A glut of green tomatoes

This year's tomato crop was late to get going, in spite of being planted out at the usual time. The first ripe tomato didn't appear until the end of August although I've enjoyed a steady stream of lovely home-grown fruit since then. However, with the days getting shorter and cooler, I couldn't put off the inevitable any longer and so decided to call it a day on this year's crop.

Before I could turn the plants onto the compost heap and use the soil from the pots to mulch the raised beds, I had to harvest the remaining fruit, which ranged widely in colour from green to red.

The full range of colour

...but mainly green!

After tidying up the garden I turned my attention to the tomato crop. The question was, what to do with the final harvest? I still have pots of Green Tomato Chutney from last year, and even a pot of Spiced Green Tomato Chutney from the year before, so this really wasn't an option. Instead I turned my attention to the internet in the search for recipes that use green tomatoes.

I soon learnt that, so long as you cook them for a good time, you can substitute red tomatoes for green ones in most things. I began with a batch of Green Tomato Dal.  This involved cooking a cup of red lentils in 5 cups of water for about 30 minutes. I then added 4 cups of diced tomatoes, ranging in colour from green to very pale orange; a chopped chilli; half a teaspoon each of ground fenugreek, ground coriander and ground cumin and cooked it all for a further 35 minutes.  I then seasoned it with salt, pepper and lime juice to taste before serving it with brown rice and steamed broccoli.

Riding on the back of that success I surveyed the contents of the fridge and store cupboard and realised I had the ingredients to make Ribolita - a very hearty Italian soup made from white beans, cabbage and tomatoes. I used a Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall recipe, substituting the 400g tin of tomatoes for the same amount of chopped fresh tomatoes - all at different stages of ripeness. This recipe calls for the soup to be cooked for an hour before the cabbage is added which gave plenty of time for the green tomatoes to soften into the soup. The result was one of the most delicious soups I've eaten and, with more cabbage in the fridge and still more tomatoes to use up, I think a second batch could be on the cards.

I've also been making Roasted Tomato Sauce which involves placing a layer of chopped onion on a baking tray and covering it with halved tomatoes, cut side up. Sprinkle the lot with chopped thyme, salt, pepper, a tiny bit of brown sugar, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and some olive oil before cooking for about 45 minutes at 190C or gas mark 5. The addition of a bit of sugar and the balsamic vinegar means you can get away with mixing in a few green tomatoes. Once cooked, blitz with a blender and use in place of passata. It can also be frozen so that you can enjoy that lovely summery taste in mid-winter.

I am tempted to continue in my green tomato recipe quest but with a bathroom floor to seal and a pair of wool trousers to line, I should really turn my attention elsewhere. At least I'll get to enjoy a few lunches of Ribolita this week.