Fried green tomatoes?

Parent Cafe
1

<p>We didn’t have good weather this year for tomatoes- they were even trying to come up in my driveway- but many of the larger ones didn’t ripen & I got sick of looking at the plants, so yesterday I cut it down & have a nice big basket of green tomatoes.</p>

<p>Wanted to post these tips I found in case anyone else is in same position.
[Food</a> & wine | Green tomatoes are ripe for the eating | Seattle Times Newspaper](<a href=“http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2008237822_greentomatoes08.html]Food”>http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/foodwine/2008237822_greentomatoes08.html)</p>

2

<p>We had the best weather ever for growing tomatoes here. Just two plants yielded 70+ tomatoes. Green tomatoes will ripen if you give them the right conditions. Just last week I had to bring in what was still on the vine after the squirrels suddenly discovered them. What you want to do is wrap them in newspaper and place them in a cool dark area. No sunlight. Check on them every few days. Works like a charm.</p>

3

<p>And if you place a couple of ripe ones among the stash of your newspaper-wrapped green ones, it will speed up the process.</p>

4

<p>Yep - if they are mature they will gradually ripen. wrap them individually, put them in a cardboard box.
I knew a tomato farmer who would pick his plants clean the night before the first hard freeze. He sold ripe tomatoes for at least another month.</p>

<p>My dad used to make and can green tomato relish from excess green tomatoes.</p>

5

<p>But, oh don’t give up the opportunity to make fried green tomatoes. Cooked the right way they are incredibly delicious!</p>

6

<p>I have nothing against panko, but the traditional cornmeal coating on FGT is hard to beat IMHO. If you go thoroughly old-school and fry them in a bit of bacon grease (it doesn’t take much)…worth every calorie!</p>

7

<p>We are Fried Green Tomato fans here.</p>

<p>Not only that, I make a mock version of mincemeat (for holiday pies) with green tomatoes. I know there will not be much interest in this fact. But our family and a few other weird souls do love this.</p>

<p>So if anyone wants to know…</p>

8

<p>Jmmom–I’d like to know!</p>

<p>We have had a bumper crop, as I said on another thread, 100+ lbs picked, but a lot of green still on the vine; not sure how long they’ll last.</p>

<p>Your pie sounds really neat.</p>

9

<p>12 lb. green tomatoes
12 lb. tart apples, chopped - do not need to peel
2 1/2 lb. brown sugar
1 box raisins
1 lb. or 1 box currants
1/2 lb. stick margarine
3 T. salt
2 t. cloves
4 t. cinnamon
3 t. nutmeg
2 cups apple cider vinegar</p>

<p>Chop tomatoes in food processor. Scald 2 times by pouring 2 qts. boiling water over them each time. Drain.</p>

<p>Combine all ingredients in large kettle.
Boil 20-30 minutes.
Seal in sterilized quart jars. Process in hot water bath 20-30 minutes.</p>

<p>One quart of the jarred mincemeat makes one pie. Do a two-crust pie or a lattice pie.</p>

<p>(I think this recipe makes about 6 quarts. I really can’t remember. One summer’s worth lasts us about 2 or 3 holiday seasons, so I only do this every so often).</p>

<p>It’s really quite delicious. Like an intense apple pie, in a way.</p>

10

<p>I made the green tomato mincemeat in grad school and shipped it to all the relatives for Christmas. We had a huge graden and waaaaaaaay too many green tomatoes.</p>

<p>My recipe didn’t call for the scalding - just lots of chopping (with a knife since food processors were unkknown back in the Pleisteocene…)</p>

11

<p>That sounds great. I’ve never done canning, though. I’ll have to find time and gumption to give it a try.</p>

12

<p>dragonmom - No food processor in my MIL’s world either ;). She used to put the tomatoes through a meat grinder.</p>

<p>garland - I know that the whole canning thing can seem intimidating. I’m sure you could just freeze the stuff. But I kind of like looking at the sparkling filled jars. </p>

<p>Aside from having made jam a few times, I’m not a canner myself. It’s actually simple if you break it down. You need a big kettle (no special kind, we use our lobster pot). You wash the jars and lids thoroughly and boil them to sterilize. Then you fill each with your homemade mincemeat, put on the lids. Put the jars back into the kettle, cover with water and boil the required amount of time. Remove from the “boiling water bath,” and set them aside. You’ll hear the lids “pop” after a short while, which is a sign that the vacuum seal has taken effect.</p>

<p>Voila! You’re an old-fashioned homemaker.</p>

13

<p>Can’t you make a pie out of just green tomatoes that is somewhat apple pie like? A la ritz cracker pie?? I’ll try to look it up. Down here on the Gulf Coast fried green tomatoes are eaten with remoulade sauce - yum.</p>

14

<p>cangel, I"m sure that would work.</p>

15

<p>Anyone into canning? Thought I might try my hand (total novice) but the more I research the more conflicting the views are re method. Pressure canning and freezing seem to be most popular, any thoughts or advice?</p>

16

<p>hmom, I’m not a fan of canning for the reasons I stated on another thread.</p>

<p>Botulism can grow in canned things that have not been properly heat-processed, and that can have tragic results. If you can marinated (acidic) things, that’s OK.</p>