Help With Tomatoes Please?

[broadway]

Hi Folks,

1/3 of my toms are edibal, 1/3 are green, and the last 1/3 are split. I don't know what to do apart from eating the ripe ones!

Help!!

Danny

[tootles]

They are all edible!!!
Lots of recipes hereabouts for green toms, chop up the split ones for sauces.....

[zazen999]

The 1/3 that are green will go red eventually; so put them somewhere warm - mine go into the airing cupboard.

The 1/3 that re split, I'd use for sauces. Get a big pan, pop the toms in after taking out any stalks/bits you don't want in there. Simmer them down in a dash of olives oil and when they are all broken down; put them through a sieve. When cool, spoon into ice cube trays and when frozen, tip out into bags and keep in the freezer until needed. Then, you can throw them into chillis, soups, stews, pasta sauces as needed and they take very little time to thaw out.

[broadway]

Hi Tootles,

Can you explain to a amatrur why some split?

Cheers
Danny

[tootles]

Amateur to amateur I would blame the rain.......

[markwcel]

another amateur to amateur i would blame the watering....

[zazen999]

I agree, loads of rain or too much watering [depending on if they are indoors or out].

Don't forget to save some seeds if you have any non F1 toms, for next year's crop or for seed saving.

[SarzWix]

It's usually too much water, after too little - if the plant dries out, the skins start to thicken/toughen a bit, then when it takes up a large quantity of water into the fruit, the skins can't stretch to accomodate it so they split instead. As long as you've got no grey mould or other types of mould in the greenhouse, you can leave split tomatoes on the plant - the wound will heal over slightly and the fruit will continue to ripen. They won't win any beauty contests, but they'll be perfectly edible. If you do have any mould issues, then pick the split fruit or the wound will start to rot. You can use it in green tomato chutney/green tomato jam if it hasn't ripened.