Yoyo Survival Garden Bounty; Green Tomato Chutney

Florida Permaculture Garden Green Tomato Chutney 

Judy brought a huge pail of wild cherry and grape tomatoes from the front yard Yoyo survival garden into the house yesterday morning.

Our Yoyo survival garden provides us with many tomatoes each day.

The three hens absolutely love tomatoes and we have found that a great hack for encouraging those sometimes stubborn chickens to saunter back into their coop at night.  Simply toss a handful of juicy wild cherry tomatoes through the coop door and they run inside.  

I didn't come up with the chutney idea myself, Judy suggested it.  She doesn't eat tomatoes like I do so I was free to make whatever I wanted with the green, orange and red harvest.

Florida PermacultureTomatoes Diced for Chutney

Green tomato chutney sounded like a great idea to me.  And I love a good condiment.

Our kitchen is usually full of fresh vegetables and fruits.  Gathering ingredients was as much fun as finding eggs on a childhood Easter hunt.

My chutney to be ingredients included;

• four pounds diced garden fresh wild and grape tomatoes
• an entire head of garlic, peeled and diced
• one overly ripe plantain, sliced
• one ripe banana
• one half cup raisins
• one large Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
• one green bell pepper, deseeded and chopped
• six garden fresh banana peppers, deseeded and chopped
• half cup apple cider vinegar
• two tablespoons Ume plum vinegar
• one tablespoon powdered ginger
• two tablespoons powdered cinnamon
• one half teaspoon powdered nutmeg (optional)
• two tablespoons powdered turmeric
• two tablespoons sesame seeds
• and one fourth cup all natural creamy peanut butter (optional)

The post full of chutney ingredients was brought to a light boil, covered with a glass lid then allowed to simmer for an hour.

Florida Permaculture Green Tomato Chutney Simmering

I really enjoy the taste of the creamy peanut butter however would consider this ingredient optional, especially when serving to those with peanut allergies.

Chutney is expensive to buy in the grocery stores.  The four pounds of tomatoes yielded a gallon and a half of chutney, a tasty treasure.

I bottled up a quart mason jar full and gave to our always appreciative neighbors.  The rest is in the refrigerator.  Some of the chutney will go into pint containers then into the freezer.  Canning is another option.

Dicing the four pounds or so of front yard Yoyo survival garden tomatoes took an hour or so.  Good blade practice too.  And the time spent preparing the chutney was of course a great way to slip in relaxation therapy.  There is something good about touching, tasting and smelling fresh food ingredients and I thought about how my ancestors spent time doing much of the same. 

Slow, hand fashioned fresh foods are much different in essence than industrial packaged 'stuff' for sure.

Florida Permaculture Wild Cherry Tomatoes

If you are considering highly productive tomatoes as a crop I can recommend wild cherries for Florida (especially Matt's Wild Cherry tomatoes or Everglades tomatoes).  Be aware though, they can be invasive and take over your landscape.  They also make a successful green roof vegetable (or fruit).

And remember to find fulfillment in your Yoyo survival garden daily (You're On Your Own).  Always prepping with permaculture!