GOOD TO GROW
Grab 'em while they're green
October 23, 2007
Sonia Day
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Green tomatoes; Lycopersicon esculentum
There's one drawback to those trendy heirloom tomatoes we've all fallen in love with. Some varieties take an eternity to ripen. And with Jack Frost poised to pounce and zap the lot, what to do with this glut of green?
Well, one solution is to try the "fried green tomatoes" of book and movie fame. I did for the first time last week, but it wasn't exactly a culinary delight.
"Do I have to eat those things?" asked my spouse, staring at the breaded brownish discs bubbling in the frying pan. "Yes," I said stonily. "Try them. You'll like them."
But he didn't. And I confess that I didn't much either. Oven cooking the following night proved better. Four green tomatoes had their hard tops sliced off, then I smeared on some pesto, and braised them in a bit of olive oil. Pretty and good. But I still think this dish is tastier with ripe tomatoes.
So I'm coaxing my own leftovers to ripen this fall. To do the same, harvest before the frost hits (it will turn tomatoes to mush), but don't line them up on a sunny window ledge. This may look Martha Stewart-ish, but sun makes picked tomatoes tough. Instead, place in brown paper bags from the LCBO, preferably not touching each other. Leave the bags in a warm dry place.
If you're lucky, you'll be enjoying luscious lycopersicons for weeks.
Bestselling gardening author Sonia Day's latest book is The Plant Doctor.
soniaday.com
Toronto Star