SO, IT TURNS OUT . . .

That once picked, a green tomato is a green tomato is a green tomato! There is no ripening after it is picked. I tried the paper bag trick and even added some fruit to the bag and several days later it is still a very hard, green tomato. No change. But, the ones that were red and almost ripe ripened right up. So, there you have it. Don't let your 18 month old help you pick tomatoes unless you love fried green tomatoes!