Green tomatoes

In the height of the summer, I had a dream about tomatoes. My tomato plants had reached Jack in the Beanstalk proportions. As much as I strained up on my tippy toes, stretching my arms, I could not reach the top.

That’s right, we had so many tomatoes, they perpetrated my dreams.

In my garden, the tomato plants did not reach epic heights but they steadily grew taller, bushier and produced plenty of juicy tomatoes. I harvested the tomatoes as they turned from green to pink. This apparently is the best time to harvest a tomato to allow the fruit to finish ripening indoors (something about hormones emitting a gas that reduces the chlorophyll or green colour of the skin).

This process was working well for weeks. Our kitchen counter had a steady stream of tomatoes in various stages of ripening. Until recently. Now some tomatoes are staying stubbornly green. Maybe it’s the reduced sunshine, or because I got lazy with staking, but heavy green tomatoes are breaking off the vine before a glimmer of pink is visible.

What to do with green tomatoes?

It seemed like a good opportunity to try a new recipe. Fried green tomatoes.

The bitter flesh softens with some cooking, while the crispy exterior adds a nice crunch. A quick spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce (rémoulade) rounds out the dish. All and all, a fine option if you have green tomatoes.

And I do.

In addition to dreamy tomatoes, fragrant basil and leafy greens, we also enjoyed a few baskets of crispy green beans, potatoes and (rather small) carrots over the summer. My daughter became adept at harvesting beans while my husband had the messy task of digging up the potatoes (thank you both!)

I’m happy with my first attempt at a little garden. And amazed at the bounty that grows from planting tiny seeds. It is a learning process. Google is useful. But thankfully I also have a kind neighbour who has a wealth of gardening know-how. Thank you for all your tips! And next year I will be ready with a plan for those pesky cucumber striped beetles.

Besides some herbs and my stubborn green tomatoes, the garden is otherwise winding down. There’s a chill in the air some mornings. We have already received our first autumnal squash in the food box.

I hope you all enjoyed the seasonal fruits and vegetables of this warm and sunny summer.

Now it’s time to grab a sweater.