Fixit: How to ripen green tomatoes

Q How can I ripen green tomatoes from my garden indoors?

A If picked before the first frost, mature green tomatoes will ripen indoors. They may not be as flavorful as vine-ripened fruits, but they are better than store-bought in many cases.

Be sure you are trying to ripen mature fruit. Mature green tomatoes are those with a glossy, whitish green fruit color and mature size.

• Remove stems to prevent them from puncturing each other.

• If dirty, gently wash and allow the fruit to air dry.

• Store tomatoes and peppers in boxes, one to two 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.

• 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.

Ripe tomatoes keep in a refrigerator for about one week but will lose their flavor. Green peppers keep for two weeks. Green, mature tomatoes and peppers stored at 65 to 70 degrees will ripen in about two weeks. Lower temperatures slow the ripening process. At 55 degrees, they will ripen in three to four weeks. Storage temperatures below 50 degrees will slow ripening, but result in inferior quality.

If tomatoes and green peppers are stored where the humidity is too high, the fruit molds and rots. If humidity is too low, the fruit shrivels and dries out. Since homes vary in humidity levels, you will need to learn by trial and error what works best.

University of Minnesota Extension

Dishwasher odor Several readers wrote to note another source for dishwasher odor: the plumbing hookup. For example, if the discharge hose is not the right height, it can leak and create odors.