A Harvest of Green Tomatoes
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by Julie Cascio
Growing ripe tomatoes in Alaska is a challenge, and gardeners often find themselves with an abundance of green tomatoes from greenhouses and gardens at the end of the season.
When frosty temperatures threaten your tomato crop, pick ripened and mature green fruit. Harvest tomatoes from vigorous vines since tomatoes from nearly spent vines are more subject to decay. Pick tomatoes before the vines are killed by frost.
After harvest, the quality of the end product will be better the sooner the green tomatoes can be processed or used.
If you choose to hold them before use, store green tomatoes in a cool place (55°F
to 60°F), in moderate humidity and with good air circulation.
Green tomatoes are low in calories and a good source of potassium and vitamins A and
C.
Ripening Green Tomatoes
You may choose to ripen some of the tomatoes before using them.
Method One
Pull the tomato plants up by their roots before frost. Hang them in the garage or crawl space where temperatures are 50°F or higher. The fruit will ripen over an extended period.
Method Two
Harvest tomatoes before the vines freeze. Rinse and dry them before storing. Mature green tomatoes can be wrapped individually in paper or stored unwrapped. The most rapid ripening occurs at 65°F to 70°F. Those ripened at 60°F are firmer and have less decay than fruits ripened at 70°F, although it takes longer. A high relative humidity (around 85 to 90 percent) prevents shriveling. Light is not needed to ripen the tomatoes.
Check tomatoes every few days to monitor the ripening. Remove the ripe ones and any
that have begun to decay. Store ripened tomatoes in a cool storage 
area up to one month. Generally, tomatoes store best at 55°F to 60°F in moderate humidity
and with good air circulation. Do not store below 50°F or they will spoil.
Mature Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes will ripen better if they have reached “mature green.” At the mature green stage, tomatoes are almost full grown, but do not yet show pink color. Cream-colored streaks are noticeable at the blossom end. The skin is tougher and not easily broken or rubbed loose when scraped with the thumbnail, and the fruit yields more readily to slight hand pressure.
Tomatoes are considered mature enough if the pulp that surrounds the seeds has become jellylike and the seeds slip aside and cannot be cut by a sharp knife when the fruit is sliced.
Immature Tomatoes
Tomatoes that have not developed the jellylike condition and have soft, white seeds that are easily cut are too immature for harvesting with the hope of ripening.
Immature tomatoes, if they ripen, ripen much slower than mature green tomatoes and usually shrivel in the ripening process. This results in poorly colored fruits that have a tough texture and an inferior quality.
Cooking with Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes can be fried, sautéed or cooked in sauces and meat stews. They can be used as a pickle relish and even made into bread or cake.
Fried Green Tomatoes
- ⅓ cup flour or cornmeal (or a mixture)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 egg plus 1 teaspoon water
- 4 to 6 green tomatoes, cut horizontally in ½-inch slices
- vegetable oil
About 30 minutes before serving, combine flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Beat egg slightly with water. Dip tomato slices in egg mixture, then dip in flour mixture. Coat both sides.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When water dropped on the skillet surface sizzles, fry tomato slices, a few at a time, until golden. Turn and brown other side. Drain on paper towels. Add more oil as needed.
Green Tomato Egg Bake
- 4 slices bread, cubed
- 2 green tomatoes, thinly sliced
- 4 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded
- 3 eggs
- 1½ cups milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square pan.
Spread bread crumbs evenly in bottom of pan. Layer with tomato slices, then cheese.
In a bowl, whisk together milk, salt, paprika and dry mustard. Pour over layers in pan. Bake 40 minutes or until puffy and brown. Serve immediately.
Stewed Green Tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons minced onion
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cups sliced green tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon curry powder
- 1 tablespoon parsley (for garnish)
Sauté onions in vegetable oil in saucepan over medium heat until light brown. Add the green tomatoes. Stir and cook the tomatoes slowly until they are tender.
Season with salt, paprika and curry powder. Garnish with parsley.
Colorado State University Extension
Green Tomato Bread
- 2 cups small green tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ⅓ cup shortening
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1¾ cup sifted flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
Cook 2 cups of small green tomatoes until soft. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and purée in blender. This will make about 1 cup of puree.
Cream together shortening and sugar; add eggs and beat well. In another bowl, sift together dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with 1 cup tomato puree, blending well after each addition. Stir in nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until done. Remove from pan, cool on rack. Wrap and store.
Recipe from The Versatile Green Tomato
Green Tomato Pie
- 3 cups thinly sliced green tomatoes
- 1⅓ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons lemon juice 1
- pie shell, unbaked
- 3 tablespoons butter or margarine
Combine tomatoes, sugar, flour, salt and lemon juice. Pour into pie shell. Dot with butter. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake 30 minutes. Yield: 6 servings.
Recipe from The Versatile Green Tomato
Green Tomato Cake
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup raisins
- ½ cup chopped nuts
- 4 cups diced green tomatoes
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat until creamy. Sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, soda and salt. Add raisins and nuts to dry mixture; add dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Mix well. Add diced tomatoes and mix well. Pour into the prepared 9x13- inch pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until wooden pick inserted into cake comes out clean.
Preserving Tomatoes
Freezing Green Tomatoes
Select firm, sound green tomatoes. Wash, core and slice or dice them, depending on intended use. Place in rigid freezer containers. For slices that will be fried, put freezer paper between the layers for easier removal. Allow ½ inch headspace inside the container. Cover tightly, leaving as little air inside the package as possible. Label and freeze at 0°F or lower.
Green Tomato Pie Filling
(about 7 quart jars)
- 4 quarts chopped green tomatoes
- 3 quarts peeled and chopped tart apples
- 2 cups water ½ cup vinegar (5 percent)
- 1 cup bottled lemon juice
- 1 pound dark seedless raisins
- 1 pound white raisins
- 2½ cups white sugar
- 2½ cups brown sugar
- ¼ cup minced citron, lemon peel or orange peel
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook slowly, stirring often, until tender and slightly thickened (about 35 to 40 minutes). Fill jars with hot mixture, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids and process pint or quart jars 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. (See final section for instructions on using a boiling water canner.)
Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2015. Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, United States Department of Agriculture.
Spiced Green Tomatoes
(about 4 pint jars)
- 6 pounds small whole green tomatoes
- 9 cups sugar
- 1 pint cider vinegar (5 percent)
- 1 tablespoon whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice
- 2 sticks cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon whole mace or
- ½ tablespoon ground mace
Small, green fig or plum tomatoes zare suitable for this pickle. Wash, scald and peel. Make a syrup of the sugar, vinegar and spices. Drop in the whole tomatoes and boil until they become translucent.
Pack tomatoes into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Strain syrup and cover tomatoes, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids. Process pint jars 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. (See final section for instructions on using a boiling water canner.)
So Easy to Preserve, 6th edition. University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service.
Pickled Green Tomato Relish
(about 8 pint jars)
- 10 pounds small, hard green tomatoes
- 1½ pounds red bell peppers
- 1½ pounds green bell peppers
- 2 pounds onions
- ½ cup canning salt
- 1 quart water
- 4 cups sugar
- 1 quart vinegar (5 percent)
- ⅓ cup prepared mustard
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Sterilize canning jars.* Wash and coarsely grate or finely chop tomatoes, peppers and onions. Dissolve salt in water and pour over vegetables in a large saucepot. Heat to boiling and simmer 5 minutes. Drain vegetables and return to saucepot. Add sugar, vinegar, mustard and cornstarch. Stir to mix. Heat to boiling and simmer 5 minutes. Fill hot, sterilized* pint jars with hot relish, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims. Adjust lids.
Process filled pint jars 5 minutes in a boiling water canner. (See next section for instructions on using a boiling water canner.)
*To sterilize jars, submerge in boiling water for 10 minutes. Keep hot until ready to fill.
Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2015. Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, United States Department of Agriculture.
Processing in a Boiling Water Canner
To process in a boiling water canner, follow these steps:
❦ Fill the canner halfway with water. Preheat water to 180°F. Load filled jars, fitted with lids, into the canner, placing on the rack. When full, lower the rack into the canner. Or, fill the canner with the jars, one at a time, using the jar lifter to set them on the rack at the bottom. Keep the jar upright at all times. Tilting the jar could cause food to spill into the sealing area of the lid.
❦ Add more boiling water, if needed, so the water level is at least 1 inch above jar tops. Turn heat to its highest position until water boils vigorously. Cover the canner with its lid. Set a timer for recommended time. Keep the canner covered and maintain a boil through the process. The heat setting may be lowered slightly to maintain a complete boil throughout the processing time.
Add more boiling water, if needed, to keep the water level above the jars.
❦ When the jars have been boiled for the recommended time, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Using a jar lifter, remove the jars and place them on a towel, leaving at least 1 inch of space between the jars during cooling.
❦ After cooling jars for 12 to 24 hours, remove the screw bands and test seals. Press the middle of the lid with a finger. If the lid springs up when you release your finger, the lid is unsealed. If a lid fails to seal on a jar, remove the lid and check the rim of the jar for tiny nicks. If necessary, change the jar, add a new, properly prepared lid, and reprocess within 24 hours using the same processing time. Alternately, adjust headspace to 1 ½ inches and freeze or store in the refrigerator and use within three to five days.
❦ If lids are tightly sealed on cooled jars, remove screw bands, wash the lid and
jar to remove food residue, then rinse and dry jars. Label and date the jars. 
Store in a clean, cool, dark, dry place. Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2015.
Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, United States Department of Agriculture.
Julia Cascio, Extension Faculty Health, Home and Family Development.
Revised February 2021