Most people are under the misconception that tomatoes can be kept fresh for a very short time. This is an extremely delicate, even capricious vegetable. But it turns out that cooking delicious salad from fresh tomatoes you can almost all year round, for this it is not at all necessary to go to the supermarket for expensive imported fruits; you are quite capable of preparing your own harvest. Want to know how to keep tomatoes fresh? We will be happy to tell you.
Only those tomatoes that have been correctly collected from the garden can be stored for a long time. Another important point- variety of tomatoes. Long-term storage of tomatoes is possible provided the right choice varietal variety. There are specially bred varieties characterized by high keeping quality - Vasilisa, New Year, Rio Grande, Orange Ball, etc.
In order for tomatoes to last long enough, you will have to choose the right moment for harvesting, namely, to catch the stage of milky ripeness of the fruit. Of course, you can pick completely green tomatoes: they will last a long time, but will be completely devoid of all taste and nutritional qualities. And if the fruits are fully ripe in the garden, it is unlikely that they will be preserved for a long time.
Harvesting should be carried out on a warm, dry and fine day, paying maximum attention to each tomato: for storage we select only those that have no damage to the skin, they are free of stains or foreign inclusions, and there are no dents on them. For greater safety, the tomatoes are carefully placed in a durable container, lined from the inside. soft material. Try to harvest tomatoes in such a way that the stem remains on the fruit - this will extend the shelf life of vegetables for as long as possible.
Video “Collection and storage”
From the video you will learn how to properly collect and store tomatoes so that they stay fresh longer.
Storing green tomatoes
If you want to keep green tomatoes fresh until the New Year, they will have to be specially processed. To do this, the selected fruits are placed in hot water (60 degrees) for a few minutes and then thoroughly dried.
Prepared vegetables are placed at the bottom of shallow boxes (wooden or plastic), sprinkled with a thick layer of sawdust and a sheet of paper generously moistened with alcohol (by the way, the fruits themselves can be wiped with alcohol if you want them to last until spring).
Tomatoes should be stored at home with their stems facing up. Those fruits that should last the longest can be wrapped in napkins, generously moistened with alcohol, and then sprinkled with wood shavings or straw. 
You can store containers with vegetables in any room that meets the following requirements:
- it's dark and not damp;
- there is good ventilation;
- the air temperature does not exceed 14 degrees.
Moreover, the redder the tomatoes, the lower the temperature should be: fully ripe vegetables can be stored if the room temperature is no more than 2 degrees Celsius.
The stored crop should be regularly inspected, removing spoiled, reddened fruits. After all, even one fully ripened tomato accelerates the ripening of its neighbors.
Storing ripe tomatoes
And if everything is more or less clear with green fruits, it’s time to figure out how to store tomatoes that have reached ripeness. You can do this in several ways:
Tomato processing
But in addition to the many ways to keep your favorite vegetable fresh, there are no less interesting options its preparation, in addition to the traditional rolling into jars.
When the season of vegetables passes, we need to try to preserve them as long as possible, so that even the cold does not prevent us from eating vitamins and pampering our loved ones with various goodies. But it is very difficult to save a product like a tomato, but it is possible. The main thing is to purchase (or pick from the garden) high-quality tomatoes, make sure that there are no crushed barrels or damaged, rotten or spoiled places. By the way, you can make delicious tomato juice from spoiled tomatoes, which can be stored well all winter. In fact, any variety of tomatoes can be stored for a long time; plum tomatoes are best stored; they are strong and last a long time, even without outside help. And the most important advice! don’t make a lot of preparations for the winter at once, try saving a few tomatoes at a time different ways. After all, the cellars are different and the tomato varieties are different, experiment and choose for yourself The best way keep tomatoes fresh until the New Year.
How to preserve tomatoes: Method with mustard
The answer to the question of how to keep tomatoes fresh may be jars. Yes, yes, regular 3 liter jars. It is also necessary to prepare dry mustard powder. We wash the tomatoes, remove the roots, and dry them. We take sheets of paper and use them to transfer vegetables. We stack the tomatoes carefully so as not to crush or press them against each other. There is no need to cram the vegetables too tightly; they should have some space. Sprinkle each layer of tomatoes with dry mustard, add paper, tomatoes, then again. Roll up the lids and immediately hide them in the basement.
How to preserve tomatoes: Method with alcohol
Take jars, tomatoes, a few tablespoons of alcohol, and a thick thread for the wick. So, we sterilize the jars, put the tomatoes in there, pour 2 tablespoons of alcohol, cover with a lid, swirl the jar a little so that the alcohol saturates each vegetable. We light the wick and lower it into the jar, immediately roll the lids tightly. Now we know how to keep tomatoes fresh using jars and improvised means.
There is another opinion on this matter. Tomatoes will last longer if they are not supplied with oxygen. Therefore, simply rolling them into jars without any additives is possible and necessary. But before this, you need to boil each tomato for 2 minutes, dry it and simply lower them, loosely, into jars, roll them up with a lid, and open them in winter. It must be stored in the cellar.
How to preserve tomatoes: Method in the newspaper
We will store the tomatoes in the refrigerator for 2 weeks using regular newspaper. You can wrap each vegetable in paper, you can make envelopes, like for seeds, and store them in 3 pieces. The easiest way to keep tomatoes fresh is to keep them dry, change the newspaper more often, and keep the refrigerator and shelf dry. If each fruit is in paper or newspaper, it will be stored for a very long time and not in the refrigerator. If you wrap the tomatoes individually and change the sheets every week, they will sit all winter just in boxes or baskets. The main thing is not to pile tomatoes one on top of another in numerous layers; 1 or 2 will be enough.
How to preserve tomatoes: Sawdust method
We store tomatoes in boxes using sawdust. If you purchased or harvested a crop that is not yet very ripe, place the tomatoes in a box, preferably a wooden one, just lay them in rows, back to back so that they do not crush each other, with the place where the stalk (tail) was facing up. Layer each layer with paper and sprinkle with sawdust, which absorbs moisture and prevents the tomatoes from rotting or spoiling. For this method of keeping tomatoes fresh to be effective, you need to provide the fruits with a minimum of moisture, no sunlight and a temperature above +10 degrees. Place the boxes in the cellar or basement, or store them on the balcony; if the side is not sunny, cover with paper.
How to preserve tomatoes: The paper method
This method of keeping tomatoes fresh is similar to the previous one. The difference is that green tomatoes you need to rinse well and dry completely on a towel, without the help of the sun. The tomatoes do not need to be wiped; they must dry on their own. Take a cotton swab, moisten it well with alcohol, wipe each vegetable, wrap it in paper, newspaper, put it in a box in rows, roots up. Don't pack tightly, let the tomatoes have some space. Be sure to store the box in a well-ventilated room; the temperature should not exceed +10 degrees. Such fruits can be saved until winter, New Year, and if the variety is strong, then until spring. The main thing is not to take ripe vegetables, let them be greenish, dense and strong.
Note
If you have learned how to keep tomatoes fresh using boxes and paper, and decide to use this method, remember that periodically, about once a week, you need to sort through the fruits, take away ripe, overripe, and damaged ones. The same thing is that red tomatoes need to be separated from green ones, since unripe vegetables are not so saturated with folic acid, which contributes to the rapid reddening and ripening of the fruit. And we need to slow down this process. You know about the trick “If you want green tomatoes to ripen faster, be sure to add a few red tomatoes to them.” Therefore, red tomatoes need to be quickly removed from green ones.
It is also necessary to inspect tomatoes for rot, so that one tomato does not infect the others. Change the paper, it becomes damp, and this is contraindicated for long-term storage. Keep an eye on the boxes and your tomatoes will be stored until spring.
If you have straw, then it is better to lay it on the bottom of the box; it is advisable to periodically change it for a new, dry one. Straw generally helps housewives to save up to New Year's holidays ripe, tasty vegetables, especially in the question of how to keep tomatoes fresh. Therefore, stock up on it and get rid of disposable plastic bags. They collect moisture and spoil the tomatoes.
You can use all the methods how to keep tomatoes fresh. That is, put green or slightly ripe fruits in boiling water for 2 minutes, dry, wipe with alcohol, wrap in paper, fold with the roots up in a row, in two layers, sprinkle with sawdust and cover with straw. This way, in the spring, before the season starts, you will be able to eat delicious, aromatic tomatoes.
Keeping tomatoes fresh until spring is the desire and goal of many summer residents. This is understandable: fruits contain many beneficial minerals, potassium, iron and a whole complex of vitamins. Of course, nowadays you can buy beautiful ones in stores fresh tomatoes You can do it all year round, but they can’t replace your own from the garden, right? Self-grown ones are more juicy, aromatic and very, very tasty.
What varieties can last for a long time, how to store them correctly and, most importantly, where?
It's no secret that optimal conditions storage makes it possible to preserve various vegetables, fruits and berries (which, by the way, include tomatoes) fresh for quite a long time.
It's time to talk about the nuances of long-term storage of tomatoes. It turns out they can stay fresh for quite a long time without much effort. The main thing is to know some secrets.
Preserving tomatoes for a week or two is easy. Simply put them in a paper bag and put them in the refrigerator - on a shelf for storing vegetables. But in order to preserve it safe and sound until the New Year and, especially, until spring, you need not only your desire and suitable storage conditions, but also special varieties.
What varieties of tomatoes are suitable for long-term storage?
Please note important nuance: Regardless of the variety, tomatoes grown in open ground, are stored better than greenhouse ones.
For long-term storage, medium-late and late varieties tomatoes, for example, are:
“De Barao” is a mid-season indeterminate (with unlimited growth) variety; it can reach a height of 2.5 meters, and sometimes more. The oval fruits (depending on the variety) are red, pink, yellow, striped and even black.
“San Marzano” is an indeterminate (with unlimited growth) highly productive variety; the fruits are dense, fleshy, bright red, elongated plum-shaped, reaching a weight of up to 150 grams.
And the fruits of the varieties “Rio Grand”, “Kumato”, “Volgogradsky 5/95” and “Zhanina” are also perfectly preserved. In addition, breeders have simplified the task of long-term storage of tomatoes: new keepable (long-lasting) varieties have been developed. Among them:
"Giraffe" is a tall (indeterminate) variety, reaching a height of 1.2 meters. The round fruits can be stored until March.
“Long Keeper” is a determinate variety, the long-lasting fruits of which can weigh 250 and sometimes 400 grams; When fresh, they can last until February-March.
"Masterpiece-1" - late ripening low-growing variety, the bush of which reaches a height of 60 centimeters. Red flat fruits weighing about 80-200 grams can remain fresh almost until spring.
Of course, the fruits of long-storing varieties are easier to preserve. But what if this year, when buying seeds, you chose not shelf-stable ones, but tasty, aromatic or, for example, beautiful varieties? It’s my pleasure to plant Ox’s Heart. I know that they are poorly stored, but they are delicious! The answer is simple - try to save what has grown and what is available. Unripe tomatoes will not remain fresh and edible for long, but this period can be maximized if optimal storage conditions are observed. Of course, this requirement also applies to long-lasting varieties.
What conditions are needed for storing tomatoes?
The storage room (place) should be dark and cool. Ideally, this is a refrigerator shelf intended for vegetables, a cellar or basement.
The temperature in the storage should be from +5 to +12°C with a relative humidity of 80%.
The fruits must be carefully placed with the stalk up in wooden or plastic containers (boxes, trays).
In general, it is much easier to preserve unripe fruits, which is why their storage is most often practiced. They can be placed in the refrigerator or indoors. But, regardless of which location you choose, you need to take into account the harvesting conditions and carry out preliminary preparation of the tomatoes.
How to collect and prepare tomatoes for storage
Fruits that are picked from the bushes before the night temperature drops below +8 °C will be stored for a long time. If they have suffered frosts on the bush, they will not last long, even if now you do not see obvious signs of frost damage in them.
The correct time for harvesting is also important: it is better to remove the fruits from the bush in the afternoon, when there is no dew on them.
To maximize shelf life, careful sorting is necessary. Select only whole, undamaged fruits that have reached milky ripeness (tomatoes that are still green and have already grown to the size characteristic of the variety).
Before placing them in a storage container, you need to lightly wipe each specimen with a cotton swab dipped in vodka (without additives) or alcohol. This will destroy all microorganisms on the surface of the tomatoes.
How to store tomatoes in the refrigerator
Tomatoes should be stored in the refrigerator in the vegetable compartment, laying them in layers with the cuttings facing up and placing each layer with paper. You can also use this option: wrap each tomato in paper - this way you will preserve the fruits even longer, because they will not come into contact with each other.
But storing tomatoes in a plastic bag is, of course, very convenient and practical, but wrong. Cellophane does not allow air to pass through, so it creates high level humidity. Naturally, under such conditions, tomatoes begin to quickly deteriorate.
How to store tomatoes in a cellar or basement
When storing tomatoes in a cellar or basement, they also need to be laid in layers in wooden or plastic trays (boxes), each layer covered with paper or sprinkled with sawdust. It’s even better if each fruit has a paper wrapper. You need to put the harvest in boxes or trays in three layers, no more - keep this in mind.
And, regardless of where they are stored: in the cellar, basement or in the refrigerator, you should periodically, approximately once every 7 days, “drop in” to check them. Relentlessly cull and remove all damaged fruits.
5-8 days before you intend to enjoy delicious fresh tomatoes, you need to take them out into the light warm room for final ripening (ripening, achieving consumer ripeness).
How to store tomatoes in jars
Method 1
Tomatoes of milky ripeness, without signs of disease or damage to the skin, must be carefully washed, dried and placed in a clean, sterilized jar, without pressing tightly together. Having filled it to the top, you need to pour 3 tablespoons of alcohol inside, close it with a nylon lid and twirl it thoroughly in your hands. Thanks to such simple manipulations, all the tomatoes will be moistened with alcohol. After this, lower the wick inside and light it from the outside. As soon as the alcohol starts to burn, quickly seal the jar with a metal lid.
Method 2
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly and place them outdoors to dry. Meanwhile, sterilize the jars and pour 2 tablespoons of mustard powder into the bottom of each of them. Place the tomatoes in the jar, sprinkling a little mustard on each subsequent layer. After filling the jar, pour another spoonful of mustard powder into it, then roll it up with a metal lid. In total, for a 3-liter jar you should need about 5-6 tablespoons of mustard powder.
Thanks to these preservation methods, tomatoes will remain fresh for about 4-5 months. And remember: no matter what method you use, the jars must be stored in a cool, dark place, ideally a cellar or basement.
P.S. When storing tomatoes for long-term storage, I was tormented for a long time by the question of whether to wash them or not to wash them. Some argue that washing is strictly forbidden. Others, on the contrary, advise keeping the fruits in hot water(+55...+60°C) about 3-5 minutes. So, supposedly, all late blight pathogens will be destroyed. I didn’t wash the tomatoes, but simply wiped each fruit with alcohol.
If there were a ranking of the popularity of vegetables, tomatoes would undoubtedly take first place. Moreover, with a large gap from their rivals. Red-sided and juicy, they are good either in a salad or as a snack. It’s just that we don’t get to enjoy fresh tomatoes for long in our latitudes: as soon as autumn makes a serious statement about itself, they disappear from both market counters and store shelves. And I would like to keep fresh tomatoes longer! After all, canning is not at all the same as elastic, appetizing freshly picked fruits...
We can’t help you with freshly picked ones, but we can help you with storage. Because we know how to preserve fresh tomatoes longer. And we will be happy to share this information with you.
HOW LONG CAN TOMATOES BE STORED?
First, let's decide what we can count on. Is it possible to save fresh tomatoes until the New Year? Or will they only last a couple of weeks of storage? The answer depends not only on your actions and, moreover, your desire. The shelf life of tomatoes is determined by several parameters that will have to be taken into account if you want to preserve fresh tomatoes for as long as possible:
1. Greenhouse tomatoes are stored worse than those grown in open ground. Perhaps soil-grown tomatoes are simply better suited to the challenge environment and “hardened” by the struggle for survival. But the fact remains: for tomatoes to last longer, they must come from the garden.
2. There are specially bred varieties of tomatoes for long-term storage. The most famous of them are Masterpiece, Longkeeper and Giraffe. Sounding names, isn't it? But the main thing is that they can withstand longer storage and/or transportation than representatives of other varieties. This information will be more useful to gardeners who can grow the vegetables they need on their own. But if you manage to buy fresh tomatoes of just these varieties, don’t miss out.
3. Tomatoes have a feature that not all vegetables have: they can be picked unripe, so that they later ripen during storage. This approach greatly extends the life of fresh tomatoes. Firstly, green tomatoes remain unharmed longer. Secondly, the beginning of their storage in ripe form is delayed.
Ripe tomatoes can be bought about three days in advance, after which uneaten vegetables will begin to wither and spoil. If you immediately put the tomatoes in the refrigerator, you can count on their preservation for a week. Tomatoes with thick skins can stay in the special “vegetable” compartment of the refrigerator for 10 days, but this is already risky. But it is generally not recommended to cool fresh tomatoes more than 2-3°C: tomatoes do not tolerate freezing well, and after thawing they spoil very quickly.
HOW TO PRESERVE FRESH TOMATOES UNTIL THE NEW YEAR?
If you have never stored for a long time before fresh vegetables, then it’s unlikely that you had time to stock up on green tomatoes or choose a specific variety. So you will have to deal with what you have - that is, arrange the storage of already ripened tomatoes. In this case traditional methods, multiplied by discoveries modern science, offer the following methods for storing tomatoes:
1. Storage in dry mustard.
Tomatoes are stored for a long time glass jars and at the same time remain fresh, without a drop of brine or a hint of canning.
To repeat this trick, take several three-liter jars and fresh tomatoes - whole, not overripe, without dents or other damage.
Wash the tomatoes running water, wipe dry and lay out in the open air to dry.
Sterilize the jars and dry them properly too.
Using a dry, clean tablespoon, scoop a generous amount of mustard powder and sprinkle into the bottom of each jar.
Place the tomatoes in jars on top of the mustard. First, a few pieces - the first “layer”. Try not to press them together. Of course, the sides of the vegetables will touch, but this should happen without pressure.
The second important point: place the tomatoes up with the side where the tail was.
Sprinkle the first and each subsequent portion of tomatoes with mustard, sparingly.
At the end, when the jars are full, pour another full spoonful of mustard powder on top and close the lid (sterile and dry, of course).
Roll up the jars with a machine or seal them hermetically in another way.
After this, it is advisable to put the cans on their sides and roll them a little and/or carefully turn them upside down. But don't shake the jars - just distribute the mustard powder evenly over all the tomatoes.
Place the jars in a cool place without access to light (in a pantry, cellar, etc.) and be sure that even in January the tomatoes will remain fresh and tasty.
I wonder how the described method “works”? Everything is quite simple. Tomatoes sealed in jars release moisture very slowly. This amount of water is tiny, but it is enough to interact with essential oils mustard. They, in turn, prevent putrefactive processes in vegetables from developing by suppressing bacteria. To ensure that the method does not fail, choose medium-sized tomatoes for such storage and use at least 4 tablespoons of dry mustard for each jar.
2. Vacuum storage.
Fresh tomatoes in jars can be preserved using another method.
To do this, you will need exactly the same three-liter jars (sterile and dry, of course) as in the first case, but instead of mustard powder, alcohol.
Fresh whole tomatoes small size wash and dry completely. Place in jars, trying not to press tightly, just on top of each other.
Pour 2 full tablespoons of alcohol into each jar filled with tomatoes.
Close the jars with clean lids, but do not roll them up.
Place the jars horizontally and roll them so that the tomatoes are thoroughly moistened with alcohol.
Further actions should be very quick and coordinated, so immediately prepare everything you need.
Place a long wick, matches (lighter), lids and a can-roller nearby.
Remove the temporary lids from the jars.
Place the end of the wick into the jar and light it on the other side.
As soon as the alcohol ignites, immediately close the jar with a lid and roll it tightly.
Do this for all jars.
If you manage to do everything correctly, you will get absolutely whole tomatoes: they will not have time to burn, and the alcohol will instantly burn inside the jar along with oxygen.
The tomatoes end up in a vacuum, which will preserve them for a long time.
HOW TO PROPERLY STORE FRESH GREEN TOMATOES?
Truly long-term storage is only possible if the tomatoes are not fully ripe. Fresh tomatoes of the so-called milky ripeness can be stored not only until late autumn and/or winter holidays, but also until the end of winter. But for this you cannot do without strict adherence to all the rules for the preparation and storage of tomatoes:
1. Buy or collect green and slightly milky tomatoes from your own garden. It is important to do this before the first frost, so that even the tomatoes do not get damaged from the inside. Remove the tails immediately.
2. Once again, carefully review and sort out the tomatoes intended for storage. Leave only ideal specimens: with intact, undamaged skin and without a hint of damage. Not only the safety of each tomato, but also the reliability of the entire stock depends on this.
3. Heat the water to 60°C and put the tomatoes in it for 3 minutes. Do not take the water hotter, so as not to scald the vegetables. But washing in cooler water will not protect tomatoes from bacteria.
4. Wipe each tomato dry and place them in a ventilated area to dry completely. It is better to choose a dry place in the shade for this.
5. While the tomatoes are drying, prepare several boxes for their storage: plastic or wooden. The main thing is clean, dry and not very deep. At the bottom of each, place a sheet of newspaper or other paper moistened with alcohol or vodka without additives.
6. Soak pieces of cotton wool in the same alcohol or vodka and wipe each tomato with it on all sides.
7. After this stage, two options are possible. In the first case, if you plan to eat the tomatoes within a month or a month and a half, then simply lay them out in an even layer on an alcohol-soaked newspaper, cover with the same sheet, and on it place another layer of tomatoes, also covered with paper.
8. Otherwise, to store tomatoes longer, wrap each one with a piece of newspaper or a napkin soaked in alcohol. Place dry sawdust between the bundles.
9. Place the boxes in a dark room with an air temperature of 7 to 14°C and a humidity of no more than 80%. In principle, paper and sawdust will absorb a small amount of water, but it is better not to test their absorbent abilities for strength.
10. Regularly, at least once a week, inspect your tomatoes and mercilessly remove from storage those that show hints of spoilage.
HOW TO PRESERVE FRESH TOMATOES FOR LONGER?
Step-by-step instructions are very convenient, but additional information never hurts. For example, it is useful to know that the substance contained in tomatoes folic acid accelerates their maturation. Therefore, green tomatoes intended for storage should not be kept near ripe red vegetables. But when the time comes to use the preparation, remove the required amount of stored green tomatoes and place it next to a ripe tomato or other fruit (banana, apple). In addition to all that has been said, keep in mind that preserving fresh tomatoes means not only preserving their beauty and “marketable” appearance. It is important not to lose the benefits of fresh tomatoes and the vitamins they contain. You can decorate the New Year's table with pickled vegetables, but no canned food can replace the health benefits of fresh tomatoes. Therefore, good luck with your preparations and bon appetit all year round!
