I started tomato plants too late, and it was a cold, damp, not-sunny-enough summer and now we have moved, so I harvested a pile of hard green tomatoes. What can be done with them? I'm familiar with the fried green variety, but there's only so many of those I'll eat. Is there some tried-n-true way to make chutney or pickle or something like that?
― Jaq, Thursday, 27 September 2007 21:13 (sixteen years ago) link
i need a recipe, too. we've got a ton of little green minis that are too tiny to fry. time to google, i guess...
― lauren, Thursday, 27 September 2007 23:43 (sixteen years ago) link
I have a great green tomato relish recipe, but I can't find it anywhere! Every few years I make a cooler full. As in, I chop up so much stuff that the only place it can sit all night is in a well cleaned cooler. Somehow it all fits into my biggest pot, though.
Looking around on the intarwebs, this one is the closest to the one I use:
Ingredients:
15 pounds green tomatoes
2 1/2 pounds onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup salt
6 cups brown sugar
4 green peppers, seeded and chopped
1/3 cup celery seed
1/3 cup mustard seed
1 tablespoon whole cloves
4 sticks cinnamon
2 tablespoons whole allspice
cider vinegar
preparation
Remove the stem end of the tomatoes. Cut tomatoes into fine dice. Alternate layers of tomatoes and onions in a large pot or bowl, sprinkling each layer with salt. Leave overnight.
The next day, drain off juices and place in a large preserving kettle. Add sugar, green peppers, celery seed and mustard seed. Tie the cloves, cinnamon and allspice in a cheesecloth bag and add to the pot. Pour in cider vinegar to cover and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from heat and discard cheesecloth bag. Pour relish into hot, sterilized preserving jars, cover and seal.
Makes about 10 pints.
My own recollection is that the proportion of onions and peppers is higher; I chop it all pretty coarsely; and I throw in a couple of red bell peppers for color. It's pretty close to bread-and-butter pickles with green tomatoes instead of cucumbers.
I'll keep looking for my recipe.
― Rock Hardy, Friday, 28 September 2007 01:39 (sixteen years ago) link
my Mum makes a great green tomato chutney, I'll try and get the recipe thios weekend
― Porkpie, Friday, 28 September 2007 09:57 (sixteen years ago) link
1. Pickle them.
2. Green tomato pie.
I usually do (1) with them (and collect them from gardening friends at this time of year) but I did (2) once. It basically works like an apple pie and tastes not dissimilar.
― Casuistry, Friday, 28 September 2007 16:34 (sixteen years ago) link
Okay, while I wasn't looking, all my green tomatoes turned red/yellow.
― Jaq, Monday, 8 October 2007 20:12 (sixteen years ago) link
three weeks pass...
Damn it, I think I've ruined 13 lbs. of green tomatoes and accompanying peppers and onions, sugar, vinegar and spices, by oversalting the chopped stuff and letting it sit all night. I rinsed about half of the veg before starting the cooking process today, but the relish is still almost inedibly salty. I'm cooking two large potatoes in there now to try to leech some of the salt out, but I don't have a lot of hope.
― Rock Hardy, Sunday, 4 November 2007 17:07 (sixteen years ago) link
Green tomato pie! I will try this.
The only thing I've done besides fried green tomatoes is...grilled green tomatoes.
― nickalicious, Wednesday, 7 November 2007 17:27 (sixteen years ago) link