If it's that bad, I would just pick everything, and pull out and dispose of the vines. Any toms that are ripe-ish that already have rot, if possible I would cut all that away and make a small batch of fresh tomato sauce or salsa and eat it up and have a good laugh/cry.

For the greenies, I'd wash and dry them (since you have already had to deal with so much rot and goop, then let them ripen a bit out of direct sun.

Then start cooking up some fried green tomatoes for breakfast :o)

Susan

You can pull the green ones and use those without damage to can green tomato salsa or something. The salsa is good on burritos and to eat with chips.

I agree. You could use the green tomatoes (bread and freeze for future frying also) in relishes and pickles. You can pick green tomatoes and ripen indoors for fresh use but not for canning.

I'm sorry about this. Sometimes gardening can be really sad. Fortunately the good years keep us in the game.

Carol

And I would leave them on the vines if they aren't cracked yet. Maybe the rain will cease?

jt

One of the best salsa's I have ever made was a green salsa
The flavor is a bit different than red slasa but it is a big hit with the family and friends.

silverwind - we are having the same problem! Exactly! Even though the rain has let up, the tomatoes just keep rotting! And those awful black bugs that crawl up into them? Ewww! And all the black spots! And drippy rotted ones just hanging there! It is disgusting! But, our pigs are happy! I went from getting about 15 gallons of good tomatoes a week to 10 gallons of pig food and a gallon or two of reasonable decent tomatoes - suitable for canning. I'm very thankful that I've gotten 37 quarts of spaghetti sauce already put up, but I was really hoping for about twice that! The green tomato salsa sounds interesting - I'll have to see what my hubby thinks of that idea!

Oh, god, yes - the bugs, the gnats, the flies (ew, all the flies) and the black rotting blech... the drippy stinky mess.

I figure the only good from it is I might get volunteers next year. *sigh*

Well, I'm shooting for a combination approach. I cut out all the rotting junk, including too-soggy leaves and branches. I think they'll make it, but be a bit scraggly on the bottom thirds. I'll live with that.
I have a bunch of Cherokee Purples setting that might make it through. I'd love that - I've not gotten one off it all year, and if it continues I'm chucking this experiment as a loss. I *do* have more cherries coming along nicely, and the last I have is Celebrity. That's been the biggest mess, but the tastiest, most perfect tomato otherwise... I'm really hoping for recovery here. (I made awesome pizza with these sliced on top, with eggplant and fresh herbs and ricotta and alfredo sauce... OMG. I made lots of converts that day.)

I've not got much... but I was really hoping to try my hand at saucing this year, I only tend to go through spaghetti/pizza sauce in small doses and wanted to can my own in smaller portions. :P I don't know now if I'll get enough to make it worthwhile.
I can't imagine having so many quarts of sauce done - I haven't made any! (Although I only have my few plants... and that does put a dent in supply. :) )

I really appreciate the notes on green salsa - I don't eat salsa myself, as a rule, but I know several who do. If nothing else at least all my greenies won't go to waste. :D
Thanks!!

..anyone have a recipe *recommendation*? ^_^;

Cracks are usually due to very big temperature changes as well as very dry to very wet weather. Yes, pick off as many green ones left, as well as any that are just starting to ripen, so they can ripen without the temperature extremes and the plants wet and dry to wet changes. A lack of calcium also affects tomatoes at the blossom end, if they show signs of blossom end rot. I have had success of sprays of cacium chloride on the leaves, but thats usually only effective before the BER shows up as being a serious, ongoing problem. Tomatoes will ripen if all green, and many will still ripen before the spoil, even off the plants.