I'll be anxious to see an answer to your question, DaisyM. Today I picked 26 green tomatoes from 5 plants. I mean they're green and very firm. Tonight it's supposed to get down to 40 degrees F and I also don't know if what I have left on the vines will just die there.

I may have planted mine too late (started from seed, planted seedlings mid May). We had tons of rain this summer. Could be the problem.

I see lots of yellow leaves on the trees signaling Fall is here... drat...

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Tomacco

That coffee was so strong, it swallowed the cream...
http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l268/Tomacco1/

AND they're way less expensive!

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Tomacco

That coffee was so strong, it swallowed the cream...
http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l268/Tomacco1/

How about placing them in a sunny window sill?
Papito you mention putting them in a bag with an apple or bananna, but will putting them in a bag with a ripened tomato work just the same?

Light is not necessary for ripening of tomatoes.

Yes, ripened tomatoes will do, as well as other fruits such as apples, avocados, bananas, melons, peaches and pears which releases ethylene gas.

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Amor est vitae essentia.
Love is the essence of life.

That's okay. I have over like 15 jades and over 200 jade-lings. The tomato queen crown is all yours

New brand of V-8 Juice ya got brewing North of the 49? hahaha!

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Tomacco

That coffee was so strong, it swallowed the cream...
http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l268/Tomacco1/

Nobody's doing fried green tomatoes?????

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You can also pickle green tomatoes and make green tomato relish.
I generally let as many as I can ripen on my window sill. I've never noticed the acidic taste that you've mentioned.

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Ciao DaisyM,

Where in Canuckieland are you? In Toronto, they're calling for a low of 3C on Monday night so I'll be covering my plants. Do you do any canning because that might be a way for you to use your less than ideally ripe tomatoes without sacrificing much flavour.

I've never tried fried green tomatoes either. I don't like frying things unless it's something like eggplant in olive oil for eggplant parmesan (which I have to make a ton of this weekend..10 eggplants in the fridge and a bazillion more on my plants).

Cheers,
Julianna

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Sorellina, can you believe I have NEVER had eggplant? And it sounds soooooo good too.
I think maybe I'm apprehensive about trying to cook it properly.

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Ciao Deborah,

Maybe you just need a bit of experience..try a couple over the winter from the store..if you can follow a recipe, which I know you can, you'll be fine. Eggplant has little flavour on its own..it's kind of mushroomy, but it soaks up whatever it's cooked with and takes wonderfully to being breaded and fried in olive oil or baked.

Buona fortuna,
Julianna

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Hi Deborah
You should lightly season them with salt and set them on a wire rack over the sink or on top of paper towels or something. The salt will draw the excess moisture out of them. You then rinse the salt off them, pat them dry and proceed from there. I usually then brush them with olive oil infused with fresh garlic and bake them in the oven. They're a wonderful addition to an antipasto platter.
Christina

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So far so good, no frost! A couple of weeks more would help so much. I have a cherry tomato plant that has grown to about 10 ft judging by the height of my fence. I don't know what it is about cherry tomato's this year, but they just don't want to ripen. I have plenty of them and they are in a darkish green stage. The plant itself is so large and tied up to my fence in so many places, that it is extremely difficult to put a cover over it to protect it from the frost?

Ciao Deb,

If you know anything about wops, it's that we don't do things the easy-peasy-fast way..acronyms are absolutely in that category, lol.

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Yes, Weez, she rules !
Sorellina, I can tell you take a great deal of effort in all of that good cooking - not to mention tomato gardening !

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Rachel ray?! Ugh. Gag me with a fork! Much to chipper for me.

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John - Zone 6

Actually, the chef I like best is the Southern lady, Paula Deen. I LOVE her kitchen set.
RR is OK, but not a fave. I feel that her laugh is very "put-on". Kinda turns me off.

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havent had a single tomato all summer...my plants did just fine, but no flowering nor any fruit, then at the end of the season I noticed a MASS BLOOSOMING and now I have tomatoes coming out of my ears !
fried my biggest ones up with alittle salt and pepper and served them up as a side dish, family loved them...still waiting on them to ripen up and turn color for me.(My tomatoes not my family)
The weather here has been around high 70 to mid 80's and that when they bloomed...why on earth did that happen?? was it because the weather was SO hot (over 100) all summer long?? My sister never had that problem before, but this year the same thing happened to her tomatoes too.

but tomatoes are self pollitaing I thought???!!!
they grow GREAT in the hot house with no bees...I think all of California suffered from a heat wave this past summer.

I just thought of something. If tomatoes are self- pollinating, why do the books say to wiggle the flowers from time to time?
Just when I think I "get it" I get confused again. ARGH !

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quote:

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Originally posted by Tomacco on Sept 21:
I just stuffed 26 'maters in a paper sack with a banana. I'll let you know what I end up with after (I'm assuming) a week, Daisy

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Only one was ripening with the banana method (too many, I bet). So I wrapped each in newspaper and layered them in a sack. WOW! What a difference! It was like Christmas this morning! 20 red tomatoes!

Thanks so much, papito, for the tip! This is the only 2006 harvest that actually made it to 'fruition!'

How are everyone elses?

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Tomacco

That coffee was so strong, it swallowed the cream...
http://s98.photobucket.com/albums/l268/Tomacco1/

Tomacco,

I was so excited to read that you had some success! We are getting dangerously close to frost and I have a good many green tomatoes yet. When you wrapped them, did you wrap each tomato with a banana? I don't have enough bananas! Or just newspaper between the layers, with a banana at each layer? Details please! I want to eek out every red one I can get!

Amy

Ciao Weezie,

Hope you stocked up on hot cocoa. Got your computer working, I see so the electicity is up and running at your place, good thing. Sheesh, nice Friday the 13th this year, eh?

Warm hugs,
Julianna

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Some of the green tomatos I picked before the frost started ripening in the house, so I skinned them and made some sauce to put into jars. When I tasted it, it was tastless with a sharp edge to it. I don't know what is missing, but I am disappointed? They were red, so I must be doing something wrong with the way I am ripening them, because they lack the taste and natural sugar they normally have in them. Anyone else having luck with theirs, and I'm not talking about red tomato's, that I've got, it's the taste! There is none!

Ok, I put some in a bag with a banana last night and they have already started to redden. I'm going to try some in a box like you do Weezie and see if they do as well or better. I just love my tomatoes and want to have tomato sandwiches as long as possible! Thanks for the advice!

amy