When I was growing up, we had a big vegetable garden.  This was way up north, so each year, without fail, our garden would fall victim to at least one early frost.  This frost would easily wipe out all the tomatoes that were still trying to ripen on the vine.  Rather than lose all the tomatoes left hanging, we would pick all the tomatoes including the green ones.  So, here we were with green tomatoes all over the house, hoping they’d eventually ripen.

Of course, some would ripen, but most would not.  My Mom became quite adept at creating ways to cook and eat those green tomatoes.  Fried Green Tomatoes is popular in many households, but one of our family favorites still to this day is a Green Tomato and Pork Chop Bake.  I now actually buy green tomatoes just to make this dish.  Here’s how I throw it together:

1 – Slice onions and green tomatoes into thin circles, enough to cover the bottom of your baking dish.
2 – Grease the baking dish and lay onions in, then green tomatoes, adding salt and pepper to both layers.
3 – Brown the pork chops nicely and lay them on top of the onions and green tomatoes.
4 – Cover and bake for an hour at 350 degrees, or until the pork chops are cooked all the way through.

It’s a simple dish, but you can spice it up more if you want, even topping the pork chops with some diced red tomatoes.  Try sprinkling a little curry over the vegetables for something really different.

Does anyone have a great recipe for using up your own green tomatoes?  They really are a nice way to add a great tangy and super-fresh flavor to a lot of dishes.  If you’d care to share your favorites, I’d love to hear about them.