Green tomatoes

[JSA Aude]

Unfortunately not having had much sun recently (raining as I type) I now have loads of green tomatoes - does anyone have a good recette for a chutney or anything else to do with them. Can't see any hope of them ripening now.  Thanks.

[cooperlola]

Put them in a tin, with one ripe tomato, and close the lid.  I'm told this works and ripens the green ones, although I have never tried it myself!

[Framboise]

Might be Old Wive's Tales but if you place the tomatoes with bananas they should ripen.  The bananas emit some gas which causes other fruit to ripen more quickly.

Failing that place them in a brown paper bag on the window sill.  Unfortunately they never have quite the same flavour as sun-ripened tomatoes, but summer doesn't last forever so its back to the chutney method.

[Mrs. P.]

Hi, JSA Aude.

Pulled the following few from my many cookbooks;

Green Tomato mincemeat. [an oldish recipe, still using imperial weighing system]

2lb peeled sliced green toms, half pound chopped mixed peel, juice of 2 lemons and rind of 1, 3/4lb brown sugar, 1lb peeled & sliced apple, 1/2lb chopped raisins, 1 teasp. mixed spice, 1lb white sugar, 1/2 cup white wine vinegar, 1 cup water.    1 small cupful rum.

Blend alltogether except the rum, and cook gently until tender. Just before potting stir in the small cupful of rum.

 

Red & Green Pepper Chutney [contains green tomatoes].

1lb red and green peppers mixed, 2lb green toms, 2lb sour apples [use tart eating apples if you haven't got bramley's or the like], 1 and a 1/2lb onions, 1 and a 1/2 pints vinegar, 1oz. salt, 1lb sugar, 1 and a 1/2 oz. mixed [more or less as liked] of chillies, cloves. allspice, root ginger, mustard seeds, peppercorns.

Prepare veg, discarding the pepper seeds. Mince and chop all the fruit and veg. finely. Put in pan with spices [those that are whole, tie up in a piece of muslin], and one third of the vinegar, and simmer until thick. Add the second one third of the vinegar, and simmer until thick. Add the rest of the vinegar and the sugar, and simmer until thick; pot and cover. Chutney is ready if no liquid is visible when a wooden spoon is drawn through the mixture.

 

Green Tomato and Apple Chutney.

2lb green toms, 1lb apples,1 and 1/2lb onions, 8oz. seedless raisins, 1lb soft brown sugar, 1 pint vinegar, 1/2 oz. ground ginger, 1/2 oz. salt, 12 red chillies.

Cut up toms without peeling. Peel, core and chop apples, chop onions. Put toms, apples, onions and raisins, with vinegar, sugar, ginger and salt. Tie the chillies in a piece of muslin suspended in the pan. Bring to the boil, stir well and simmer for 1 hour until thick and golden brown. Remove the bag of chillies. Pot into hot jars, cover and seal. The chillies will make the chutney hot and can be reduced in amount or omitted altogether.

Green Tomato Sauce.

3lb green toms, 1lb cooking apples [use tart apples otherwise],4 oz. shallots or onions, 8 oz. brown sugar, 1/2 pint vinegar, 1 tablesp. salt, 1 teasp. ground mmixed spice, 1/2 teasp. black or cayenne pepper, 1/2 teasp. dry mustard.

Wast toms. and apples, peel onions. Chop all thickly and put in a pan with the other ingredients. Bring to the boil, stirring occasionally then simmer for 1 to 1 and a 1/2 hours, until the veg. and fruit are really soft. Sieve the sauce and return to a clean pan. Boil for 1 minute. Pour into hot bottles and seal.

Hope they've given you food for thought, sorry about the imperial measures. I don't really 'do' metric!

 

[JSA Aude]

Many thanks, have picked them and now have a busy day ahead!  JSA

[Toodlepips]

They will ripen beautifully with a banana, preferably in a brown paper bag, or a bowl lined with newspaper.  Any ripe fruit will work, but banana seems to to the job best.

 

I've just ripened up a load of mine like this (works great with green chillies too)

[Pierre ZFP]

Bananas work because as they ripen (rot) they give off acetylene gas which helps the toms to ripen.

For the same reason, bananas should not be kept in a bowl with other fruit.  Putting them on a 'banana hanger' works best

[andyh4]

I think it's Ethylene not Acetylene Pierre - but what's a couple of Hydrogen atoms between friends

 

actually you don't need the banana.  Just put the green toms in a warmish dark draw and they will ripen all of their own - well at least most will, we occasionally get a few very samllones that remain obstinately green.