Night Nurse Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 I am awash with green tomatoes....I think the season is over, and have been starting to take them off my plants. Is it true that if you put green tomatoes with a banana then they ripen quicker?.....or does anyone have any other tips for ripening? And no, I'm NOT making green tomato chutney - it'll just sit and mould in the back of a cupboard if I do!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 That's what I do, Andy. Works every time, especially if you put the banana and tomatoes in a brown paper bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Right Kate ... have banana in paper bag, with green tomatoes ... will let you know if it works ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 I think I'm going to have to try that one too. I've got masses of green tomatoes, a banana, now I'd better go on a paper bag hunt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Nurse Posted September 17, 2005 Author Share Posted September 17, 2005 I've put the whole lot in a fruit bowl with said banana.... Race you, Kate A and Sarah Jo - first one to ripen a pound gets a jar of green tomato chutney from the other two! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 But I've not found my paper bag yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Nurse Posted September 17, 2005 Author Share Posted September 17, 2005 I'll probably get home from work to find house mate has eaten the banana.....p'raps I'd better look for a paper bag as well..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 Looking forward to seeing if it works for you! Never fails for me. Mum always used to put her green tomatoes in an empty drawer with a ripe bananas but I've never got the space so a paper bag works just as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Nurse Posted September 17, 2005 Author Share Posted September 17, 2005 So the paper bag isn't compulsory then? Shame, it added a nice touch of magic and mystery to the proceedings, having to be brown and paper and all that...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 You never know, Andy, it might be the magic thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted September 17, 2005 Share Posted September 17, 2005 If any body has any spare green toms chuck them my way green tomato chutney is lovely..............I usually make it but this year all my tomatoes turned red. I am not complaining though because now we have chilli jam, pasta sauce and load of soup in the freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 I've got loads of green tomatoes . I am busily trying to ripen them, brown paper bag having been located and a drawer allocated, but if they all ripen simultaneously I'll end up with a glut of ripe tomatoes So now I'm on the hunt for a nice green tomato chutney recipe. Has anyone got one that they can recommend. The one and only time I ever tried to make it was several years ago, and is was disgusting. All that effort, then I had one spoonful......... and chucked the rest away immediately I think I must have got the recipe wrong somewhere along the line Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 I made the Delia one last year and it was really nice - it has cloves in it which I love I can post it in Recipes if you would like it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 Yes please Lesley, that'd be great. The only Delia I've got is Christmas.... and I don't think it's in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola H Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 I can vouch for the Delia recipe it is really good and doesn't last long in our house............. I don't have enough green toms this year, I have had a really good crop and they all ripened, so I made red tomato chutney and it is just as good............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted September 19, 2005 Share Posted September 19, 2005 don't forget that if you have a glut of red toms, you can always peel and deseed them and freeze them for cooking with - highly superior to tinned ones and make fab tom soup in the winter. I've just got a new gadget which is supposed to turn toms into passata with a few turns of a handle - if it really works I'll post details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Frugal Posted September 20, 2005 Share Posted September 20, 2005 Or roast them in the oven for 40 minutes with slivers of garlic, sea salt, a good drizzle of olive oil and a little sugar then whizz in a liquidiser to make lovely tomato sauce for spaghetti or pizza toppings! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cate in NZ Posted September 20, 2005 Share Posted September 20, 2005 Thanks for the ideas, if my banana trick works I'll definitely be trying your oven roasting recipe Kate, that's a new one to me, but it sounds scrummy. I do make big batches of passata throughout the summer, it freezes beautifully, but that gadget sounds tempting because I do find preparing them a bit laborious at times. I'll wait to hear your assessment first though, I've got kitchen cupboards full of gadgets that sounded good at the time, but that I never use now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motherhen Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 Wow, wow, wow - the passata gadget really works Even my glut of ripe cherry toms were reduced to passata in seconds You can buy it here It was easy to assemble, the box is sturdy enough to keep it in, and washing was a doddle. I passed the skin and bits through a second time and got even more passata out so it is worth doing this. It is a real passata though - if you want pieces of skinned tom for a recipe you'll need to do it the slow way. A few seeds did come through, perhaps cherry tom seeds are a bit smaller, but lots were trapped with the skin. It isn't as thick as purchased passata but they do say you can use a very fine sieve, or muslin with a regular sieve, to remove some of the water. I certainly feel it deserves a place in my overcrowded cupboards. I'm going to buy some of their special seeds for italian tomatoes bred for passata Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted September 21, 2005 Share Posted September 21, 2005 I looked at one of those Jane but wanted to know how good it was first - thanks for that. At the end of the season I pull my tomato plants up, including the roots and tie them up. I hang them upside down in the shed and a lot more fruit will ripen naturally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SarahJo Posted October 2, 2005 Share Posted October 2, 2005 Just thought I would update you all on how successful the paper bag/banana thing was . 1st lot ... pretty good ... 2nd lot, not so good. Did notice this afternoon, a frind has a pile of big tomatoes still on the plants outside .. so will mention the method to her. In conclusion ...it worked ... but maybe not to my expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard T Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 I thought it might be worth bringing this thread from last year to the top. I think I'm going to have a lot of green tomatoes this year. Richard T Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 My Grandad used the same trick but with a wool sock in place of the paper bag? Don't ask me but it seemed to work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 I accidently left 20 green tomatoes that a friend had given me in a sainsb**ys carrier bag in my utility room, 10 days ago. Found them yesterday and 19 were absolutely perfect. 1 was split and squashy. The hens loved it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted September 2, 2006 Share Posted September 2, 2006 Putting them in a bag with a ripe banana is supposed to work, although I haven't tried it. karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...