Green Tomatoes

Recently someone asked what I planned to do with all the unripe tomatoes rescued from the garden. We've already had frost here so if we hadn't picked everything it would be lost. Still...we've got bushels of green tomatoes. The question is a valid one...what to do with so many unripe tomatoes?

The truth is that a majority of them will ripen up. After a certain point it doesn't matter whether or not they're attached to the vine. They've begun to ripen and will continue to do so--in the garden or in a bushel. So most of the rescuees will turn red and we'll either can them or eat them now. But the rest? There are loads of uses for green tomatoes!

Of course the most obvious is the fried green tomato route. Have you ever had a fried green tomato? No? What are you waiting for? Hmm? They couldn't be easier to prepare and while I wouldn't want a steady diet of them they're one of the fun summertime side dishes that we look forward to.

If you've got a green tomato and want to try frying it, simply slice it thin and dip in any batter. We use a simple beer batter but any coating batter will do. Then, drop the slices into hot oil. They puff right up, turn golden brown and smell heavenly. When the slices reach your favorite crispness, remove from oil and drain on paper towels. See? Easy as pie.

Many of the green tomatoes will end up in relish. I've also got a recipe for picallily that I'm going to try. I'll let you know how that turns out.

So, with so many uses for rescued green tomatoes there hardly seems to be enough to go around! See what I mean?

What about you? Have you got any ideas about using up the garden's glut--uh, bounty?