My Tomatoes vs The English Weather

Not sure if raw tomatoes are used in any recipie - they are a tad bitter in taste....

However, if you do manage to turn them red somehow - I can give u loads of dishes where tomato is the main ingrediant !!

Good luck !

Cheers G. If they had ripened early enough I was going to whack some in the blender and make my own tomato juice for Bloody Marys!

They will ripen on a window sill quite well.

Thanks Wilso. Does it take long? I might leave them another week or so then bring them indoors onto a south-facing window sill to catch the warmth.

Couple of days should do it, though my experience is with the climate in Oz!

Leave the plants outside as long as there is no danger of frost, then bring the tomatoes inside and they will ripen with no problems. Some people will put the tomatoes in a paper bag as they say they will ripen faster, but I've never done that and had no problems. Are the tomatoes still a dark green or are they starting to become a lighter green?

Thanks as well, Montana. They are about 50/50 dark/light. Some are too small, but about 2/3 look developed enough to stand a chance indoors. The frosts will be here in a month or sooner, so I'll keep a close eye on the forecasts. I planted them way back in early June, but most of the fruit only appeared 3 weeks ago! Bloody British weather...!

You've got plenty of time then. A month is a long time for tomatoes, so you're all set ;-)

Congrats on your first crop. I have 32 tomato plants and I've been canning for 2 weeks now and will be canning for another week. Phew!!!

They will also ripen quicker on the vine if you stress them. Cut off the water and they will desparately try to complete their primary job of producing seeds. I'm not sure if a week is time enough to throw them into a real panic or not, but no more water from now on.

I'm not familiar with grow bags, but next year follow Montana's example and put them into raised beds. The soil will warm up quicker in the spring and give you, maybe, an extra week or two of growing season.

At there present stage of ripeness, they are ideal for frying, but I doubt the size of tomato you have is worth the effort of slicing and breading.

Raised beds are not an option unfortunatelyas I live in rented accomdation. I received them as 18" plants, but can I literally grow them from seed next spring?

Before the frost comes, put them in a window to ripen. Putting them in a brown paper bag has never worked for me. They are never the same as they are right off the vine. The real trick is to eat as many tomatoes as you can in one season. Buy the time autumn comes around you won't want another tomato for quite sometime.

Does anyone happen to know if they will ripen better if you keep a part of the vine attached when bringing them inside? I ask because we are getting some pretty good cluster tomatoes with vine attached, and I doubt any store bought tomatoes are truely vine ripened.

I tried that too. Clipped them and hung them upside down in the basement. They turned black. I guess it was too damp. I think they need a cool dry place.

Thanks. That's one trip I won't take.

The other thing which you can do is

1. Go to your supermarket and buy loads of lager.
2. Invite some friends over
3. Pick you green tomatos from the plants
4. Don your apron and get into the kitchen
5. Cook food, chill beer and have a gala time..

But then you ask, what can be cooked with Green tomatos.. ????

Look what I found !!!

Green Tomato Curry

green tomatoes, 1/2 kg
coriander seeds 3 teaspoons
Bengal gram dhal 3 teaspoons
Black gram (split) dhal 1 teaspoon
1/4 tsp mustard
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
red chillies 3
1/4 tsp turmeric
curry leaves

Method


1. Heat some oil in a deep pan with a heavy base and add musturd and allow it to splatter.
2. Add green tomatoes, salt and turmeric and fry it for some time till the tomatoes are soft and the skin peels off.
3. Heat oil in a different pan and add coriander seeds, black gram dhal, red chillies and bengal gram dhal.
4. Allow it to cool for sometime and grind it.
5. Add this powder to the tomatoes and cook it for 5 min till it mixes well.
6. Now turn off the gas and garnish with curry leaves.

Or

Green Tomato Avial

Oil for frying - 2 tbsp
Yellow Onions - (2 medium, sliced longitudinally into thin strips)
Green Tomatoes - (6 medium or more if they are small, sliced length-wise to strips)
Tamarind paste - a pint (Optional -ONLY if the green tomatoes are not sour)
Grated Coconut - (8-10 tbsp)
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chilly - 3 (medium hot)
Red Chilly - 2 (Less if you want the dish to be less spicy)
Curry Leaves
Coconut Oil - 1/4 tsp

Method


1. Fry the green tomatoes in 1 tbsp oil till soft and light brown. Set aside.
2. Fry the yellow onions in 1 tbsp oil till golden brown.
3. Mix the above two and add little water. (Add the tamarind paste only if the tomatoes are not sour.Tender ones are usually sour.) Add turmeric and salt to taste. Cook in low fire.
4. Grind grated coconut, cumin seeds, greenchilly and the red chilly to a paste adding very little water. (Do not grind it to a fine paste.) Add the above paste to the green tomato-onion mixture.
5. Stir and cook in low flame for 5 minutes.
6. Add curry leaves and add 1/4 tsp of coconut oil and mix. Remove from fire.


Man, I would make a good husband one day

I don't think it makes one bit of difference if they are attached to the vine or not. I just pluck them, and put under a glass jar on a window sill. Am not fond of putting them in paper bags. 'Tis true the stores get them green. They usually spray them with some nasty stuff to ripen them. That's why they taste like nothing, even the good looking organic ones. For the regulations say nothing about that part.
Sure you can start tomatoes from scratch, GD. I did it last spring. If you are successful with getting some ripe tomatoes, save one or two for seeds -just dry them on a paper towel and store until spring in a pantry or some such dark and dry place. Then start them on a wet paper towel at a sunny place for 3 days - keep moist all the while, plant an inch or so into planters, and watch them grow inside until May, then plant outside. Mine are also still green and little, it's been a bad season, but they should turn out OK. Yours also. Isn't it exciting, to tell things when and how to grow?

What I like about gardening (and baking cakes, strangely) is that there is a lot of work at the start, then you can sit back & chill, waiting for the end result.

I'll keep checking the weather forecasts and leave them as late as possible outside, but the leaves have started browning on the trees so the frosts can't be too far away. Then I'll clip the whole bunch off in one go and put them on the window sill and see what happens. If they ripen, bonus, if not then I'll try one of G's curries. Speaking of which, G - what is gram dahl? (flour?)

GD, it is sold as Channa dal in most of the indian stores.

Actually, I think new englanders and englanders alike should buy tomato plants early in the season, already at 6 or 8 inches tall. That way you have a head start. But, you may not known what kind of chemicals are on the plants you buy. You could also try grow-lights. I wonder if you can use those lights outside.

Gautam that recipe sounds delish!