

It’s possible to preserve the freshness of tomatoes for 3-5 months! Of course, not all crops are suitable for long-term storage. Some varieties of nightshade are very capricious, and it is better to process them immediately. An important factor is the thickness of the skin - the thinner it is, the faster the fruit will spoil.

Mid-late and late varieties are best used for long-term storage at home - they can last until February.

Tomato varieties suitable for storage:

• Volgogradsky 5/95;
• New Year;
• De Barao;
• Janina;
• Rio Grand;
• Giraffe;
• Kumato;
• San Marzano;
• Long Keeper;
• Khutorsky;
• Masterpiece-1;
• Lounger;
• hybrid Khrustik.

How to properly harvest for storage

Only unripe fruits that were grown in open ground are suitable for long-term storage. Greenhouse tomatoes will not be able to maintain their freshness for long. The color of fruits selected for storage can range from green to delicate milky pink. Tomatoes need to be sorted by color, since the choice of storage method depends on their color.

Recommendations for collecting tomatoes for storage

To keep tomatoes fresh for a long time, you must follow several rules:

• harvest before frost sets in;
• collect fruits in the daytime, as soon as the morning dew has dried;
• sort the tomatoes, setting aside cracked, bruised and diseased fruits.

Important! Freshly picked tomatoes should not be washed. They are wiped with a cloth with medical alcohol or vodka. Thanks to this method, all bacteria will be destroyed, which will protect the fruit from rotting.

Conditions for storing tomatoes

Storage

An important point in maintaining the freshness of tomatoes is the place where they will be stored. For green fruits, a basement or cellar is best suited. Residents of apartments can use loggias, glazed balconies, a common vestibule, a garage or any other room that has the necessary conditions for storage. In some cases it is appropriate to use fridge, however, its low temperatures deprive tomatoes of their rich taste. Tomatoes can also be stored in a vacuum container.

Temperature

In order for tomatoes to retain their freshness until winter, it is important to set the appropriate temperature where the vegetables are stored.. For tomatoes it ranges from +5C to +12C. It is also worth paying attention to air humidity - it should not exceed 80%.

If the room temperature is more than +30 C, the fruits will acquire a sour taste. Dry air will cause the tomato to shrink and change the structure of its pulp. Low temperatures combined with humid air will promote the development of diseases and rotting of fruits.

10 days before consumption, the fruits are taken out and placed in a dark place where the temperature is +25 C. This trick allows the tomatoes to ripen.Being in an unlit place will help the tomatoes acquire a uniform, beautiful color and rich taste.

Storing tomatoes of varying degrees of ripening

Green tomatoes can be stored in boxes, trays or boxes. Every week you need to review stocks in order to promptly select ripened or spoiled fruits.

Ripe fruits can remain fresh for more than a month. An important storage condition is the temperature regime - 1-3 degrees Celsius. Reddened tomatoes are unlikely to survive until the New Year holidays if stored in the refrigerator. The maximum shelf life of such fruits is 3-5 days, but it can be extended by months if the tomatoes are rolled up in jars. The fruits can also be withered or stored dried.

Read also:

Getting ready for winter: how to freeze beans while preserving their beneficial properties.

Fresh vegetables all year round - how to store beets in the cellar in winter.

In what and how to store zucchini for a long time - we create ideal conditions.

How to Preserve Fully Ripe Tomatoes

It is possible to increase the shelf life of ripe tomatoes. There are several ways to prolong the freshness of fruits for a long time.

How to store tomatoes in the refrigerator

Each tomato should be wrapped in clean paper. Place the tomatoes in the greens compartment. However, it is worth noting that this method will lead to loss of taste of the fruit. The temperature set in the refrigerator provokes the rapid breakdown of sugars, acids and substances that give nightshades their rich aroma and taste.

Important! You cannot use bags for storing tomatoes in the refrigerator - polyethylene does not allow air to pass through, which is why the fruit will quickly begin to deteriorate.

Tomatoes in cans without preservation

You can store tomatoes in glass containers without preservation.This method will protect the taste of the fruit. The jars can be placed in the basement or any other cool, unlit area.

To preserve tomatoes, you need to prepare a solution - use 125 g of salt and 125 ml of 9% vinegar per 1 liter of water. These ingredients will protect the tomatoes from spoilage by acting as a preservative. Place the fruits in jars and fill with the solution.

Method with mustard

Mustard allows you to store tomatoes in a jar for 3-5 months. You will need 1.5-3 liter glass jars, whole and unripe tomatoes and mustard powder. The fruits are thoroughly washed and dried from moisture, the jars are washed and sterilized. For one container you will need 6-7 tbsp. mustard.

Order of laying tomatoes:

1. Place 2 tbsp on the bottom of the container. l. mustard.
2. Place a layer of tomatoes.
3. Sprinkle the fruits with 1 tbsp. mustard powder.
4. Alternate layers of tomatoes and mustard, the last layer should be mustard powder.
5. After the jar is completely filled, roll it up with a sterile tin lid.

Method with medical alcohol

Place clean tomatoes in a jar, avoiding squeezing them. After the jar is filled, pour 3 tbsp into it. medical alcohol, close tightly with a nylon lid. Then you need to twirl the container in your hands so that the alcohol can spread evenly throughout the entire jar.

After this, you will need to remove the lid and place a wick soaked in alcohol in the jar. Light the wick, and while it is burning, you need to have time to roll up the jar with a tin lid. This trick will allow all the oxygen inside the jar to burn out, which will protect against the growth of bacteria.

Tomatoes in a pan

Tomatoes can also be stored in an enamel or ceramic pan. You can preserve the freshness of fruits for a long time using a vinegar-salt solution or oil. The fruits are placed in a pan and poured with refined oil.An important condition is that the oil must cover the top layer of tomatoes by at least 1 cm.

How to store tomatoes in trays and boxes

Fresh tomatoes are not suitable for long-term storage in trays. The fruits begin to deteriorate very quickly, so at most they can stay in such a container for several days. Often, ripe tomatoes are placed in a box to help them turn red faster. In this case, you need to make sure that the container has a sufficient number of holes for air.

How to store sun-dried tomatoes

Dried fruits can be packaged in cotton bags and stored in a kitchen cabinet. You can also place them in the refrigerator. In this case, the tomatoes are placed in a plastic container, into which olive oil is poured, then covered with a lid and placed in the refrigerator. It is important to note that with this storage method the tomatoes will lose their bright color.

Storage conditions for green tomatoes

Green fruits are best preserved until winter. Before storing tomatoes, they need to be sorted by size. Large fruits ripen faster than small ones.

The procedure for storing tomatoes for storage:

1. Wrap each vegetable in clean wrapping or printing paper.
2. Prepare clean boxes or trays with holes. They can be either wooden or plastic.
3. Place a layer of paper on the bottom of the container and sprinkle it with sawdust.
4. Lay out the tomatoes, leaving space between the fruits.
5. Cover the first row with paper and sprinkle it with sawdust.
6. Lay out the second row of tomatoes.

Instead of sawdust, you can use onion peels and sphagnum peat. To extend the period, you can smear each tomato with Vaseline or paraffin.

Attention! The allowed number of rows in one box is three.

What to do if tomatoes start to rot

Even with proper storage, there is a possibility that the crop will begin to deteriorate. The main reason for this is late blight. First, brown spots appear on the fruits, and then they begin to rot. It is important to recognize the disease at the initial stage and remove the diseased vegetable.

The problem of crop rot can be solved by pasteurization. Place the tomatoes in hot water at a temperature of 60-65 C for 2 minutes. If you overcook the vegetables, they will become soft. After pasteurization, the tomatoes should be well dried and placed in a ventilated area.

Important tricks:

1. Leaving the stems on tomatoes helps them stay fresh longer and increases their shelf life.
2. You can speed up the ripening period of tomatoes by adding ripe fruit to them.
3. Tomatoes will be able to stay in the box longer if you place them with their stems facing up.
4. You can store tomatoes as a whole branch - hang it in a dry, ventilated area.
5. Ripe fruits can also be stored - cut the tomato into large pieces and put it in a jar or pan, cover the first layer with salt, 8-10 cm deep. Alternate layers of tomatoes and salt until the container is completely filled.

Conclusion

Thanks to the correct collection and choice of storage location, you can decorate the New Year's table with a salad from your own fresh tomatoes. Since tomato fruits are very delicate, you need to properly organize their storage. It’s easy to find a place to store your crops. If there is no cellar or basement, tomatoes can be stored in the apartment. Thanks to a few tricks, they can be preserved for 3 months or more.