The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a fleshy berry-like fruit widely cultivated throughout the world. It has the ability to adapt well to a wide variety of climates and environmental conditions, which has allowed it to become an essential ingredient in the cuisines of many countries.

Here’s a gazpacho recipe to make the most of your organic tomatoes!

How do I know if the tomato is ready to eat?

As a climacteric fruit, it continues to ripen after being harvested, which means that your tomatoes might arrive home a little green, which means that they were only hanging on the plant a few days ago! For most varieties, when the tomato reaches a uniform red colour and feels soft to the touch, it indicates that it is ripe and ready to eat.

How to ripen green tomatoes faster at home?

• Keep them in the box with the rest of the tomatoes or store them in a paper bag at room temperature. 
• You can also put them with other climacteric fruits such as bananas or apples to accelerate their ripening process thanks to the ethylene they give off.
  
  

How to preserve and store tomatoes at home?

If you want to prolong the ripening period, you can keep them in the fridge. If, on the other hand, you plan to use them immediately, keeping them at room temperature is ideal. If the tomato is already ripe, refrigerating it can help to avoid over-ripening, but it is advisable to consume it quickly to avoid loss of flavour.

How can you make the most of a ripe tomato at home?

You have many options to keep enjoying your tomatoes! 

• a) Gazpacho
• a) Tomato sauce
• c) Tomato puree
• d) Roasted tomatoes
• e) Tomato juice

What happens if my tomato is mouldy or damaged?

If your fruit has arrived overripe or in poor condition, please contact our customer service team or report the incident to us via your private area in your CrowdFarming user account. By clicking on “report a problem” and submitting a complaint, we will be able to notify the farmer and work with them to find a solution.

If you want to know how to preserve and ripen other fruits, click here.