Well, it's been a crappy year for tomatoes. I usually get about 25lbs per plant, but my 5 plants are, combined, probably going to only get a total of 75lbs. AND the durn things are probably not going to get any color. Sigh. There goes my tomato sauce for the year. I'm googling for recipes but hoping for some tried and loved ones here. 75lbs of GREEN tomatoes is an awful lot of green guys!
If it matters I've got:
2 Cherry: red and gold
1 Heirloom : (cherokee purple, similar to brandywine)
2 "normal" tomatoes : (an early and midsummer variety... well it's practically fall... and both just finished blooming 2 weeks ago. Sigh).
Schtupid weather. I'll hothouse them soon, but even still, I'm just not projecting anything beyond green tomato time. So rather than be disappointed... it's time to embrace the green!
You can only eat so many fried green tomatoes...but I know that I have also seen a green tomato salsa ....that might use up a few pounds!!!
Google Green Tomato Recipes and you are going to find a ton...some sound interesting,...Green Tomato Pickles...SOME sound disgusting....Green Tomato and Raspberry Pie!!! yeach
Go to cooks.com and search green tomatoes. or make fried green tomatoes, I don't know if you've ever had southern cooking but where I grew up (SC) it's a popular dish and good!
ORIGINAL SOUTHERNER'S FRIED GREEN
TOMATOES
fresh green tomatoes
flour
salt
pepper
vegtable oil
Slice tomatoes about 1/4". Spread on plate. Sprinkle salt evenly over tomatoes. Continue placing tomato slices in layer over previous layer and sprinkle with salt until all tomatoes have been salted.
IMPORTANT: LET THE TOMATOES SIT (ROOM TEMPERATURE OR REFRIGERATOR) AT LEAST SIX (6) HOURS. This removes water from tomatoes so that they will cook up nice and crispy.
Remove tomatoes from container. Mix flour, a little salt and pepper (to taste) in bowl. Coat each tomato slice with flour. LET SIT 30 MINUTES.
Heat oil in a skillet to medium high. Place tomatoes in oil. (Reduce heat when necessary). Let tomatoes brown on one side, then turn and brown on the other. When tomatoes are a golden brown, remove one at a time and place on paper towels to drain.
I'd say serve immediately, but they're so good, most family members hover around the stove to eat them as they are ready.
This is not really what you asked about, but I can remember my mom telling me about my Grandma wrapping green tomatoes in news paper and then placing them in a box under her bed.... they would take their sweet time to ripen and she had homegrown tomatoes all winter long... maybe worth a shot?? And I am pretty sure that if you pick green tomatoes and then place them in a window in the sun they will also go ahead and turn red on their own. I have been given green ones to fry a few times and didn't get it done before they turned red so we just sliced them up and ate them when they were ripe.
Oh, R.!
I wish you were close enough to share with me!
I love green tomatoes!
I love tomatoes of every kind. I'll just eat them like an apple. And, they're so good for you!
You can add green tomatoes to salsa recipes for an extra tangy zip.
My absolute favorite is fried green tomatoes.
My kids eat them by the platter full.
Make nice thick slices, towel blot, dredge in buttermilk with beaten eggs, then a mixture of flour and corn meal with salt and pepper added to taste.
Then, fry them up in vegetable oil until brown and let drain on paper towels.
They're super simple and so delicious.
Green tomatoes are good added to some home made soups too. Because they're tangy, they are a great salt substitute for flavor.
You've got 75 pounds of them so hopefully you can find ways to can them.
Have fun!
I don't have a recipe for you, but my tomatoes were not turning until the end of September last year, so as the first frost was forecasted I took the advice of a gardener friend and pulled the plants by the roots and hung them upside down in my garage. Any that had begun to turn even the slightest bit ended up red! Same thing with some I brought up to my kitchen window - if they had started to turn from green at all, they ripened in my window and tasted great. You can at least give it a try so as not to loose too many!
Hi
I like the salsa idea...like a salsa verde you know.. I also had fried green tomatoes for lunch today but I wouldn't want them everday.
Another option would be to take them to a shelter or church and just give them away. I was shocked to find out that some friends at my church had tossed their green tomatoes because they didn't know they served any purpose. LOL You'd be surprised at how many people would love to have some of your green tomatoes.
Hi R.,
I don't know too much about tomato plants, and this is our first year growing them. But our neighbor seems to know a lot about it, and he has told us that we probably have until October for them, since it has been a rough season for them. So you might hold off on picking them, and hope to get some color! Good luck!
Hey R....
Thinking off the cuff here... but... the green tomatoes will probably be great for Thai dishes.
What comes to mind is the 'Green Papaya Salad'... for which I'm sure you can substitute the green tomatoes (de-seeded).
I usually, use recipes but ad-lib on it. So, to me, this would work with green tomatoes.
Or... make LOTS of salsa! And you could probably use it for gifts later in the year, the Holidays etc.
Or this: Green Tomato Relish:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/green-tomato-relish/Detail....
Personally, I like the Thai dishes and Green Papaya Salad is Uber good! My Favorite.
http://thaifood.about.com/od/thaisnacks/r/PapayaSalad.htm
You're lucky you at least got tomatoes... my tomatoes died as did my cucumbers. :(
good luck,
Susan
