-Rae Russell

Thanks to the early start of the dry season and warmer temperatures, more Seattle gardeners were able to successfully grow tomatoes this year without having to resort to the usual hacks to make the most of our typically short and cool summers. Everywhere I turn, I see these heat loving fruits in every shade from bright red to black bursting out of small garden plots, and there is nary a Wall-o-water or black plastic soil warmer to be seen.

However, even this summer couldn’t last forever and as temperatures drop and days shorten, every grower is being left with that inevitable glut of green tomatoes still stubbornly hanging out on the vine. What do you do? You can grit your teeth and hope they ripen on their own before the fall really takes hold, then end up tossing them in the compost bin in frustration when you put your garden to bed for the winter….or you can make the most of them!

Ripening in the house

Green tomatoes that are brought inside and stored properly will gradually ripen over the course of 3 weeks to 3 months using the ambient warmth of your house. While not as tasty as fruits that ripen on the vine in the heat of summer, they are still better than any greenhouse grown tomatoes found at the grocery store. Plus, imagine the treat of picking your last tomatoes in October and having them show up on the dinner table in January!

1. Pick the tomatoes off of the vine BEFORE the first frost.
2. Inspect and wash your tomatoes in cool water, then blot dry thoroughly.
3. Discard any damaged, soft, or spotted tomatoes.
4. Line a flat, wide container with an absorbent material and arrange your tomatoes inside, making sure that they are far enough apart that no tomato is touching it’s neighbor.
5. Store the container in a dry and cool (50-76 degrees) area such as an unheated basement, insulated garage, or enclosed porch.
6. Check the tomatoes every few days; immediately discard tomatoes that show signs of rot and remove any that are 50% or more red and allow to finish ripening on your kitchen counter.

* Do not try to ripen your tomatoes in a sunny window. The tomatoes can overheat and start to rot

Turning lemons into lemonade

If you don’t want to wait for your green tomatoes to ripen, there are many ways to incorporate their sour taste into your culinary creations right now. Here are a few recipes from the web to get you started:

Fried Green Tomatoes : A southern classic, or is it?

Tomato Salsa Verde: Traditional salsa verde is made with tomatillos, but green tomatoes can act as a tangy substitute.

Pickled Green Tomatoes : Excellent in a simple sandwich with cheddar, thinly sliced apple, and mayo

Green Tomato Cake  : A moist spice cake that incorporates green tomatoes in place of stone fruit.