With fall just around the corner and plenty of fresh tomatoes in hand, it’s time, yet again, to look for answers to that old question- What do you do with your precious tomatoes? The great thing about tomatoes is, there’s plenty of choice, even with immature tomatoes that aren’t likely to ripen in time. You can use those fresh green tomatoes to fix a multitude of mouthwatering recipes, ripen them indoors and, of course, preserve them by canning, freezing or as jam and paste.
Green tomato recipes
Ever heard of green tomato pie? It’s an old-fashioned recipe that never fails to delight (we love this version from Taste of Home). It’s pretty easy to fix – simply mix flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a bowl, add tomatoes and vinegar and toss to coat. Lay out the bottom crust on a pie plate, add the filling and dot with butter before rolling the rest of the pastry into a lattice crust. Seal and trim the edges and bake until tomatoes are tender. Really sumptuous! Fried green tomatoes, green tomato caprese and green tomato salsa are some other easy-to-fix green tomato recipes you must try and sink your teeth into this fall!
Ripening green tomatoes indoors
Timing is the single most important factor when it comes to ripening tomatoes indoors. Keep an eye on the weather so you’ve already harvested all green tomatoes before the first freeze. Wipe them with a towel so they’re all dry and spread them out on an indoor shelf or table, layering newspaper underneath the tomatoes – if one tomato rots, an absorbent layer will keep the rot from spreading to others. Check a few times a week to remove any rotten tomatoes!
Preserving tomatoes
Freezing is a simple, hassle free way of preserving tomatoes. You can freeze raw tomatoes both with or without the skin and additionally choose to freeze them whole, sliced or pureed. Select only firm, ripe tomatoes and wash them each separately before drying them with paper towels. Cut off the stem scar and surrounding portion and discard it before proceeding with slicing or chopping the tomatoes (should you choose not to freeze the whole fruit). If you intend to freeze whole tomatoes with peels, cut off the stem scar and place the fruits on cookie sheets to freeze. Once they’re frozen, seal away into freezer bags or containers. If you’re interested in freezing peeled tomatoes, soak the washed tomatoes in boiling water for a minute, peel off the skin and then proceed the same way as with unpeeled tomatoes.
Canning is another easy way of preserving tomatoes. Find a sharp knife and cut a small “x” in the bottom of each fruit. Let the tomatoes sit for a minute in boiling water and then quickly remove them to a large bowl of ice cold water or a large baking sheet. Once the tomatoes are cold enough to handle, use the knife to remove the skins. The cans or jars (as also their lids) should be boiled in water for at least 10 minutes in order to sterilize them. Add 2 Tbsp. bottled lemon juice in each can before filling in the tomatoes. Make sure to leave at least ½ inch of headspace at the top of each can. Set them all in the canning rack. Next, move the rack into boiling water in a large pot or kettle. Remove the cans after 45 minutes, allow them to dry and cool down and store away in a dark, cold place.
A bit of time, a little effort and you can eliminate wastage to savor the delicious fruits of your tomato plants right through the year!