My poor toms

[rosebud]

I went into the greenhouse yesterday to find one of my Toms had snapped clean in half overnight :o  :'( :'(it had soooo, many toms on it i am well and truely gutted , i suppose it was my fault i had 8 trusses on it and 5 of those were from half way up, but i could not resist letting them keep growing now i have all this dissapointment i have about 3lbs on stalks will they just ripen in the greenhouse???. They are cherry toms, i have taken a few onto the windowsill,in the kitchen,  Rosebud.

[rosebud]

[silverbirch]

Yep, sad inded. :'(  Not much help at the moment, by I now use string to hold up toms in the greenhouse.  I can wrap the stems round the string - so much easier than trying to tie in to canes and such like.

There's always green tomato chutney, of course.

[rosebud]

Hi silverbirch, thank you for the tip about the string why coulden`t i think of that, i shall do that tomorrow with the rest of them . Cheers Rosebud.

[lorna]

Mary really sorry to hear that. They looked so healthy when we were there.
Lorna

[Jeannine]

Rosebud, they will ripen better off the window sill. put them on a tray on paper towel, not wrapped and not touching each other. Mine go under the bed and are checked every day or so. If they are still attached to the vine bit that they broke off leave them on it and hang the vine in a cool dark place.

If they are a big size try fried green tomatoes, they really are good.

XX Jeannine

[tim]

Second that!

[Hyacinth]

Sorry to read this Buds :'( The string trick should work for you - otherwise more stakes & tying in.

Wouldn't think your cherry toms are big enough for frying tho. I ripen mine on a tray between two layers of newspaper, not touching (as J. has said), under a bed. It's always successful - just as well, cos I don't like green tomatoes atorl. I'd cut them carefully off the vine, btw, before putting between newspaper individually.

[rosebud]

Thank you folks for your tips Jenine i have done that and under the bed they are .the rest have been strung up !!! :o.

[valmarg]

The following is a recipe from a book about pickling we borrowed from the library ages ago, which might fit the bill:

PICKLED GREEN TOMATOES

Too  many pickle recipes read â€" and taste â€" as though they are the last desperate solution to the problem of gluts.  Green tomatoes are the classic example.  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.


If any of the skins do split, I just take the rest of the skin off, rather than throwing hem away.

valmarg

[rosebud]

Thank you Valmarg, i shall use that if i have to.

[real food]

I am interested to know why others have suggested not ripening on a sunny windowsill. Certainly, this is what I do in November with any left over green tomatoes. They continue to ripen on the sunny windowsill into December and January this way, and while not as tasty as the summer ones, are certainly better than the shop ones.

[Jeannine]

They ripen too fast on the windowsill and if you are hoping to make them stretch , in the dark is better

[debster]

how long are they likely to take in the dark i lost 2 plants to the B word so have a bucketful of green ones, will probably put some on the windowsill for use now and the rest in the dark just praying the other plants dont succumb or if they do not too quickly