Let's see what's in the garden this sunny and cool morning in October, shall we?
Tiny calabacitas.
A not-tiny watermelon.
Exuberant calendula.
Stripey squash.
Healthy basil trio.
New growth from the asparagus.
And lots of green tomatoes.
All good things.
However.
Our forecast is getting perilously close to freezing overnight this weekend. Specifically, on Friday. None of these plants can take any kind of frost. This time of year always comes with decisions about covering plants versus letting the garden season end with a frost.
Whether we cover them or not mostly depends on if the forecast after that one night looks good enough that it would be worth letting the plants mature for another week. This year, given the delay in getting any harvests at all, I'm probably going to be more proactive about covering plants in an attempt to salvage a bit more food out of them.
We'll see what happens on Friday. I suppose if worse comes to worst, I can always start looking up green tomato recipes. Got any good ones?
9 comments:
Cover those babies! They may come through for you! Mary in MN
Green tomato chutney? Green tomato mincemeat? MIL
You could always try this: https://houseofnasheats.com/green-tomato-pie/
I remember reading about Ma making one of these in the Little House books. Or maybe she used pumpkin to make a mock apple pie. Anyway, it might be interesting!
I’m going to be positive and predict covering will let your prized tomatoes mature. Seems awfully early for a nighttime freeze, but then I know practically nothing about your weather, other than it’s always windy!
Green tomato salsa from Ball Canning. It is not spicy at all. Lauren L.
I've been reading your blog for many years but rarely comment. However!! Thought I'd pass on a great recipe (and a great, sadly no longer, blog). It's for a green tomato salsa. Farmgirl calls it a relish but many of her readers use it as a salsa.
https://www.farmgirlfare.com/2005/09/saving-harvest-green-tomato-relish.html
It is VERY good!
We always bring green tomatoes inside to ripen. They always do and we roast them in the oven for sauce…or a BLT if they ripen quick!
I'm with "anonymous," bring 'em inside - they'll ripen. I just put mine on a flat plate or basket and turned them occasionally. Have also heard of just pulling up the whole plant & hanging it upside down indoors to ripen.
Also, I generally dry or blanch the tomato leaves and use them in soup or spaghetti sauce.
Jamie Oliver's green tomato parmigiana is great with spaghetti
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