Green Tomatoes ... what do YOU do at the end of the season?

[Farmfresh]

It seems to me like a lot of members here have tomato plants that are just about done producing. Since this has been a wet and COLD summer, by and large, there are a lot of tomatoes that will not be turning red on the vine this season.

My question is ... What do YOU do with those green tomatoes?

I am a member of if you wait long enough many WILL ripen in the house clan.

I pick all of the tomatoes at the end of the season. Sort out the tiny undeveloped ones for relish etc. and spread the rest out up in our second story sewing room on a table. As they slowly start to show color they are moved to the kitchen table in a plastic basket until they are dead ripe at which point we either eat them (not nearly as good as summer tomatoes, but still better than store tomatoes) cook with them or freeze them to make winter projects like BBQ sauce or ketchup. Of course I eat many of them as "fried green tomatoes". YUM!

So what are your favorite ways to deal with those green gems?

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Fried green tomatoes here!!

 

[patandchickens]

I don't really have much anything to add, since my approach is exactly, precisely, 100% down to the last word just like your own ('Cept the green ones live in the basement til they start to show signs of doing something or get taken out to be 'pushed' by putting them near the apples)

Pat

 

[Beekissed]

I must admit that my animals are cleaning my vines right now and enjoying it immensely! I was wondering how much work it was going to be to strip all that jungle of vines off my chainlink trellising but it's being taken out of my hands.

Weren't tomato vines supposed to be poisonous to animals? I know the deer love them immensely and the sheep and calf are going after them like candy!

 

[keljonma]

Some treated like you do, FF.

The majority of last year's were in the mud room and basement. I also dug two tomato plants up and put them into containers. For a while they continued to ripen on the vine indoors in a room with southern exposure.

The rest went into green tomato chutney, green tomato cake, and other recipes I have floating around.

 

[ORChick]

Any that are showing he slightest tinge of yellow are put aside to ripen in the house. Those that are still completely green go into my vegetarian mincemeat, with apples and pears, for holiday pies.

 

[sylvie]

Any that are showing he slightest tinge of yellow are put aside to ripen in the house. Those that are still completely green go into my vegetarian mincemeat, with apples and pears, for holiday pies.

Do you prepare the mincemeat now for the holidays? My green tomatoes would be mush in storage by Thanksgiving. I think the pear addition to mincemeat would be interesting.

 

[ORChick]

Any that are showing he slightest tinge of yellow are put aside to ripen in the house. Those that are still completely green go into my vegetarian mincemeat, with apples and pears, for holiday pies.

Do you prepare the mincemeat now for the holidays? My green tomatoes would be mush in storage by Thanksgiving. I think the pear addition to mincemeat would be interesting.

I still have some time before I need to give up on the tomatoes on the vine, luckily. I can the mincemeat, and then for holiday pies I add some fresh apple or pear to lighten it up somewhat. And more brandy

 

[Farmfresh]

I think we need that vegetarian mincemeat recipe! It sounds very interesting.

I have tried growing both tomatoes and pepper plants indoors in the winter, but have lots of trouble. Where it is warm enough in my house near the fireplace it tends to get too dry. And then I have light problems in the winter no grow lights set up.

 

[ORChick]

Green Tomato, Apple and Pear Mincemeat - from "Fancy Pantry" by Helen Witty

(This book, I am pretty sure, is out of print, but well worth looking at if your library has it, or you find it in a 2nd hand bookshop. If you like interesting, "gourmet" type foods, but not the price, this is the book for you. I love mine, and use it often)

3 quarts coarsely chopped completely green tomatoes
1 Tbls. non-iodized salt
1 1/2 quarts peeled, cored and diced firm, tart apples
1 quart peeled, cored and diced firm, slightly under ripe pears
2 1/2 cups seedless raisins
Grated zest, and chopped pulp of 1 large orange (preferably organic, or at least unsprayed)
Grated zest of 1 1/2 large lemons (organic or unsprayed)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup undiluted frozen apple concentrate (ed. comment - 2 cups fresh apple cider, either boiled down beforehand, or boiled in the mixture)
3 1/2 cups brown sugar, packed
2 tsp gr. cinnamon
!/2 tsp each: gr. allspice, gr. cloves, gr. ginger
!/2 cup dark rum, or brandy

Stir the tomatoes and salt together; scrape into a colander, and let drain for 2 hours.
Combine drained (and rinsed, if still very salty) tomatoes with all other ingredients, except rum, in a large pan. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and cook, uncovered and stirring often, until it is thick enough to mound on a spoon, about 1 hour.
Stir in the rum or brandy, and ladle into hot clean pint canning jars, with 1/2" headspace. Process as usual in boiling water bath for 25 minutes.
Let mincemeat mellow in jars for at least a month before use.

A pint will fill an 8" pie shell. I use 2 jars for an 11" pie, with the addition of 2 or 3 tart apples and/or pears - these lighten the filling somewhat, and give it a fresher taste. An added bit of rum or brandy doesn't come amiss.