The Tomato Saga Continues

I didn’t think I would be writing a post about our flourishing tomatoes in the middle of October. Usually the tomatoes are sort of limping along by now, but this year we have lush green leaves and loaded vines. Our average first frost date is October 20^th, so our tomato days might be numbered. But then again, if we get out there with sheets to cover the garden before forecasted frosts, we might just be able to stretch the season a little longer. I think the vines deserve the TLC after the hot, dry summer they endured.

I spent an hour on Saturday picking tomatoes and trimming back the vines that were growing over the fence into the neighbor’s yard, into our compost bin and stretching out across the grass when they couldn’t find anything to climb. I picked all the tomatoes off the cut vines before I put them in the yard waste bin. Now I have a huge bowl of green tomatoes, as well as a bunch of red ones.

I know what to do with the red ones (eat them!), but I’m not sure what I am going to do with the green tomatoes. I might make green tomato and apple chutney. I have looked at several recipes that sound pretty good – green tomatoes, apples, vinegar, brown sugar, raisins and spices. I have never tasted green tomato chutney, so I am pretty much shooting in the dark. Does anyone have a recipe they love?