Green Shoulders

[Black Krim]

Nice article. Definitely challenges the folklore.

I too noticed the tips of my plants nipped by the deer, the plants near their path. As for the other nightshades, we call one "poison berry" to help the children avoid it so I have long forgotten the correct name but it is the only plant left standing in my sheep pens. All else will be bare so I must go thru and rip up plants before the seeds are sufficiently ripe. It also has the repulsive pungent smell like tomatos.

Im all for using the whole plant.... would be great if these leaves could be used for either human or animal feed, even if in small amounts.

The body NEEDS cholesterol to make too many vital biochemicals to name. The problem generally is that the cholesterol is not kept in storage ( inside cells) due to bad diet and it s used to patch microsopic damage to blood vessels due to that bad diet ( become plaques).


The cancer aspect will have me looking into more details on that. IMO we humans have become cancer prone, and anything to battle cancer cells has my attention.

Specifically looked for green shouldered varieties to order. Looks like anything "black" and a few others are noteable.

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by Black Krim

The body NEEDS cholesterol to make too many vital biochemicals to name. The problem generally is that the cholesterol is not kept in storage ( inside cells) due to bad diet and it s used to patch microsopic damage to blood vessels due to that bad diet ( become plaques).

Yes, cholesterol is not the villain most people think it is. But lipid metabolism is a really complex area. Just because dietary cholesterol is something most of us shouldn't be worried about doesn't mean that this is the case for everyone. Some people do have health problems related to cholesterol metabolism, and a relatively non-toxic way to affect this that may not only have fewer side effects than currently available therapies but may also carry other health benefits could be significant. It's an interesting area to research.

At any rate, I'm not even talking about medical applications. The main point is that there's almost no support for the idea that tomatine is harmful when consumed normally in the form of tomatoes or even small amounts of tomato foliage and evidence that it may, to the contrary, have a range of subtle health-boosting benefits, just like many other botanical compounds in the vegetables, fruits, and herbs we eat.

Originally Posted by Black Krim

The cancer aspect will have me looking into more details on that. IMO we humans have become cancer prone, and anything to battle cancer cells has my attention.

I seriously doubt we could get enough plant compounds in the amount of food we could eat in a normal diet to really have a big effect on things like cancer. It's interesting for medical research. It may provide insight into new potential treatments, etc.

[Black Krim]

I seriously doubt we could get enough plant compounds in the amount of food we could eat in a normal diet to really have a big effect on things like cancer. It's interesting for medical research. It may provide insight into new potential treatments, etc.

Glad the green is a good thing!!

Given the high cancer rate in my family, as in " when not if", I have realized that the medical field is still primarily focused on the money making treatments and only starting to invest money into research on prevention. My personal experience is that little is gained from appointments with the best oncologists in the prevention of; they aren't there yet. Im on my own... and cant wait for research and field trials to catch up.

I can only look at anecdotal data to evaluate possible lifestyle changes. For example my mother did not develop a cancer until well into her 70's but her mother was dead and buried by her early 60s. I attribute this to a lifestyle difference: clean water from a well, eating lots of homegrown veg, and not living in a small city. SHe eats 6 almonds a day, just in case.

Would be nice to have the hard core data for sure, but till then....

green shouldered tomatos!!! ANd probably green tomatos too.

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by Black Krim

green shouldered tomatos!!! ANd probably green tomatos too.

All are delicious!

I actually really love green (unripe) tomatoes. They make great pickles (better than cucumber pickles, IMO), refreshing, zippy salsa, a good sauce after they've been oven roasted until slightly caramelized (very nice on pasta and crusty bread with garlic and herbs), and of course I like them fried.

I also really like green-when-ripe tomatoes as a genre.

[Cole_Robbie]

Gorbelly, you might like Chef's Choice Green. I haven't tried it, but it looks like they bred it to stay like an unripe fruit even when mature.

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by gorbelly

All are delicious!

I actually really love green (unripe) tomatoes. They make great pickles (better than cucumber pickles, IMO), refreshing, zippy salsa, a good sauce after they've been oven roasted until slightly caramelized (very nice on pasta and crusty bread with garlic and herbs), and of course I like them fried.

I also really like green-when-ripe tomatoes as a genre.

Pickled tomatos? Spill!!!

[jmsieglaff]

Originally Posted by Black Krim

Pickled tomatos? Spill!!!

My wife's aunt and uncle do this with their green cherry tomatoes before frost. I was very skeptical, but they are absolutely delicious. Just use your favorite pickling recipe and use tomatoes instead of cucumbers or green beans or whatever you typically pickle.

[gorbelly]

Originally Posted by Black Krim

Pickled tomatos? Spill!!!

When making pickles, you can can treat them exactly the same as cucumbers--use the same recipes, etc., both refrigerator pickles and canned pickles. I don't like bread and butter pickles made with cucumbers, but I love them when made with green tomatoes.

They also make good chutney and salsa. If I knock off a green tomato during the warm months here and there and I don't feel like frying it, I throw it into pestos or chimichurris. Adds nice zip and interest.

I also made green tomato jam this fall, and it was great. I made a bunch of red tomato jam as well from some of the late-season fruit that isn't at the peak of flavor, and it made a nice set to give out for the holidays.

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

My wife's aunt and uncle do this with their green cherry tomatoes before frost. I was very skeptical, but they are absolutely delicious. Just use your favorite pickling recipe and use tomatoes instead of cucumbers or green beans or whatever you typically pickle.

They also make an interesting substitute for olives in cocktails!

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Gorbelly, you might like Chef's Choice Green. I haven't tried it, but it looks like they bred it to stay like an unripe fruit even when mature.

Huh. I thought it was just a hybrid GWR. I had planned to grow Chef'f Choice Green one day out of curiosity to see how it compares in taste to OP GWRs. Thanks for the suggestion!

[Gardeneer]

I make green tomato pickles at the end of season. To me, they make a better pickle than cucumber with that natural tang and acidity and they stay crunchier too. I prefer the ones with less seeds and fully green. No cherry type. Add some celery for aroma,

Back to Green Shoulders ; I recall Black Krim never lost that greenish hue. I found Paul Robson to be similar whereas Black From Tula and Indian Stripe get real nice uniform purple color. But I will try BK this coming season along with 2 other dark tomatoes.

[NarnianGarden]

gorbelly: Can you please share your delicious green tomato jam recipe in the food section? I have not come across anything similar elsewhere, on-line or not. (ripe tomato jam, yes, and will try that too) Thanks!

[Ricky Shaw]

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

Gorbelly, you might like Chef's Choice Green. I haven't tried it, but it looks like they bred it to stay like an unripe fruit even when mature.

At 90 days to maturity it's the longest to ripen of any hybrid I've seen. The pink and orange Chef's Choice are 75 day, ironic to wait 2 weeks longer for a green tomato.

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by NarnianGarden

gorbelly: Can you please share your delicious green tomato jam recipe in the food section? I have not come across anything similar elsewhere, on-line or not. (ripe tomato jam, yes, and will try that too) Thanks!

This thread too pleeeeeeeaaaaaase. Or a link.

[Black Krim]

Gorbelly. As a green tomato expert, what should I start with. I tried several last season but failed to recognise them. My brain is still wired for red and orange. Late in the season, my last vine , I tried a green cherry because suddenly I remembered....liked the unusual taste.

Suggestions for easy green varieties?

[Black Krim]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

I make green tomato pickles at the end of season. To me, they make a better pickle than cucumber with that natural tang and acidity and they stay crunchier too. I prefer the ones with less seeds and fully green. No cherry type. Add some celery for aroma,

Back to Green Shoulders ; I recall Black Krim never lost that greenish hue. I found Paul Robson to be similar whereas Black From Tula and Indian Stripe get real nice uniform purple color. But I will try BK this coming season along with 2 other dark tomatoes.

The flavor of BK was unbeleivable. Mine were small , boatshaped. Big green shoulders. But they survived the drought. ..which may have intensified the flavor. And had cracks. A disaster of a plant and fruit. I will grow it again!

[Cole_Robbie]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

At 90 days to maturity it's the longest to ripen of any hybrid I've seen.

I think they must have been trying to make the DTM be longer, if the point is to eat them before they mature. And once again I haven't tried it, but I am also thinking it will have a low water content and therefore a long shelf life.

As a market grower, I have given up on trying to sell any GWR except striped ones like Zebra Rita and Lucinda. No one will buy a tomato that looks like an unripe red. I have to bully people, or at least feel like I am, into even getting them to try a free one. They think I am trying to play a prank on them by getting them to bite into something sour. The few people who do take the free one and try it will always say it is the sweetest tomato they ever tasted, eat the rest of it, and then tell me they just can't wrap their minds around it being green, and walk off.

Dwarf Jade Beauty, the saladette Esmerelda Golosina, and the cherry-sized Green Doctor's Frosted are the sweetest GWR I have had. Malachite Box is excellent, sweet with a little added complexity. Green Tiger & Lucky Tiger from the Artisan cherries are very good, too.