By some extraordinary piece of luck, every year a tomato plant that I never planted pops up and makes its appearance in my garden.
The plant grows and grows into a jungle with stalks that I hold up with a multitude of stakes and ties. It reminds me of Jack and the Beanstalk (am I dating myself with that one?). And the stalks are loaded, absolutely loaded, with what becomes the sweetest, most delicious cherry tomatoes ever.
I am guessing that the thing grows from a seed or two that must have planted itself from either some other plant somewhere (but not my garden because I don’t have other plants with this variety of tomato) or maybe from the remains of some outdoor patio lunch or dinner at which I served that kind of tomato.
Whatever the reason, the plant comes back every year in the same place, just as thick and fecund as ever.
Nature is glorious.
But of course, after a while the cold weather comes and dozens of tomatoes are still growing and I have to harvest them before the frost. They’re green of course, so, what to do?
In past years I’ve breaded and fried the small green tomatoes. These glorious tidbits are crunchy outside and soft inside and when you bite into them you get a spurt of fresh, tart tomato juice. They are really good as hors d’oeuvre.
I’ve also used the tomatoes to make chutney. I cooked this new version recently, because I had some apples and grapes on hand.
We love chutney as a side relish with roasted meat and chicken. I also serve it on crackers spread with a bit of cream cheese and have used a thin layer on top of cheese to make a super delicious and unusual grilled cheese sandwich.
Green Tomato, Grape and Apple Chutney
2 cups green cherry tomatoes, halved (or use chopped green tomatoes)
2 cups seedless grapes
1 cup raisins
2 apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 dried chili peppers (or one small chopped fresh chili pepper)
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
Place the tomatoes, grapes, raisins, apples, onions, garlic, ginger, vinegar, brown sugar, water, salt, chili peppers, mustard seed and coriander in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-1/2 to 3 hours or until very thick.
Makes about one quart