General Chat

Hope this thread will not in any way offend anyone- except perhaps if you are in the Tomato Liberation Front. I have some tommies growing up against a sunny but sheltered fench, they are a lovely crop, good size- but green!!! Normally by this time of the year I am harvesting them, but they are not even beginning to go ripe. I have more growing in my allotment which are also still green. I know we have not much sun this year but my apples and plums on the tree have ripened- so any tips? I don't want to pick them green and 'force' them ripe on the window sill- do you think we still have enough time left for them to ripen before the weather starts getting too cold for them again?

Ann, I saw an article on tv about tommies staying green,,i thinkits quite a problem this year,,,its a shame,,,i love home grown martoes..

Ann a lot of my tomatoes are still green and my sweetcorn should be ready by now and its not

At least it is not just me then!!! my sweetcorn is just about ripe, but very small- last year toms & corn were beautiful!!! Must be the funny weather.

pick your green tomms.& place them in a brown paper bag with a banana,the gas given off by the ripening banana will ripen your toms

Although you don't want to pick them green, this may have to be the answer. My mum always put the under ripe ones in a paper bag with a couple of fully ripened ones, - something about the gas given off , ripening them I think. Either that or you'll have to use them in curries or make green tomato cutney.

Ann hang on for a bit longer before you pick them there is still time for them to ripen . Chrissy.

Most of my tomatoes are still green. And a large number are now on the lawn and not on the plants - due to the bad weather!!!!! - so I will have no choice but to ripen them on the window sill. I remember my mother making wonderful green tomato chutney as a child so am going to track down a recipe if things don't improve. I'm not wasting anything. Angela

Fry them. They're delicious. M.

Thanks for all your tips everyone- trouble is, including the allotment I have about 20 plants, all with a bumper crop, so it is finding the space to ripen them at the window sill or in a paper bag. I think I will hang on for another week or so to see if atleast some of them ripen. I grew so many because my daughter loves to eat them straight from the bush- she won't eat them fried though, so I will be stuck with a load of green toms otherwise!!!

Hi Ann and other GR folk, I wouldn't want you to think I'm gloating...well I would really...but I have masses of ripe tommies!! (Red ones are Gardeners Delight, yellow ones are Golden Sunrise). Some in the geenhouse others in the (chalky-soil) garden. We can't eat them quick enough; breakfast, dinner and tea; you name it. Have frozen some. Obviously they can't be used in salads when thawed out, but they are OK in stews, casseroles, etc. If any of you unfortunates would like a hundredweight or two just send me a very large SAE and I'll forward immediately. Brian in Luton :-} (note the smug grin)

Well, have they ripened in all this sunshine Ann? If not, I found a recipe for green tomato jam.