14 Recipes for Overripe Tomatoes (2024)

FAQs

What can I do with mature tomatoes? ›

Wait—don't throw out those overripe tomatoes! Instead, transform them using one of these delicious recipes. Overripe tomatoes are perfect for sauces and soups as their softer texture is easily masked when blended with other flavors. You could also roast them and use it as a side dish.

But although they're not great for eating raw, tomatoes that have gone a little beyond their ideal deadline are still packed with flavour, health benefits and juicy goodness. In fact, the underrated overripe tomato tends to be even sweeter and juicier than its unripe counterpart.

Tomatoes may be frozen raw or cooked, whole, sliced, chopped, or puréed. Tomatoes do not need to be blanched before freezing. Frozen tomatoes are best used in cooked foods such as soups, sauces and stews as they become mushy when they're thawed.

Bring tomatoes to a boil, then lower your heat and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Place simmered tomatoes into a blender and blend at high speed until fully pureed (including the skins and any seeds that didn't get squeeze out).

Tomato blight (also known as late blight) is a disease caused by a fungus-like (Oomycete) organism that spreads rapidly through the foliage and fruit of tomatoes in warm, wet weather, causing collapse and decay. It can be a very serious disease on outdoor tomatoes.

Tomatoes are a valuable addition to your compost bin, and can be added whether they are fresh, cooked or moldy! However, there is definitely a 'right' way to add them. Follow the steps below and you'll be a tomato-composting guru in no time at all!

Ripe Tomatoes

And unless you're eating them immediately, ripe, locally grown tomatoes will also last longer in the fridge; eat within a few days. Store ripe tomatoes in your fridge stress-free and enjoy them within a couple days of purchasing.

Bad tomatoes also tend to leak fluid. If you pick up a tomato and notice that there is fluid underneath it, then it has gone bad. Feel – if a tomato is soft or mushy when given a light squeeze, it has gone bad. Smell – if you find that a tomato is producing a bitter or putrid smell, then it has gone bad.

How long do fresh tomatoes last? Fresh tomatoes will last from two to five days on the counter at room temperature. A refrigerated ripe tomato can last up to two weeks. Cut tomatoes only last in a cool fridge for a day or two.

Tomatoes should have taught, blemish-free skin. If there's a bruised spot or two, it's OK to cut around them and enjoy the rest of the tomato (maybe turn it into a nice tomato sauce), but if the entire fruit is pocked with spots, it's best to move on.

What to do with wrinkled tomatoes? ›

You can eat them straight out of the skillet as I do, but there are more civilized choices: Toss the tomatoes with pasta, mash them a little and pile them on toast, fold them into scrambled eggs, or serve them over grilled chicken, steak, or fish. So go ahead, buy a few more pints at the farmers market while you can.

The USDA recommends cutting off at least one inch around and below the mold spot on the food. When asked about soft fruits and vegetables that go moldy such as cucumbers, peaches and tomatoes, she said these were best avoided.

If the plant is healthy and the branch was cut during the growing season (typically spring and summer), it is more likely that the plant will be able to regrow from the cut branch. In this case, the plant will form new shoots and leaves at the site of the cut, and it may even produce new fruit.