Tomatoes, like many other vegetables do not need refrigeration to preserve.
The ideal way to every day fresh veg is of course to have your own veggie garden.
Everything is so much tastier and flavorful when it matures on the plant.
Every minute that passes once cut, all our fruit and veg lose some of the taste and flavor.
Mediterranean countries are fortunate in producing excellent agricultural products and to operate farmers’ markets offering easy and direct access to really fresh produce.
During the warmer months of late spring to early fall, the tomato is the undisputed queen of salads and many other preparations.
Tomatoes are not, strictly speaking, a vegetable but a fruit.
If your are a lover of this sweet and sour fruit and would like to enjoy them at their best, choose the firmest ripe tomatoes at the farmers’ market. Place them in the coolest spot inside the house.
More tip
When just taken from the garden they do not need a fridge.
Our grandparents would place them on an old newspaper in the fireplace, the coolest place in the house through the summer.
They will last quite a long time, several days in fact, while slowly maturing and gaining in taste and flavor.
Use them earlier for your salads and later for stuffing or any other cooking.
Kept like that, your tomatoes will remain firm for longer as compared to refrigeration at temperatures below 12 deg C. That will soften their flesh and destroy their flavor.
The queens of your kitchen do not deserve being punished in the cold
Things to do with your tomatoes…
Other than salads when they are at their freshest best, there is much else you can do with your tomatoes.
If they are still green and unripe, one of the our best recipes is an amazing green tomato ketchup.
When they become too ripe and soft for a salad, they are then ready for a lovely sauce, together with sweet green peppers and feta cheese.
If you have cherry tomatoes, you can dry them out in the hot August sun and make a pesto with oregano to spread on just about anything.
Make your own tomato sauce with fresh summer tomatoes or take our tomato sauce with sweet peppers and feta cheese
SO… Tomatoes do not need refrigeration
