Don't know about your place, but around here, after that odd summer, we have plenty of green tomatoes still on the vine as the plants give up the ghost beneath them.
This year, for sauce tomatoes, I tried the variety called First Class and it really is. I just planted one, as a trial, and it has been cropping heavily for months. But next summer, I'll put a few in pots and ought to have enough fruit for several batches of sauce and sugo.
Unfortunately, the bloody millipedes keep getting to the fruit before me so I've been harvesting them green and ripening them inside.
You can do the same for any late season tomatoes, which have trouble ripening in the cooler weather and become more susceptible to ravening beasts. You can pick them when they are a decent size and sit them somewhere warm - perhaps on a window sill. They'll slowly turn red and delicious.
Or you can use them green. Australians tend not to do this much, but of course it's very common in the US, especially in the South.
I tried this recipe for green tomato chutney from Cuisine:
You need
- 1kg green tomatoes, chopped
- 500g brown onions, chopped
- 200g apples, peeled, cored and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1 tsp ground white pepper
- 3 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 300ml cider vinegar
- 225g brown sugar
What to do
Place tomatoes, onion, apples, garlic, ginger, salt, spices and half the vinegar in a heavy-based saucepan (or, even better, your Nana's old preserving pan - but that might just be me). Bring to the boil and simmer, stirring, for one hour. Add remaining vinegar and the sugar and simmer for 90 minutes or until thick. Stir regularly to prevent catching. Spoon hot chutney into sterilised jars and cover with airtight lids for one month before serving.
This makes about 1kg - four or five jars depending on their size.
I found my batch grew a little too thick early on - indeed, in danger of catching. So I added a splash or two of water. That will depend on how juicy your tomatoes are, but there's not that much moisture in green tomatoes. I also added a slosh of verjuice since everything's better with verjuice.
Sterilising jars
Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water and rinse. As you get closer to needing them, scald the jars and lids in a large saucepan of water and dry on a rack. Make sure the jar is still hot when filled - you can keep them warm and dry in a low oven if you like. Once the lid is on firmly, turn the jar upside down for two minutes, then set it back upright and leave until cool.
Bitter experience leads me to remind you to label it and add the date. We have a jar of pinkish something in the cupboard and I don't even know if it's sweet or savoury.
I use recycled jars but buy replacement metal lids from Green Living Australia, so I know they are clean and will seal well - they have a little pushdown button in the middle of the lid so you can tell if the seal is right.
Another hint: don't think too hard about the book or film Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe while you're chopping them up, or you might cry. Just saying.
I forgot completely about waiting a month before eating it and hoed in straightaway. Not much of a one for reading instructions. It was mighty fine - which was lucky, really, since I'd never actually tried green tomato chutney before. But I'm sure the flavour deepens if you wait a little. So the next jar should be even better.
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