Now that the boiling hot days of summer are over for most of us, the issue of what to do with all the unripened green tomatoes is here. It seems wasteful to just toss them, although if you have no time, composting is an option.
You can make chutney with them, or chow-chow - good recipes can be found online or in older recipes. Or you can slice them, coat them in batter and/or breadcrumbs, and fry them. A tasty side dish few object to....but can be heavy on the fat. They can also be made into pie, as those who read the Little House series recall. Check the recipe section for the pie recipe.
Another option is to extend the harvest by slowly ripening them indoors, under controlled conditions. This is not a "set it and forget it" venture - they should be checked daily to make sure nothing is rotting or attracting flies or mice/rats.
Here are various methods for ripening green tomatoes indoors.
**You can just put them in a paper bag in a dark closet. Close them tightly at the top - the idea is to trap the gas they produce, to enhance the ripening, so close them tightly - I find folding it over and clothespinning it shut works well, but is not a hassle to open and check for "salad-ready" tomatoes.
**One of our writers states: "my grandmother used to put her green tomatoes on a piece of newspaper or brown paper bag and then put that on a tray or cookie sheet, slide it under the bed, and in just a few days they would be ripe."
**Another of our writers added: "if they are really hard green and not the least bit ripe you can throw an apple in the paper bag. Apples emit some kind of gas that will make fruits ripen faster. I did not have an apple handy at the time, and used a banana - it worked well. I found I had to switch the banana after about 7 days. I just ate the banana, but it might go very well in or beside pancakes for a frugal pancake dinner (see recipe section for recipes for homemade pancake mix and homemade syrup).
**Make sure the tomatoes are intact, with no insect holes or breaks in the tomato skin. Non-intact tomatoes should go either into a green tomato recipe, or the compost heap. A hole is a great entrance spot for a bug, or for mold, or for any kind of tomato disease that may be present on the skin. I washed my green tomatoes in a mild soap and water solution in the sink, then drained them until totally dry in the dish drainer. A wet paper bag is a pain. I also put no more than 12 large tomatoes in a standard brown paper grocery sack - this seemed to work well. Mine ripened one at a time, roughly one daily. Very convenient. As I pulled out the ripe one, I checked the others for mold, mushiness, etc. The daily time involved was less than 5 minutes total, and saves you from buying tomatoes at the supermarket!
The green tomatoe pie recipe
(from eyeofthestorm)
Pastry for two crust pie
2 C green tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon of flour
1 C sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon cinnamon
11/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Lie pie pan with one half pastry. Roll ou remaininer for top and cut four 1 inch slits in the center. Combine remaining ingredients in pie shell. Top with rolled out pastry and crimp edges to seal. Bake 45 minutes in 350 oven.
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