turps

You probably already know this, but if you pop tomatoes in a paper bag and keep them in a warm spot (as opposed to the fridge) you can force-ripen them. Adding a banana is meant to speed up the process. Invaluable when you have the bad combination of a dog who thinks that tomatoes are free balls he can pick and play with and wild birds who will peck holes in them the moment they show any sign of ripeness ;)