What Are Green Tomatoes? (And How to Use Them in the Kitchen)

Nothing beats a fresh, homegrown tomato picked straight off the vine in the summer. But if you’re only familiar with the red kind, you might be missing out. You’ve probably seen fried green tomatoes on the menu at restaurants or food trucks, especially in the southern United States, but what are green tomatoes, exactly? Are they simply unripe tomatoes or another tomato variety altogether?

Read on to learn more about these tasty staples of Southern cuisine.

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See more: Complete Guide to Tomato Varieties and How to Use Them

What Are Green Tomatoes?

There are two types of green tomatoes: red tomatoes that haven’t yet ripened and some varieties (normally heirlooms) that have a naturally green color once fully ripe. Both can be eaten and taste delicious, although they each have their own flavor profile and best uses.

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You can usually tell the difference between unripe red tomatoes and ripe green tomatoes by the fruit’s color and feel. The ripe varieties feel soft when pressed, usually have vertical stripes or other color variations (like the Green Zebra variety pictured below), and taste similar to ripe red tomatoes. Red tomatoes that haven’t ripened yet, on the other hand, will feel much firmer to the touch. They have a uniformly pale green color and taste more tart and acidic than ripe red tomatoes.

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For the most part, when you hear the term “green tomatoes” or see it on a restaurant menu, it usually refers to unripe red tomatoes, which have an entirely different taste and texture than when ripe. While some green tomatoes are picked intentionally before they’ve ripened, others are the fruits that simply didn’t ripen at the end of the growing season. You’ll typically see them at farmers markets in late summer or early fall after the temperatures have dropped so much that tomatoes stop ripening on the vine. However, you can harvest your own backyard tomatoes while still unripe at any time.

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What Do They Taste Like?

Green (unripe) tomatoes are much less juicy than their red counterparts. They have a firm, crunchy texture and a tart, acidic flavor that lend them well to completely different uses. They’ll soften and mellow as they cook, but their crisper texture allows them to hold up well to slicing and frying, something that’s impossible to do well with a soft red tomato – which is probably why this is one of the most popular ways to prepare them.

How to Use Them

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Want to try making your own fried green tomatoes at home? Just pick a few tomatoes from your garden before they’ve ripened, slice them up and pan-fry them in a flour or cornmeal breading.

But besides frying, there are plenty of other ways to prepare and enjoy unripe tomatoes. It might sound strange, but thanks to their firm texture and tart, tangy flavor (think Granny Smith apples), green tomatoes are a unique and delicious addition to desserts. If you want to give it a try for yourself, check out this Green Tomato Pandowdy recipe from Southern Cast Iron made with green tomatoes, cinnamon, vanilla and a salted butter crust.

Green tomatoes are also a great choice for pickling (a perfect way to preserve your late summer harvest for later), cooking in casseroles (since they won’t get mushy), stewing, or adding to fresh summer salsas or chutneys.

See more: How to Grow and Care for Tomato Plants

Have you ever tried green tomatoes? Let us know your favorite way to eat them in the comments below! And if you can’t get enough fresh tomatoes this summer, browse our entire collection of tomato recipes here.

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Garden news