Many small farmers and traders require a low-cost storage space for short-term storage of perishable commodities. Evaporative cooling is an alternative to mechanical refrigeration that can provide high levels of relative humidity (RH) and a slight degree of cooling (94-99% RH and storage temperatures about 5 °C below ambient). A low-cost storage chamber fabricated from readily available materials (plywood, lumber, polystyrene sheets) can be used for temporary holding of fruits and vegetables or serve as a ripening room for tomato. An evaporative cooling pad using charcoal as the wetted media serves to cool and humidify ambient air that is forced into the storage space by an exhaust fan. A small water pump is used to re-circulate water through the cooling pad. Tomato ripened to the full-red stage and stayed firm and wrinkle-free for 2-3 weeks when kept in this system.