Well…we already had frost last Wednesday night, and an intense cold front moved into southern Alberta late yesterday. Heavy rain overnight is expected to turn to snow flurries by this afternoon (it’s apparently already coming down in the north), and the whole mess is supposed to persist through Wednesday.
I picked all of my tomatoes yesterday morning – vine ripening at minus 2 degrees Celsius or colder is a pleasant concept, but tricky to achieve. Anyone know a good green tomato recipe? (I’m not keen on them fried!).
(From the Capitol Hill Community Garden, Calgary, Alberta – photograph taken 6 September 2014)
I know this chilly blip on the weather radar won’t last, and we’ll have more sunshine and warmth before long, but this zinnia and I are thinking about packing our bags and heading south. Like South Pacific south, where spring is just arriving. I was talking with someone a couple of days ago and we were laughing about how weather-obsessed we Canadians are – but you can’t blame us, can you?
Okay, you know I’m going to ask it: How’s the weather where you live?
Flowery Prose 
We’re enjoying mid-70’s here in Kansas, although this week is supposed to give us some 30’s (Fahrenheit), which is low for September. Early winter? Long winter? Here in Kansas, we share your obsession with the weather!
I sure hope now that this snowstorm has finally blown itself out here that winter-like weather stays away for a couple more months – we need a break! 30 degrees does sound a bit chilly for Kansas in September – hope it didn’t last for you.
I am struggling to think it might be Autumn and am still clinging to the last of the summer sun here in the east of the UK, I can really understand if you have signs of snow already why you obsess over the weather. Can you really fry Green tomatoes, – I have lots that are not ripening, what do they taste like?
We enjoy them battered…very tasty and slightly tangy
Maybe I ought to try them battered? – perhaps I would prefer them done up that way! I’ve only ever eaten them without coating.
Fried green tomatoes are indeed tangy – very much like tomatillos. I suspect the reason I don’t care for them has to do with the types of recipes I’ve tried. Someone suggested making salsa with green tomatoes – I think that’s what I’m going to do instead!
Fried green tomatoes are awesome, Julie. I’m actually getting tired of them. Some do them up in slices with a coating on each slice like fried chicken. Green tomato pickle is also very nice.
http://canadiancats.wordpress.com
Thanks tons for the suggestions! It’s really been great to hear from everyone about the green tomatoes – so many recipes to try!
I am not ready for winter……still warm here down south in Midwest Illinois:-) Don’t envy you at all! Brrrrr..I am not ready for:-)
I’m glad you’re still getting the warmth there! The storm we just came out of was brutal – I’ve never seen anything like it in September. We’ve had snow here in September (we’ve even had it in July and August), but nothing like this.
In Minnesota, we are also big weather watchers. Beautiful sunny day today and 70F but later this week we will get cold rain and probably one night a bit above the first frost.
Oh I do hope the frost holds off for you a bit longer and the sunshine stays.
SNOWING here.
The green tomatoes should just ripen off the vine. Our friends used to just ripen their green tomatoes in empty ice cream pails. I covered mine when I saw the white stuff, hopefully I was in time.
I threw all the tomatoes in a box between layers of newspaper – they seem to be ripening slowly. Someone told me to put a cut up piece of apple in the box – the ethylene the apple gives off will speed up the ripening process. May try that.
I hope none of the trees in your yard broke during the storm.
We were lucky, we didn’t get near the amount of snow calgary did. Hopefully or crab apples are still useable as my children have discovered spiced crab apples.
I made spiced crabapples a few years ago – very delicious! Hope you get a chance to salvage some from your trees.
Slightly off topic, have you ever made rose hip jelly?
You said that four letter word that starts with “s” and ends with “w.” OMG I’m not ready. Please say it isn’t so. I brought quite a few green tomatoes in last year and they ripened on the counter. Good luck and don’t send that weather south to us. 🙂
I definitely wouldn’t wish that storm on anyone – it was horrible! Three days of insanity and now the clean up begins….
I have ripened tomatoes on a shelf in my livingroom but I have so many they won’t fit this time! I’ve put them in a box with some newspapers and that seems to be working.
Crazy, crazy snow! Wishing you a quick return to more traditional fall weather.
Thanks! We sure deserve a proper fall after that wallop!
No kidding!
Hi Sherry, Waking up this morning to white spruce trees outside, I recall my first winter in Canada when we had six months winter and I was wondering how on earth one can make a living in this country. Then a radio announcer quoted a Bible verse: “This too will pass”. Green tomatoes: I recall my mom making some sort of sweet-sour pickles; it tasted good, but I don’t have the recipe. Just make sweet-sour pickles and instead of cucumbers use green tomatoes. Love Grandpa
Hi, Grandpa – hope you and Grace are doing well! I don’t know if you received as much snow there as we did – that storm was something else! I’m so sad to see all the damaged trees.
One of the other community gardeners (who was also picking all of her green tomatoes before the weather got ugly) suggested pickles as well – I will check online and see if I can find a recipe. As you say, I can just make a substitution. I’ve never eaten pickled tomatoes, but I bet they’re delicious. If I make them, I’ll definitely bring you some the next time we visit! Hugs to you both!
It’s been really hot and humid here in Brooklyn, NY today is cooler around 78 degrees’. Snow already, oh no!!
Sounds lovely there, and I bet it’s pretty with all the leaves changing colour. We’re at least finally receiving some sunshine today. The past few days have been nothing but grey skies and blowing snow.
Well, I am south, way south south, so come on over. On second thoughts, wait a bit. We’ve been known to have frosts and snow in spring time.
LOL after what we’ve just been through, I’m ready to take a chance on your spring! 😉
Hi Sheryl. That’s a bit chilly for September. How about chutney with the tomatoes? Shame I don’t have a recipe for you – my auntie’s famous one got lost and she’s long gone! Here we are having a warm and humid spell after a much cooler August than normal. The swallows are only just leaving us to fly south for winter, so I think that’s a good sign for a long mild autumn as they are often gone mid-August. Stay warm and hope the sun comes back soon!
Chutney sounds like a great idea – I’m thinking maybe I’ll try a small batch of that and another of salsa. Unless I can get the tomatoes to ripen a bit quicker, that is!
I do hope you have a mild autumn there, and plenty of sunshine yet! 🙂
Hfffi Sheryl, We just came out of a hot spell…..75F early morn and getting to 90’s and very dry. We had a good rainstorm over the weekend and it’s cooled down but we could use a good rain. I just saw the Old Farmers Almanac winter prediction on FB…….it wasn’t pretty!
I saw that prediction as well – yikes! We could be in for it. I hope you receive a gentle, soaking rain – something restorative for the garden!
We left Calgary and drove to Saskatchewan where it rained, rather than snowed, but we are getting frost at night! Yes, we Canadians are weather obsessed, it gives us (safe) common ground to share, and we all know gardening and weather go hand in hand, what we do in our gardens is weather dependent! I am hoping the weather improves at least a little!
You really had incredibly good timing for your trip! The damage to all the trees here is staggering – at least the power is back on today and things are sort of getting back to normal.
ps, how about green tomato chutney http://www.instructables.com/id/Grans-Green-Tomato-Chutney/ for your green tomatoes!
Awesome – thanks tons for posting a recipe! As I mentioned to Cathy above, I think I am going to give that a try! Great idea!
Pop over and visit me for a few days, lovely here at the moment!
That would be so delightful! 🙂
Ugh. That was not what I expected to hear. Please keep the cold and snow up there for a few more weeks!
It has been a bit of a shock to the system, that’s for sure. I think it has finally blown itself out, though, so no worries about it spreading! 😉
We are weather obsessed here too. We have had a few nights of near frost already but this week the day time temperatures have risen to seasonal normal again, (at last!) after the coolest August for many years. My mother makes Green Tomato Chutney which is luscious but she is unwell at the moment and I daren’t ask her to give me the recipe at the moment. I see that other people have recommended it too.
I hope your mother gets better very soon!
Thank you for the suggestion for the green tomatoes – I am definitely going to try the chutney; Janice above sent a link to a recipe which looks pretty tasty. Glad your September weather has rebounded, with warmer temperatures.
I have to say that watching the weather these days I thought – glad we live in Ontario! I am sure we’ll get our fair share but a bit later (I hope)…
I saw on the news that Ontario had some heavy rainfall in some areas – hopefully not too bad in your location. Sure hope the snow stays away for a few months….
Oh I don’t want to hear the S-word. WE are cooling down to the low 60s and low 40s at night and it is supposed to last so there goes the veg garden…..ugh!
Is that early for you, or seasonal? It’s always so sad to have to put the veggie garden to bed for the season….
SNOW?! Oh no . . . I can’t fathom that. We’ve been in Ireland with very fine weather; upstate New York is going to in to full autumn mode . . .
The leaves haven’t even had a chance to change colour here! Crazy! I imagine it is so beautiful in New York in autumn….
Oh poor Sheryl!!! No Fall? Surely that snow will not stay as yet until spring! The weather here in Southern Ohio was still brutally hot and sticky but finally some cooler fall weather is around the corner.
About those green tomatoes…if you still have them: use them instead of apples in a good apple pie recipe and instead of using cinnamon and the likes, use thyme of rosemary: you will be pleasantly surprised!
I LOVE the idea of substituting the green tomatoes for apples in a pie – that’s right up my alley! I do still have quite a few left, and I even have some fresh thyme. Thank you for the suggestion! 🙂
I did end up making a pie with some of the tomatoes – but in the end, I opted for a sweet version. I added a few raisins and some apple slices as well as a tiny bit of cinnamon. It was absolutely delicious! I would never have thought of this idea…next time, I will try the more savoury recipe to compare. Thank you for the suggestion, Johanna!
Have a fabulous week!
Too hot, frankly. But…it’s not snowing, so there’s that.
We’ll gladly take just a bit of your heat…then we can both have a happy medium! 🙂
I like the idea of weather trades. If only we could pull that off.
That zinnia is beautiful!
I spent 10 hours on a motorcycle ride yesterday … started in rain, 70 degrees, headed south and rode in warm temps under cloudy skies, rode home in fall weather – cool and windy.
Quite the mix
Wow, that definitely covers nearly everything! So changeable at this time of year….
Have a wonderful week!
Absolutely breathtaking sunflowers….I’m jealous…we have had our first killer frost.
(((Shoko)))
Thank you! Unfortunately, the early wet snow completely decimated all the sunflowers we grew at the community garden this year (we didn’t have as many as last year, which I guess was a good thing in the end). So much damage to all the plants! Sigh…I guess it’s that time of year, isn’t it? So sad to have to put the garden to bed! It seems like we just started planting seeds….
Have a wonderful week!
Just come across your blog – and I’ve been complaining about rain in October in Scotland. Anyway, the best thing to do with green tomatoes (if you’ve got any left) is to make marmalade. See my blog post last week
http://reclaimingparadise.wordpress.com/2014/09/28/green-tomato-marmalade/
Jackie