Tomatoes are one of the most famous vegetables that are canned for the winter. You can easily keep them fresh for 10-15 days if you place them in a paper bag and put them in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. How to properly store tomatoes at home so that they remain fresh until the New Year or even longer? The answers can be found in this article.
Shelf life of tomatoes
Having no idea how long tomatoes can be stored, it is better not to purchase them in large quantities. They just won't stay fresh for long. You should definitely know how to properly store tomatoes. And then you can keep the vegetables fresh for several months or all winter.
If you need to buy a large batch of tomatoes, it is better to choose those varieties that:
- have a fleshy consistency,
- thick peel,
- not divided into a large number of cameras
The storage conditions for tomatoes are chosen based on the stage of ripening they are at. Brown fruits require one storage temperature, and red fruits require another. And they are not at all capable of ripening at low temperatures.
There are some types of tomatoes that tolerate storage better. These are mid-late and late ripening varieties.
So, the shelf life of tomatoes in a city apartment before they are processed:
- green fruits – from 25 to 70 days;
- ripe red ones - from 7 to 10 days.
If the tomatoes are overripe and have already become soft, they will not be able to be stored.
Storage conditions for tomatoes
Fruits at different stages of ripening require individual storage temperatures:
- milk-ripe tomatoes are stored at a temperature of +8°C -+10°C;
- red - +4°С - +6°С;
- brown – 0°С -+2°С.
Tomatoes should be kept in cool, dark places. It is best to store tomatoes in an apartment in the freshness zone of the refrigerator. The best place in your home is basements or cellar.
- Tomatoes should be stored at a humidity of 80%, in a room equipped with ventilation.
- The fruits are placed with the stalk up, trying to prevent damage, in containers made of wood or plastic.
- Tomatoes are very sensitive to temperature changes thanks to volatile substances that provide their taste. Therefore, any change in climate where tomatoes are stored will cause them to become soft, wrinkled and lose their flavor.
Preparation for storage
First, the tomatoes are sorted: whole, dent-free fruits that have reached milky ripeness are selected. These are vegetables that have grown to normal size who have already started to turn red.
Before sending tomatoes for storage, they should not be washed. It is better to lightly wipe with alcohol, applying it to a piece of cotton wool. This “disinfection” will get rid of various bacteria and microorganisms that may be on the surface of the fruit.
When preparing tomatoes for storage, the stems are not removed. You can cut them only immediately before use.
Storage in cellars and basements
Tomatoes are placed in layers in wooden or plastic containers, sprinkled with chopped wood or covered with paper. If there are not many tomatoes, it is better to wrap each tomato in paper. Afterwards the boxes are sent to cellars or basements. The temperature in the basement must correspond to the storage standards for fruits of a certain degree of maturity.
In containers made of cardboard or wood, tomatoes are placed in no more than 3 layers. Otherwise, the fruits located at the very bottom will be deformed under the weight of the upper layers.
You need to check the condition of the crop at least once a week. Then it will be possible to notice in time if some fruit begins to deteriorate. In this case, you should immediately isolate it from the rest of the crop.
Cold storage
Tomatoes, stem side up, are placed in layers in plastic container refrigerator intended for vegetables. The layers are separated using paper, and for greater safety they wrap each fruit with it so that they do not touch. This will significantly increase the shelf life of tomatoes. You need to place the fruits in the container in a maximum of 2 layers, and if they are already ripe, in one.
Tomatoes can be stored in the refrigerator for up to one week.
IN plastic bag These vegetables cannot be kept. It is not capable of allowing air to pass through, and condensation forms very quickly inside the bag. In such conditions, the fruits will soon deteriorate.
If tomatoes have been at too low a temperature for some time, their taste may change. But if after a cold you let them lie for a day in room temperature, some of their taste will return.
Freezer storage
You can store tomatoes for the winter in the freezer. Tomatoes are frozen by first cutting them into rings, pieces or slices. Small fruits can be frozen even whole. But large tomatoes are not recommended to be frozen entirely. You can peel them and freeze them in the desired form:
- The peel is removed with a knife from a well-washed tomato using crosswise cuts in its upper part.
- The tomato is immersed in boiling water until the cut skin begins to curl (20 seconds).
- After which it is quickly removed and cooled with cold water.
- Then they are carefully removed from the skin and frozen in food containers or special ziplock bags.
To freeze tomatoes whole, you don't need anything other than ripe, firm fruits with firm skin. Small tomatoes are placed several pieces in one bag. Remove as much air from the bags as possible, tie them up and put them in the freezer.
Freezing in pieces
- In order to freeze tomatoes cut into circles, you will need fleshy fruits with a dense peel.
- Washed and dried tomatoes should be cut into slices up to 1 cm thick. If the slices are very thin, they will lose their shape during defrosting.
- Then the slices are laid out in layers in a food container, not forgetting to separate the layers with foil or cling film.
- Then put it in the freezer for 6 hours.
- After 6-12 hours, the frozen tomatoes are transferred to bags and sent into the cold for long-term storage.
When freezing tomatoes into pieces or cubes, you can first remove the skin, then cut them and place them in small batches into portioned bags. It is not necessary to ensure that the pieces are crumbly. They are added without defrosting to already prepared dishes.
You can make a homogeneous mass from tomatoes and freeze it in special molds. To do this, the fruits are crushed using a blender or meat grinder to a puree consistency. Then put into molds for freezing. As a last resort, you can use silicone baking molds or plastic ones for ice. It is important not to put tomato puree in each mold all the way to the top: when freezing, the mass will expand and go beyond its limits.
After freezing (8 - 10 hours), the puree should be removed from the molds and placed in freezer bags, packaged in small portions.
Correct defrosting
Only if the tomatoes were frozen entirely, they need to be thawed at room temperature for up to 20 minutes. Other types of frozen tomatoes (mugs, pieces, briquettes, stuffed tomatoes) do not need defrosting.
Now you know how to store tomatoes at home. And if you have any questions, wishes or suggestions, be sure to leave them in the comments to the article.
Kira Stoletova
Many of us love salads made from fresh vegetables, such as cucumbers and tomatoes. In this article we will look at how to keep tomatoes fresh for as long as possible at home.
Rules for storing tomatoes
At 5-6º red vegetables lose everything beneficial features. The optimal storage temperature is above 20º. In such conditions, tomatoes became more useful and rich in composition.
Red, ripe fruits can be stored for about a week. Again, the shelf life of tomatoes depends on their degree of ripeness, appearance and transportation conditions.
Storing green tomatoes
Green tomatoes cannot be stored in the refrigerator. They will spoil or remain green.
The process of ripening tomatoes should take place at room temperature (15-20º). If the room is too hot, the fruits will stop releasing coloring pigment and will not ripen. It is best if the temperature reaches 13º. Only in this case will they turn red and retain their taste.
Tatyana Orlova (candidate of agricultural sciences):
If there is a need for picked green tomato fruits to ripen faster, it is enough to add 1 red to a group of green tomatoes. After 3-5 days, all the fruits will also turn red. A fresh ripe banana placed in a box of green tomatoes gives the same effect. This happens because ripe fruits release ethylene gas, which speeds up the ripening of the fruit.
Store correctly fresh tomatoes in the refrigerator in the compartment for fruits and vegetables, where it is maintained optimal temperature. You can also store tomatoes on the bottom shelf. This will keep your tomatoes fresh for as long as possible.
Ripe tomatoes are stored for 2-3 days. Unripe - up to 7 days.
- It is best to store tomatoes by placing them in one row. You can, of course, lay them in two rows, but so that the bottom row is not too compressed.
- If a tomato is left in the refrigerator for several days and then placed in a room at room temperature, it begins to release beneficial substances.
- Wrap each tomato in paper. This will preserve the strength for a long time. In addition, the paper does not squeeze the tomato if the fruits were arranged in two rows.
Storing tomatoes in in a plastic bag will not lead to anything good. The fruits do not breathe, the humidity in the bag increases and after a few hours such vegetables can simply rot.
Storage in a glass jar
Storing tomatoes in glass jars allows you to preserve fruits for several months. The main thing is to choose tomatoes that do not contain rot and mechanical damage.
A new way that allows you to store tomatoes in this form is as follows. Fresh tomatoes should be thoroughly washed and dried. Next, put them in a glass jar, which must be sterilized. When the jar is full, pour in 3 tbsp. l. alcohol After that, close it with a plastic lid and twirl it well in your hands. Then we need to lower the wick inside the jar and set it on fire. When the alcohol starts to burn, you need to roll up the jar with a metal lid.
Storage on the balcony
You can store tomatoes on the balcony at temperatures from 5 to 12º. How to do it correctly:
- First you will have to find a box, preferably a wooden one.
- We cover it with paper and put tomatoes there. Paper can be replaced with cotton fabric.
- If the tomatoes are laid out in several rows, then be sure to lay paper or fabric between the rows. But it is strictly forbidden to use plastic bags or film.
- Boxes with vegetables can be stacked on top of each other.
In order to extend the ripening period of green fruits and thereby lengthen the period of its consumption, all collected green tomatoes are divided into several batches and stored at different temperatures. One group of fruits can be placed in a room (for example, on a windowsill). They will reach maturity in 7-10 days. Keep the second batch on the balcony or glass loggia, where the usual autumn temperature is + 12-15 degrees. The third batch is in the refrigerator, in the vegetable compartment.
Until recently, tomato lovers did not think about where to store tomatoes. After all, from childhood we were taught: it is better to store food in the refrigerator. It is believed that there they deteriorate more slowly. But in Lately There is an increasingly common assertion that this rule does not work for tomatoes. Let's figure out who is right and who is wrong in this matter.
Gardeners and housewives are in desperate debate over whether to store fresh tomatoes in a refrigerator. Some say yes, others categorically disagree with them and believe that tomatoes have no place in the refrigerator. Both are partly right.
Proponents of the theory that the refrigerator is not the best place for tomatoes say that low temperatures kill the aroma and taste of the fruit. This is why many people don't store tomatoes in the refrigerator. And there is confirmation of this. It was experimentally established that when low temperatures ah, the aroma of the fruit is lost. But does this mean that tomatoes absolutely cannot be stored in the refrigerator?
Necessary storage conditions
Scientists have experimentally established that the optimal temperature for storing tomatoes is +12-13 degrees. Neither the room temperature nor the air temperature in the refrigerator corresponds to this level. At home, especially in summer, the temperature reaches 25-30 degrees. And in the refrigerator it is always less than 12 degrees (depending on the settings from +2 to +8). Therefore, neither the first nor the second option for this product is optimal.
Where to store
The most the best option consider a dry, cool room with a temperature no higher than 12 degrees. For residents of private houses the best place- cellar. There, tomatoes can be stored fresh and aromatic for several months.
Reference. Some gardeners manage to preserve their harvests in the cellar until the end of autumn - beginning of winter.
In apartment conditions, tomatoes are stored well for up to 10 days, hung on a cool wall. Usually such a wall is on a balcony or loggia.
Experienced housewives, in order to preserve them for as long as possible, advise first of all to pay attention to the degree of ripeness of tomatoes. If the fruits are already fully ripe, then a warm place can be their storage for no more than a few days. Then they will start to deteriorate.
It is still better to place ripe fruits in the cold. This is correct to extend their shelf life. How long do tomatoes last in the refrigerator? They can stay there for up to several weeks.
If we are talking about still unripe (green) tomatoes that are harvested ahead of schedule, then the storage rules have special features for them. A refrigerator won't do any good. They need a warmer place to ripen. A few weeks at room temperature will allow the fruit to ripen. At the same time, both the taste and aroma will be worthy.
Important! It will not be superfluous to review the stored fruits every few days. If some copies begin to deteriorate, you need to detect them in time and remove them from the storage location.
If the tomatoes go bad
Tomatoes that are not suitable for preservation can be:
- Recycle. For example, make a batch of homemade tomato sauce or ketchup. Fruits can also be cut into halves or pieces. It will be very useful in winter.
- Wither or dry. This is done both in the oven and in an electric dryer. Sun-dried tomatoes are usually stored in jars, filled to the top with vegetable oil.
- To freeze. Small tomatoes are frozen whole in bags, large ones - cut (for example, pizza rings). The fruits are also twisted in a meat grinder or pureed in a blender. In winter they are added to sauces and gravies.
Here are some tips from experienced housewives:
- When storing in the refrigerator, it is better to place ripe fruits not near the far wall, but closer to the door or in a special drawer for vegetables. It's a little warmer there.
- When storing unripe tomatoes, it is good to transfer them with dry hay or sawdust.
- It is better to calibrate the fruits. Medium-sized tomatoes with thick skin can be preserved for a long time without damaging its integrity.
The best varieties for long-term storage
Breeders have developed many varieties of tomatoes with a long shelf life:
- New Year;
- Lying;
- Winter Heart;
- Winter miracle;
- Christmas;
- Gift of autumn;
- Snowfall, etc.
Attention! Medium-sized tomatoes, thick-walled and with thick skin, last a long time. It is important that the fruits are not damaged.
Let's sum it up
If you are the happy owner of a private home, then you probably have a cellar. This is the best place to store tomatoes. Alternative options for apartment residents - a refrigerator or a cool place near the balcony.
If the tomatoes are still green, do not store them in the refrigerator. Feel free to leave the fruits on the windowsill. And if the tomatoes are already fully ripe, opt for a vegetable drawer in the refrigerator. The aroma will weaken a little, but you will extend the shelf life of the fruit. And don’t believe those who say that tomatoes absolutely cannot be kept in the cold. Ripe - yes.
Growing tomatoes is under the constant control of every vegetable grower. Very often, ripe or unripe fruits have to be removed en masse from the bushes. Let's look at how to store tomatoes at home in an apartment so that they remain juicy and fresh for a long time.
There are many reasons that can force you to pick unripe tomatoes from the bush.
There are many reasons for harvesting tomatoes in quantities exceeding the current needs of the vegetable grower:
- Theft.
- The plant is overloaded with fruits.
- The fruits are too heavy and break branches.
- The tomatoes have ripened en masse.
- Threat of frost, signs of serious tomato diseases.
Collection rules
It is important not only to harvest tomatoes on time, but also to do it correctly so that the fruits are well stored.
Unripe tomatoes can be stored much longer than ripe ones.
The collection rules apply to all tomatoes, regardless of the degree and timing of their ripeness.
Important to remember: Not all varieties of tomatoes are intended for storage.. Early ripening thin-skinned or so-called “salad” tomatoes should be used for food or processed into sauces and lecho first.
Preparation
Transportation of ripe tomatoes should be very careful, as there is a high probability of crushing the fruits. Ripe tomatoes can be stored at home without loss of taste for about 3–8 days.
For long-term storage, tomatoes that are harvested at the stage of milky ripeness, have reached the size characteristic of their variety, but are green, are preferred.
The fruits of milky ripeness are practically green tomatoes, just beginning to turn red.
Tomatoes at the stage of partial ripening - blanzhe ripeness , will ripen in 1.5-2 weeks. Therefore, you should not put them in the “distant drawer”.
These tomatoes are already ripe and won’t last long!
Conditions
Optimal storage conditions:
After harvesting, all fruits are carefully inspected and sorted by size, varietal early ripening (mid-ripening, late-ripening), and by visual signs of ripening (green, white, brown, pink).
You should not harvest from the bushes.
Diseased plants
The harvest from diseased plants is collected separately, in the absence of signs of disease on the fruits themselves (rot, pigmentation).
Cracked tomatoes will not last long and are eaten first.
Tomatoes are lowered onto 1.5-2 minutes hot (about 60°C) water and wipe dry. You can try to prevent it by wiping the fruits with vodka or a pinkish solution of potassium permanganate.
Unfortunately, if a tomato is infected, then no type of treatment will be effective. You need to get rid of the tomato immediately.
Accelerate the ripening of tomatoes
Tomatoes will ripen as quickly as possible if you place them on a radiator.
It's nice to pamper yourself and your loved ones with fresh ripe tomatoes until late autumn or even winter, but not everyone has the opportunity to create optimal conditions for long-term storage of a rich harvest of tomatoes. Unripe tomatoes contain poison - solanine, which can cause serious poisoning in humans and lead to death. Therefore, gardeners have a need to quickly produce tomatoes for processing.
Secrets of accelerated ripening of tomatoes:
Tomatoes find a second life in preparations for the winter. There are a lot of methods for pickling, pickling, drying, drying and other processing, but only shock freezing in the freezer keeps ripe tomatoes “fresh”.
Can tomatoes be stored in the refrigerator?
In the refrigerator, tomatoes are stored in a special vegetable compartment.
Scientists have proven that storing ripe tomatoes in the refrigerator worsens their taste.. Green tomatoes will never ripen on the refrigerator shelf, and ripe ones will become tasteless.
If there is an urgent need to store tomatoes in refrigerator it's possible, but no more than a week (up to 8–12 days). To do this, you must follow a number of rules:
- Store in the designated compartment (area). At a temperature not lower than +5–8 °C heat-loving crops get frostbite and quickly deteriorate.
- Do not seal or tie airtight plastic bags.
- Store separately from other vegetables and fruits.
Tomatoes need to be removed from the refrigerator in 12–24 hours before use and let them warm up at room temperature, then the lost aroma will be partially restored and the taste will improve.
Tomatoes in cans without preservation
Recently, some methods of preserving ripe tomatoes without heat treatment in various containers (mostly 3-liter jars).
The vacuum method does not always work and has many negative reviews.
Conclusion
Successful storage of tomatoes largely depends on the right choice varieties.
At proper storage late (especially hybrid) tomatoes can gradually mature until February, maintaining its freshness. Cultivated tomatoes require constant monitoring: selection of actively ripening and spoiling fruits.
If a vegetable grower has managed to independently grow a rich harvest of tomatoes, then he will have the patience to preserve it until the right moment or ripen it for processing, following simple, time-tested rules for storing tomatoes at home.
Video on how to prepare tomatoes for the winter without canning
Storing tomatoes involves many nuances. These vegetables are sensitive to foreign odors, so they should be placed away from other foods. In addition, some fruits can speed up the ripening process of tomatoes, and they will spoil faster than the standard shelf life. In addition, the period of preservation of freshness of tomatoes is influenced by their variety. Mid-season and late varieties will last longer than early varieties.
The nuances of storing tomatoes:
- when storing a tomato, it should be placed with the stalk facing up (the skin in this area is more delicate, so the weight of the tomato can cause it to deteriorate faster);
- tomatoes in supermarkets are pre-stored in refrigerators, so they will be stored at room temperature less than tomatoes grown independently or purchased at the market;
- after a tomato is exposed to low temperatures, its taste properties change, but some of them can be returned if, after cold conditions, the tomato is left at room temperature for 24 hours;
- tomatoes grown independently last longer than those purchased in stores;
- It is necessary to store only tomatoes with the hardest possible skin, on which there are no mechanical damage or signs of disease;
- overripe tomatoes cannot be stored;
- if there are a lot of tomatoes, it is better to store them in wooden boxes(from time to time it is necessary to turn the tomatoes over and inspect them to identify the first signs of rotting);
- when storing tomatoes in boxes, the bottom should be covered with paper, and it is better to sprinkle the tomatoes themselves with sawdust;
- Before storage, tomatoes do not need to be washed, and their surface must be completely dry;
- if you cannot avoid storing tomatoes in the refrigerator, then before placing them in the cold, each vegetable should be wrapped in paper or regular newspaper;
- tomatoes ripen quickly at home; to extend the shelf life of tomatoes, you need to separate them with paper or sawdust, preventing them from coming into contact with each other;
- It is not recommended to store tomatoes in a plastic bag or in the refrigerator (condensation in the bag will cause signs of rotting, and low temperatures will accelerate it);
- if the tomatoes are picked along with the branches, it is better not to remove them (this will extend the shelf life);
- Alcohol will help keep the tomatoes fresh a little longer (with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol, carefully wipe each tomato and wait for the substance to evaporate, after which the tomatoes are placed in a place for potential storage).
How long and at what temperature should tomatoes be stored?
Tomatoes are best stored at room temperature.. For 5-7 days, medium-ripe tomatoes do not lose their taste and shape. If the tomatoes are not ripe, then it is better to place them in the open rays of the sun on the windowsill and periodically turn them with their unripe sides up. In other cases, tomatoes should be stored in cooler and darker places.
At temperatures below +15 degrees, tomatoes lose their taste characteristics and the structure of their pulp changes. Store tomatoes in the refrigerator only as a last resort. When exposed to low temperatures, they will begin to deteriorate within a few days.
The process of rotting a tomato begins from the inside. Most often this happens within 6-7 days. It is possible to extend the shelf life of tomatoes, but the additional period will not be long and will be limited to a few days. Optimal conditions for storing tomatoes is considered temperature regime from +12 to +15 degrees with an average air humidity of 80%.
Late and mid-season varieties tomatoes can be stored for up to two weeks at room temperature or in the refrigerator. Main role in in this case plays a role in the degree of ripeness of tomatoes. If the tomatoes are not ripe, they can be stored for two weeks after reaching full ripening.
There are two other ways to preserve tomatoes for 3-4 months. The tomatoes must be thoroughly washed and placed in a jar so that they do not fit tightly together and remain free place. Add a few tablespoons of alcohol or mustard to a jar of tomatoes, and then close the lid tightly. After this procedure, the jar must be thoroughly shaken so that the additional ingredient completely covers the skin of the tomatoes. If alcohol was added, then it must be carefully set on fire and the lid rolled up. traditional way. The jars must be pasteurized and the tomatoes clean. In this state, the tomatoes will retain their freshness and after a few months they will still remain juicy and ripe.
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