Hey it's once again one of those years where the tomatoes don't quite make the red ripe stage we look for.

I bring in the ones that are starting to turn and sit them in a south facing window sill and they come around.

However there are still lots on the vine. Seems that in the past I have pulled the plants and let hang in a dry location to let them ripen. And the fried green tomatoes are getting just about as old as having the old woman still hanging around.

It looks like rain and I would like to save some crop, got input?

My plants did pretty good, early girls and Roma's. Had so many the neighbor's got some. I still have probally 50 that are almost ready to pick. Most growers I know didn't do that well. I always use Miracle grow on my plants early on.

Throw them at tea partiers. The greenest ones make more of a statement.

Thats how store 'maters are ripened. They're picked and transported green so they dont squish, then theyre gassed before they hit the shelves.

My old man used to start 'em early under milk jugs with the bottoms cut off.

He finally broke down and sprang for a greenhouse a few years ago.

When you pick them green and use any of the methods above, do the tomatoes taste like homegrown tomatoes? Or do they come out tasting like tomatoes you buy in the store?

I can't speak for any method other than window sill ripening, but those come out tasting delicious. I almost always have to pick my slicers early, because the slugs will get to them as soon as they start to ripen up if I leave them too long. No loss of flavor quality, IMO.

Don't know if any of you appreciate southern food, but "fried green tomatoes" are a good use of green tomatoes. Tasty.

In my opinion they taste like store toms.
I saw a jar of pickled green toms at QFC the other day....thinking I might try this.
Worst tom year for me by far.
No greenhouse.
Strange but my peppers did well????

I will give this method a try if necessary next year. Hopefully next year will be nice enough weather to not need to.

Same here Dave!

It was a shorter growing season than most. All I saw in the garden were slugs until about mid June.

My mom makes green tomato relish. Fk is it good. Sorry no recipe to share but there are some out there on the net.

Pickled green tomatoes are awesome.

You have a recipe Dan or is this pretty generic? Either way I'll be trying it in about a week.
I still have some ripening including some yellow ones I forgot about.
ps Fished with Hybrydcx yesterday. Dude fires up a grill in the rain and does up 3 marinated steaks for lunch. Primo!
Whistle good.
Rain fine.
Rollers galore.
Biters few.
Bummer on that whole pike minnow thing in the rivers down there. That gets old fast.