It’s peak tomato season and if you’re lucky, you aren’t getting through them fast enough. While preserving the bulk of your harvest to keep from waste and spoiling is the best move, there are definitely times when you just want to hold onto that handful of heirlooms for a few days longer and enjoy the fruits of your labor fresh. Thankfully, how you store your tomatoes can buy you that extra time and it’s as simple as storing them stem-side down.
I first spotted this trick at a local farmstand, where all tomatoes were placed upside down in crates. When I asked the farmer why, they explained that it keeps tomatoes plump and juicy. Upon further research, I discovered that studies have proven that over a three-day period, tomatoes stored stem-side down only lose 1–2% of their weight, while those stored stem-up can lose up to 7%.
Thomas J. Story
Courtesy of Kurtwood Farms
For tomatoes that are ripe and ready to eat, remove all stems and leaves before placing them upside down on a plate away from direct sunlight. Pulling off any greenery is key, as moisture can escape through the stem, which can cause your plump juicy tomatoes to get mushy and wrinkly.
Need to stretch a tomato a few extra days before cutting into your bounty? While storing at room temp is best, you can buy yourself even more time by popping them in the fridge stem-side down on a plate. Keep in mind that resorting to storage in cooler temps is definitely a last-ditch effort. Refrigerators typically range between 40–45°F, which can cause a “chilling injury” that harms the tomato’s natural ripening process. Also, tomatoes contain an enzyme that reacts to cold temperatures, which can break down cell membranes and make the fruit mushy and mealy—which defeats the
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