Fresh Tomatoes at Thanksgiving

At Local 98856, we take a great amount of pride from providing our Thanksgiving Day meal totally from our agricultural bounty of the area. By that time, the gardens are long since done, the canning and processing of fresh vegetables is finished and the root crops are safely tucked into their spots in the root cellar. So having something on the November table like a fresh ripe tomato is quite a feat! If you're harvesting the last of the summer tomatoes right now, here's a little trick that our pioneer forefathers practiced that can give you the same results!

Mature size tomatoes picked green on the vine contain a surprising level of nutritional value when compared to their ripe counterpart. They will continue to ripen once picked, and can then be eaten or processed. But their ripening can be postponed for later eating by this simple technique.
- Clip the green tomatoes from the vine leaving the stem intact up to the first knuckle (you'll see it - usually an inch or so from the tomato)
- Check for any punctures, cracks or blemishes. You'll want to use only perfect fruit.
- Wrap each tomato separately  in newspaper or packing paper. Place them in a box in a single layer.
- Cover the box and place in a dark location that is about 60-65 degrees. No cooler. Remember that     tomatoes will not ripen if the temperature is less than 50 degrees. And we do want them to ripen - just slowly!
- Check periodically for any fruit that is not storing well or that is ripening.
- Bring out any fruit that appears to be close to ripe. Set out on the table for a day or two to complete process if necessary.

Enjoy the bounty of your harvest and savor the flavor until next year!