Something that probably works, Karen!

Let me tell what doesn't work for me: A lot of people wrap their tomatoes in newspaper. When I've tried that, I've ended up with lots of rotten tomatoes!

I forget to unwrap and look. Instead, I do the very simple thing of putting them in a basket and "sorting thru" them every few days. Moving from 1 container to another gives me a chance to separate out the ripe ones.

This year's tomatoes lingered on the vines longer than most years. Many, many green cherries went down before the onslaught of Jack Frost but few of the larger varieties. Got lucky with warm weather up here near the border.

I know that we all like to test the climate envelop with late-developing varieties but there's some real value in the early-ripening indeterminates. Bloody Butchers came back later and so did Early Girls.

I almost hate to admit but will do so here: I still grow Early Girl and have for over 20 years . . . Just a timid tomato grower, I guess. Luckily, there are those who encourage me with appropriate choices for my garden that would otherwise go unimagined.

Steve

Last year, I tried putting mine in a paper bag. That worked nicely to ripen them up after 5-7 days. I'll try adding the apple, though - that sounds like it might help to ripen them quicker!

Found this site for 65 ways to use green tomatoes - but you are probably right, though, Bonnie and they'll be ripe before before trying one of these!! LOL.

http://www.reformationacres.com/2014/11/recipes-for-using-and-preserving-green-tomatoes.html

Thank You for that link!

For a guy with little interest in green tomatoes, that sure was an eye-openerッ!

I've shared it and after 2 nights of light frost (cucumbers dead, dahlias half-killed), I've got a bucket of green tomatoes. Maybe, I'll make a sauce and a jam!

Steve オ

I just spread mine out on card board or newspaper, out of the direct sun, and most turn red within a few days. We're still weeks away from a frost here - I read that the local CSU extension station now says our frost free growing season is 17 days longer.

Digit - did you try any of the green tomato recipes on that site? I looked through them and none really enticed me, so did another google search. Ran across two that I ended up trying - drying them and roasting them:

https://youtu.be/O30cSyQ302Y

http://www.freshbitesdaily.com/roasted-green-tomatoes/

I know, these aren't technically recipes ;) But I was happy with both results!

The dried ones I think will be good in a lot of ways - as a snack just like they are like the guy in the video says (the first bite I took I thought was a bit too strong, but ate a few more and found they grew on me!), crumbled into salads (tried that tonight, and thought it was a great substitute for croutons), ground into a powder to use as a thickener and/or additional tomato flavor (I tried this last year with red tomatoes, and really like them), or re-hydrate and chop up into sauce or recipe.

The roasted ones have a nicely intensified flavor, and their being green adds a sharper taste. I chopped some up and added to my chili con queso.

So what have you done so far with your green ones?

Oh Marj, I'm embarrassed to tell you.

First of all, it was the 2nd warmest October on record here. So, whatever was on the plants that survived the September frosts (& some others, with the sprinklers running in the early hours) had a chance to ripen. Farmers' market customers had a first shot at the green ones picked in September. They bought all of them!

Before the most recent onslaught of cold, I picked 3 greens and 3 that were turning color. Those were very protected plants, in my backyard. Sum total now in my kitchen.

Cash money! Ain't I terrible?

Steve

LOL - well I'd pick cash money, too digit!! I could have left mine on the vines longer and they'd probably would have been fine. But I went ahead and yanked them out as most were pretty small anyway.

So you aint terrible digit!! :^D

Marj