We had a light freeze last night. The only plants that succumbed were the tomatoes and the squash. Everything else looks just fine including the peppers. We had to pick the green tomatoes. So now what do I do?
Letting the garden grow
12 hours ago
Can you put them on your window sill and let them ripen? Or..how about some fried green tomotoes!
ReplyDeleteMeadowview, Both sound like a good idea, but some of these are too little to get ripe.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know when your tomato plants have 'succumbed'? My plants still look o.k. except the tips are black. The tomatoes themselves look fine. I covered them with sheets tonight. Will that protect them?
ReplyDeleteSister, They look like they have melted. Sheets will help unless we have a true freeze.
ReplyDeleteYou can make green tomato jam/preserves! We ended up with tons of green Sungolds--too little to fry--so we made jam. For red tomatoes I only add sugar to make the jam. For green tomatoes I also add orange and lemon slices while I'm cooking it. It freezes well if you end up with too much. Nice accompaniment for pork.
ReplyDelete--Curmudgeon
Curmudgeon, I was hoping you would stop by with that suggestion. I seemed to remember someone blogging about tomato jam, but I couldn't remember who it was. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI am not a tomato person, so I really have no suggestions other than the fried green tomatoes one, although I've never done that myself. But I did want to say how pretty and shiny those are!! :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kylee, I grew them myself.
ReplyDeletePut them in a brown paper bag with a banana. No really........I read it somewhere.
ReplyDeleteWe got a bunch of green tomatoes from some friends this year. We put them in the window sill and in bags wrapped in newspaper. I think the window sill worked better, but it wasn't a scientific observation. Even the little ones turned orange, they just took a bit longer. I made some yummy homemade freezer spaghetti sauce with mine once they ripened.
ReplyDeleteWell, here at the Alamo, we're having fried green 'maters, cause my vines bit the dust. Worse than than, my luffa melted, too, and it had small little luffas on it, but they weren't anywhere near mature; darn it!
ReplyDeleteNola, poor luffa. I have had that happen before. So sorry.
ReplyDeleteFoxy, I have heard of getting avacados to ripen with an apple that way, but never a banana. Can't hurt to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteCinj, I will have to look up a freezer spagetti sauce recipe. Sounds interesting.
Foxy, I have heard of getting avacados to ripen with an apple that way, but never a banana. Can't hurt to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteCinj, I will have to look up a freezer spagetti sauce recipe. Sounds interesting.
I just typed out a long comment and Blogger refused it! AGH! Anyway, I alluded to the movie Fried Green Tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Hey Aunt Debbi, I posted the recipe for the jam on our blog.
ReplyDelete--Curmudgeon
Apple, banana--they should both work. Ripe fruit gives off ethelyne gas--which then helps other fruit to ripen. So put your unripe (pick one) avacados, tomatoes, etc. in a bag with a ripe (pick one) banana, apple, --and you'll be boosting ripening times.
ReplyDeleteBTW, Someone may already have said this, but only use a paper bag. Give the ripest ones this treatment, and go for the jam with the others. Or try chutney. Yum.
Good luck!
--Kate
They're really yummy sliced and sauteed in a little olive oil with a some basil and garlic. Top with freshly-grated parmesan or romano cheese. . . easy, healthier than breaded and fried, and delicious! Pickled green tomatoes are my favorite way to use them. I have a recipe: http://gardengirl-lintys.blogspot.com/2008/10/mrs-schmidts-pickled-green-tomatoes.html
ReplyDeleteBrenda, I hate it when blogger eats comments.
ReplyDeleteThanks Curmudgeon, I am going to try it out and post about my results.
Kate, I knew someone would come up with the scientific reason the apple trick works. Thanks
Garden Girl, Two great ideas. I will try them both. I remember pickled green tomatoes. Someone made some and gave them to us when I was a kid. I think I ate the whole jar by myself. I am pretty sure I have enough for pickles and jam. This is going to be fun.