Hey fellow gardeners! I'm in Zone 6 in NE Ohio, and my tomato plants were a bit slow this season due to a chilly May. They've got a ton of tomatoes, but they're all still green. Should I leave them on the vine to try and ripen, or should I go ahead and harvest them to ripen indoors? The daytime temps are in the mid-70s, and it's dipping into the high 50s at night.
1 Answer
For the best flavor, it's ideal for green tomatoes to have at least a hint of blush before you take them off the vine. If yours are still fully green, I’d stick with leaving them on as long as possible to see if they'll start to blush. If it does come to harvesting, there's always the option of making green tomato chutney, which is delicious!
That’s exactly what I was thinking! The plants look really healthy, so I’ll hold off for now. I did cut back the parts that only had blossoms though. Oh, and I’ve got a jar of pickled green tomatoes fermenting—never tried chutney before, but now I'm intrigued!