Fried Mators

     Having a small vegetable garden has taught me a valuable lesson.  That lesson would be, if starting all plants from seed, it is a good idea to start some of them inside, a few weeks before planting season.

     This has proven to be most true with my tomato plants.  I have two tomato plants, a regular, or super beefsteak tomato, why they are called that is beyond my comprehension, and a roma tomato.
Roma tomatoes are those wonderful small firm pear shaped tomatoes that are good for salsa or just plain eating.

     Both plants are loaded with green tomatoes that will never ripen before the first frost.  Unless, of course, all the people marching in the streets about global warming and climate change are right, then I may have fresh vine ripened tomatoes for Thanksgiving dinner....but I rather doubt that.

     I asked my husband if he had ever eaten fried green tomatoes.  He could not recall ever having any and neither had I.  So, why not put some of these lovely green tomatoes to good use?  

     That thought alone should have been a warning to take notice of the Voice, who lives in my head, standing off to the side waving a red flag.

     I Googled a few recipes on how to fix fried green tomatoes and decided it should not be much different than frying up a few tasty morels in springtime.

     Having sliced up four roma tomatoes into little rounds and thinking I was quite clever, I put the eggs in a small plastic bag and smushed them.  Then I put my flour mixture in another small bag. This strategic plan was to keep me from making a huge mess.

     When the oil was hot, I placed a few slices of tomatoes into the egg bag and gently smushed them around until I was sure they were well coated.  Then, with a small pair of tongs, I placed the egged tomatoes into the flour bag, sealed the bag and shook it.

     Using the same small tongs, I reached into the bag of flour to retrieve the first slice.  I dropped it on top of the stove and watched it roll to the other side, leaving a floury trail behind it.

     Without boring you with the rest of my cooking abilities, it is safe to say that, when I was finished, the stove and surrounding counter top looked as if I had been in a fight with the Pillsbury Dough Boy.........and he won.

     Fried green tomatoes must have been the predecessor to fried pickles because that is how they tasted.  I think I will just pick the rest and see if they will sun ripen.  Ms. Sassafrass enjoys this type of harvesting.  She can drop a tomato and step on it in one fluid motion.  Such tomato-y fun.