Are green tomatoes only fit for the compost heap?

This year, my husband did a sterling job in growing lots of tomatoes.

But the sun did not do its job in ripening them.

So we have a LOT of green tomatoes. And I am feeling really guilty about “not making good use of them” After all, they are free.

So, Sunday afternoon, I go online hunting for advice on what to do with them.

Green tomato chutney and green tomato soup seemed to be the most popular recipes – and each one could use up a few kilos of the bounty.

Off to the shops.

Vinegar, sugar (a quarter the weight of tomatoes –I had no idea there was so much sugar in chutney!), raisins, shallots for the chutney – and a visit to a neighbour to borrow glass jars
(She’s so well organised she has eaten her first batch of autumn chutneys and is recycling the jars for next year!)

Potatoes, onions, sage for the soup – plus stock made from a roasted chicken enjoyed earlier in the week.

Ouch – the tomatoes might be free, but this lot came to 15 dollars……!!

Now to work – a nice leisurely Sunday afternoon task, I thought.
First job – finely chop the tomatoes and onions for the chutney.
I chopped one tomato, multiplied the time it took by the number of tomatoes in 4 kilos – and got out the food processor. This had to be finished by bedtime.

Faster – but it still took over half an hour.

Everything into the saucepan – then boil for “about an hour” said the recipe. Two hours later, mostly spent anxiously stirring so it did not stick, I had a deep chocolate brown chunky brew, which I ladled into 8 jars.

Now for the soup – this time, potatoes, onions and green tomatoes were all to be sliced. Another half hour. Followed by an hour of simmering then…..then it all had to be sieved.

Which took another half hour, plus ten minutes to wash the sieve.

Plus half an hour to clear up, clean the cooker, walls and floor of the splatters from the chutney…

Results:

The cost

Total time – 5 hours plus 45 minutes to go to the shops plus 2 dollar for diesel.

One full dishwasher load of pots, pans and utensils.

Ingredients – 15 dollars.

The product:

8 jars of Green tomato chutney that tastes of vinegar, sugar, raisins and shallots

Shop value – 24 dollars

Big pan of green tomato soup that has the consistency of pureed potato and tastes of potato, chicken and sage.

Shop value – no idea, but there’s about 8 servings.

Don’t get me wrong –they both taste very nice – but they don’t taste of green tomatoes!!

Conclusion:

Next year, all the green tomatoes go onto the compost heap and I spend the afternoon painting or reading or ……anything but “making good use” of green tomatoes!