Green Tomatoes 101: How To Eat These Under-Appreciated Gems

by | May 5, 2020 | Farmers Depot, Grow Source Eat, Local Food, Recipes

Okay so when we think of green tomatoes, it’s pretty hard to go past ‘fried’ as the initial word association. Leaving 90’s films and southern cooking aside for a moment, these beauties offer much more culinary pleasure than you might think. It can be hard to seperate green from under-ripe with tomatoes – but really, it’s no different from a capsicum and chilli which we often eat green, or any other veg we eat young (baby carrots, corn, cucumbers and so on). 

One of our aims when scheming up the Grow / Source / Eat parcels was to reconnect eaters with the people and seasons that make our food. A huge part of this has become incorporating produce that you don’t see on supermarket, or even grocery store shelves. We value the opportunity to cook, eat and learn about new things not only because it expands our creativity and repertoire, but also because it makes use of EVERYTHING grown on a farm. Anybody who’s had a crack at growing tomatoes will know that at some point, you’ve got to get rid of those vines to put in the new seasons crop, and that throwing the green tomatoes still sitting pretty on the compost heap is heartbreaking – and an unnecessary waste.  

One of our favourite, and super-easy ways to use green tomatoes is in a quiche (Nichole’s recipe below) with all of the odd-bod veggies you have left at the end of the week, and Annemaree’s amazing eggs from Dalhousie Farm.

If you’re up for a kitchen project, here are some more delicious and do-able ideas: 

Salsa Verde

Green Tomato Pie (like apple pie – who’d have thunk it?)

Green Tomato Bread

Green Tomato & Herb Soup 

Green Tomatoes & Rice

Preserved Green Tomatoes 

The green tomatoes you’ll find in your parcel this week are from the talented hands at Remi’s Patch – who have supplied and supported us from the start with their incredible fresh produce grown just outside of Melbourne. You can read more about Remi here.

Green Tomato Quiche Serves 4  Ingredients: 
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  •  2 large green tomatoes, diced
  • Half a bunch of kale, stems removed and chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  •  3 eggs
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
Method:  Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add onion and saute until onions begin to brown, about five minutes. Add garlic, green tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes begin to soften slightly, about two minutes. Add greens to the saute and continue cooking until all of the vegetables are tender, three to five minutes. Remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste, then set aside. Crack the eggs into a small glass bowl and beat until the yolks and whites are evenly blended. Coat a nine inch pie dish with olive oil or butter. Add the vegetable saute into the dish and pour the egg mixture evenly over the vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees until the eggs have thoroughly set, about 20 minutes. Serve warm with a little bit of hot sauce or topped with cheese! You can add whatever veggies you have in your pantry to this quiche, simply add them to the sauté.  Recipe courtesy of Grow / Source / Eat superstar, Nichole Foster. 
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