Green tomatoes!!!!

**VanVivCam** · 10-17-2011, 10:29 AM

HELP!!! I have about 50 full size green tomatoes on the vines and this week is suppose to be very chillly for the nights. What am I suppose to do with all of them ( and frying them all and eating them would lead to a BIG belly ache ).

Any advise is helpful, I would like to pick them and let them turn red on their own, but I don't know how to go about doing that.

**HappyMama** · 10-17-2011, 10:33 AM

Bring them in and wrap them individually and put in root cellar or leave in box as many of us do and they will ripen on their own. I do this and have tomatoes all through the winter. You can put some on the sill or with a banana to ripen faster.

It is best if they have a white collar around the top , when green that will insure they will ripen . That is how commercial growers in Florida know when to pick for shipping.

You can also bring in some vines and hang upside down in root cellar or garage and they will continue to ripen.

You can freeze green tomatoes dipped in cornmeal, for fried green tomatoes. They freeze great compared to ripe. I have many friends that do this.

Hope this helps.

**VanVivCam** · 10-17-2011, 11:03 AM

Thank you! Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!! I just couldn't stand the thoughts of all those tomatoes going to waste.

So, how long should they take to ripen in the paper wrappings? And if I dip some in cornmeal, do you mean a wet cornmeal or just dry cornmeal?

**Libby** · 10-17-2011, 11:24 AM

Oooh - we plucked all our tomatoes from the vine and yanked up the plants in prep for our first frosts and winter. Unfortunately we don't have a cold room and our basement is very warm and dad plucked the tomatoes from the vines already

As a result, we have TOO many green tomatoes as well as green cherry tomatoes.

Anyone else have any recipes to share?

(Thanks for starting this thread Van!)

**HappyMama** · 10-17-2011, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by VanVivCam

Thank you! Thank you!!!! Thank you!!!! I just couldn't stand the thoughts of all those tomatoes going to waste.

So, how long should they take to ripen in the paper wrappings? And if I dip some in cornmeal, do you mean a wet cornmeal or just dry cornmeal?

Dip in egg, then cornmeal, then freeze.

As for how long to ripen , it just depends on the tomato and conditions. I have 25 pounds of heirloom that ripened already and I was hoping to have them last until winter. So more sauce for me in the next few days. I have 75 pounds more of heirlooms that I hope will last into Spring. I do grow them inside in the winter and when it is 10 below out, yummy tomatoes....lol

**frugalfranny** · 10-17-2011, 01:34 PM

Happy Mama has some good suggestions.........

I have made green tomato salsa too.......just use whatever
recipe you use for reg. tomato salsa but you will be using green tomatoes. (I do use a bit more spice)

I just put mine on paper in the garage.......or up elevated on something for air circulation. (my garage is cool) Many years, including this one I hope, I have been eating my own garden tomatoes well into Dec. They are a little mushier when they ripen, depending on type of tomato grown, but still soooooo much better than store bought.

**Contrary Housewife** · 10-17-2011, 09:56 PM

I made green tomato relish with mine a couple years ago. Still eating it. It comes out looking and tasting exactly like cucumber based pickle relish. Don't remember what recipe I used, but it was fairly simple, anyone who can follow instructions could do it and water bath the jars to preserve it. I plan on doing the same this year as it looks like the season is ending early.