Topic: Harvesting green tomatoes

[Curryandchips]

Round herer you can get garam masala mix made up of whole spices.

You mean it just needs grinding?

[Mrs Ava]

Rosyred, unripe toms can have quite a citrus twang.  I have made green tom soup in the past which was very good.

[Curryandchips]

Yes, it is the tang which has made this curry sauce so delicious. A bit like adding lemon or lime juice (an ingredient in a patia ...).

[valmarg]

This is a recipe that I have made before, and is a good, delicious user-up of hard green tomatoes, particularly cherry varieties:

"PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES

This German recipe calls for green tomatoes ‘small enough to eat whole’, which means growing them deliberately and picking the clusters of small fruit while they are still green, firm and fresh.  One of the best varieties to grow is the cherry tomato called Gardener’s Delight.  This has the great advantage that the skins of the fruit are unlikely to split.

This is an extraordinary pickle.  Once you have tasted it you will never again forget that the tomato really is a fruit.  It goes well with cheese, even better with pâtés and terrines.

Makes about 5lb (2.2kg)

5lb (2.25kg) green tomatoes, 1 inch (2.5cm) diameter maximum, stems removed
2 pints (1.2 litres) malt vinegar
6 cloves
1 x 1 inch (2.5cm) cinnamon stick
½ small nutmeg or 2 blades mace)
pinch salt
1 lb sugar
1 pint (600ml) white wine vinegar

Place the tomatoes in a large pan with the malt vinegar.  Stir very gently and bring to the boil, then strain immediately.  (The malt vinegar can be thrown away or saved for making chutney.)  Tip the tomatoes very carefully into a bowl, taking care not to split the skins.

Boil the cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg or mace, salt and sugar with the wine vinegar in a separate pan, then pour hot over the tomatoes.  Cover and leave for 24 hours.

On the third day, heat the tomatoes and the liquid together, but do not boil.  Lift out the tomatoes with a slotted spoon and pack them carefully into warmed jars.  Throw out any that have accidentally split their skins because they will ruin the effect of the pickle.

Reduce the liquid until it turns slightly syrupy, then strain off the spices and pour the cooling pickle over the tomatoes, making sure they are completely covered.  Cover and store for 3 months before opening."

valmarg

[Robert_Brenchley]

Round herer you can get garam masala mix made up of whole spices.

You mean it just needs grinding?

That's right. We've got a big pestle and mortar I got from a Chinese supermarket, and it does the job in no time.

[Hot_Potato]

Curry.........in your original recipe for Curry Sauce - can you tell me approximately how many green tomatoes you actually started with for this sauce?......did you use the whole bucket in one go? (you indicate that there may have been about 10 kgs. in the bucket)....

it sounds wonderful but I'd be making it (& I'd like to give it a go) on a much smaller scale and wonder about the proportions for the other ingredients used :-\

[Curryandchips]

I must hold my hands up here and confess to not controlling such factors. There was a whole bucket yes, and I would guess that since I ended up with 2 gallons approximately, then my estimate of 10kg was not far wrong. Think of it as green tomato sauce, with added onion, garlic, and curry spices and seasoning. The additions are really down to your own preferences. Sorry I can't give more precise details ...  :-\ Trust in your own skills, that is all I do.

Good luck

[flossie]

Really found this useful - thanks all - as blight is starting to appear on our plot.  Listening to the link with the guitar musis was good too - many thanks

[Diana]

A couple I have used:

http://www.sweetbabymedia.com/recipes/special/greentomato.shtml

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/cat/682/0.shtml

Try the pie, try the pie! It's luuuuurvly!

So's Curry's curry (if you know what I mean) - possibly the best curry I've ever made - thanks Curry

[tim]

The pickled cherry toms are great. We use a Dutch recipe.

[supersprout]

recipe please tim? ::)

[Curryandchips]

Listening to the link with the guitar musis was good too - many thanks

So's Curry's curry (if you know what I mean) - possibly the best curry I've ever made - thanks Curry

Cheers for the feedback. After some recent comments, your opinions are VERY much appreciated.

Thank you.

[Hot_Potato]

have looked back thru the various messages but can't see answer to what I want to ask now about Curry's curry sauce

once you've made it - and you seemed to make a lot!.....how are you storing it please......in jars (like a pickle) in fridge & if so, how long do you think it might keep or do you freeze it (especially if very large amounts) or doesn't it last that long anyway?

I'm on my own and do like curries but don't make them that often, so they'd have to keep - mind you, would probably make them more if I had a nice sauce to use :P

[Curryandchips]

Mine is frozen, haven't tried storing it any other way. I put a suitably sized portion into a freezer bag, which is inside a plastic jug. Bung it in the freezer, allow to freeze, tap the jug and the bagged sauce is removed, for the next consignment. Needless to say, with my quantities, we have several plastic jugs operating at the same time. You could use margarine cartons, or anything else available to hand.

[amphibian]

Mine is frozen, haven't tried storing it any other way. I put a suitably sized portion into a freezer bag, which is inside a plastic jug. Bung it in the freezer, allow to freeze, tap the jug and the bagged sauce is removed, for the next consignment. Needless to say, with my quantities, we have several plastic jugs operating at the same time. You could use margarine cartons, or anything else available to hand.

I often use old juice cartons, the tall thin litre ones. I then cut them off when I am ready to use. These stack in the freezer and take up barely any room.

[james_so]

So's Curry's curry (if you know what I mean) - possibly the best curry I've ever made - thanks Curry

I don't suppose you made a more, ermm, recipe like recipe for it while you were making it?  ;)