When the weather starts turns cold we gardeners go on a frost vigil. We regularly check the weather watching for the first hard frost in our area and then, the day before, we do one final harvest of the plants that will be affected.
Tomatoes, for instance, are tropical perennials. In the tropical highlands, where they originated, the indeterminate types grow six feet tall and can live/produce for up to three years. In temperate climates all tomatoes are destroyed by freezing so when frost threatens you have to pick the fruits whether they're ready or not. We simply pull up the plants, lay them on a tarp, strip them of all the fruits regardless of size or ripeness, and then pitch or compost the plants. We bring the fruits into the house and eat them as they ripen. That extends out tomato season by about a month, but at the end of that time you wind up with a bunch of green tomatoes that start shriveling before they ripen.
The challenge is what to do with green tomatoes. In the American South they batter and fry them (more on that in a later post). You can make delicious relishes and sauces as well, but this year we turned out final batch into faux raspberry jam. It has the look, flavor, and consistency of raspberry jam. It's yummy and very easy to make. I call it "T-Raspberry Jam".
Here's how make T-Raspberry Jam:
- 4 cups pureed green tomatoes
- 4 cups white sugar
- 6 ounces raspberry flavored gelatin mix
Sterilize canning jars and boil the lids so the rubber is soft enough to seal quickly. Wash the tomatoes pulse them in a food processor until they become the consistency of a coarse salsa. Combine the tomatoes and sugar in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir and cook about 10 minutes. Add the gelatin, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Pour the mixture into hot, sterilized jars and seal or you can pour it into freezer containers and freeze. This jam is great on a PB&J!
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