I was fortunate to have ripened tomatoes this year from an Early Girl tomato plant and a yellow pear tomato plant. Their fruits made their way into salads, sauces and soon a soup. But with a less-than-sun-filled summer, many people’s tomatoes weren’t as fortunate, and people in Kitsap are wondering what to do with all those green tomatoes.
The Rainy Day Gardening blog has instructions for ripening green tomatoes indoors.
The Diggin Food blog had some green tomato recipe suggestions from green tomato chutney to a green tomato sausage pie as well as links to other recipe resources.
And, of course, the Sun’s longtime food columnist Ann Vogel had some suggestions, which she wrote about in a 2006 column that I’ve reposted below (thank you Ann!). If you have green tomato recipes, please share them! I’ll pass them along to Ann as well as post them here.
Here’s that column:
Beat Jack Frost to those green tomatoes
What to do with those end-of-season green tomatoes? A friend of reporter Chris Henry told her to try ripening hers by hanging the vines upside down. Her garage now looks like a dying plant mausoleum and after five days, one of the tomatoes is starting to look a little pink.
Before frost hits, pluck those green tomatoes and turn them into a meal or dessert.
James Beard’s Green Tomato Pie
Use mature size tomatoes that are a week or so from turning red and ripening.
4 cups peeled, sliced green tomatoes
1 tablespoon lemon juice or cider vinegar
1 1/4 [one and one-fourth] cups sugar, white or brown
4 to 6 tablespoons flour
1/4 [one-quarter] teaspoon salt
a pinch of either ground nutmeg or ginger to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
Pastry for double crust 9-inch pie
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place sliced tomatoes in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice or vinegar. In separate bowl, combine sugar, flour, salt and optional nutmeg or ginger. Fold flour mixture into tomato slices.
Roll half of pastry into about a 12-inch circle, big enough to fit a 9-inch pie plate with a little overhang. Line a pie plate with the pastry, trim the edge, and crimp. Turn the tomato mixture onto the pastry and dot the top with butter.
Moisten the rim of the pastry with a drop or two or water. Roll remaining half of pastry and place on top of pie. Trim excess and crimp the rim, pressing the edges to seal. Cut steam vents in the top and bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees, then reduce heat to 350 and bake 25 to 30 minutes longer. Cool on a rack.
Note: To prepare tomatoes, scald them in boiling water about 1 minute to loosen skins, then peel and core them. Slice about 1/4 inch thick.
Some people like this pie with a teaspoon of cinnamon added to
it. You can substitute commercially prepared pie crust for the
homemade crust.
Green Tomato Cake
2 1/4 [two and one-quarter] cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil or melted shortening
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 [one-half] teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1 cup raisins
2 1/2 cups diced green tomatoes
coconut (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In mixing bowl, beat sugar, vegetable oil or shortening, eggs and vanilla until smooth and creamy. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg; slowly beat into egg mixture. Blend well. Stir in pecans, raisins and tomatoes. Pour into greased 9×13-inch pan. Top with coconut if desired. Bake for one hour, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Serves 12.
