TREE TOMATOES

New Zealand Listener, Volume 10, Issue 256, 19 May 1944, Page 23

TREE TOMATOES

established as one of the regular seasonal fruits to which we look forward, although only a few years ago they were considered an "acquired taste.’ The fact that they can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes makes them particularly useful. People are experimenting with them, too, and making up tasty, original dishes. Don’t forget to skin them always before using — by putting them into boiling water for a minute or two, and then stripping off the skin, like ordinary tomatoes. With Kidney and Bacon Slice up rather thickly your skinned tree tomatoes and cook slowly in a small saucepan, with a very little grated onion, a seasoning of sugar, salt and pepper, a tablespoonful of butter, and a spoonful or so of water or vegetable stock. Serve with fried kidneys and bacon, or with liver and bacon or with fried sausages, or even with fried Bread. With Left-over Meat Any cold meat- mutton, beef or rabbit-cup up very finely, or minced. Grease a casserole or pie dish, and line thickly with cooked macaroni, then put alternate layers of sliced tree tomatoes -and minced meat. Finish with another thick layer of cooked macaroni, sprinkle with a few bits of diced bacon, and cover all with browned breadcrumbs. Bake in a fairly hot oven for about an hour. With Salad Skinned, sliced tree tomatoes give a delightful tang to a salad of lettuce and celery. They are equally nice in a fruit salad. Do not put too much, however, only enough to flavour, but not predominate. As Breakfast Fruit (Baked) Cut the skinned tree tomatoes in halves, lengthwise, and just cover them with water in a casserole. Add lemon juice to taste, or a few pieces of rhu-barb-and a little sugar. Put the lid on, and bake slowly in oven, so that they are not pulped. If you have neither thubarb nor lemon, flavour them with a very little vanilla. Tree Tomato and ‘Apple Jam This is delicious. Skin and cut up 3lb. tree tomatoes, peel and mince IIb. green apples. Put on to boil with 2 teacups of water. When boiling, add 4lb. sugar, stir continually till properly dissolved, then boil fast for about an hour, or until it will set when tested. Add the juice of one or two lemons when nearly done. This adds piquancy to the flavour as well as helping it to set. Put in hot jars and seal at once. Tree Tomato Jelly Use rather unripe fruit, cut them up with skins on, and make like any other jelly-just barely cover with water, boil till very soft and-,pulpy, strain through muslin or bag all night. Next day, measure juice, bring to the boil, add cup for cup of sugar and stir TOMATOES are now well

till well dissolved, then boil fast, adding the juice of one or two lemons when nearly done. Test on cold saucer. Tree Tomato Jam Wipe tree tomatoes, put in basin and cover with boiling water. Leave 1 hour. Lift out and skin them, slice and put back in that same water. Leave 24 hours. Add %lb. sugar to 1lb. fruit, and boil till will set when tested. Add juice of 1 or 2 lemons when nearly done. Tree Tomato and Melon Jam Two pounds tree tomatoes, 6lb. sugar, 4lb. melon, 2 pints boiling water, 1 lével teaspoon citric or tartaric acid, or juice of 2 or 3 lemons. Peel and cut melon into dice. Pour the 2 pints boiling water over clean tomatoes. Stand in a hot place for 15 minutes, then skin tomatoes and cut them up. Pour the water they were soaked in over the melon and cut up tomatoes. Bring to the boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add sugar, stir till dissolved, then boil till nearly done. Then add acid or lemon juice, and boil till it will set when tested. Pot hot, and seal cold. Tree Tomato Chutney About 3lb. tree tomatoes, skinned and cut up, with ilb. onions and 144lIb. apples, a pint of vinegar, 2%2lb. brown sugar, half packet mixed spice, 1 tablespoon of salt and a scant half-teaspoon of cayenne. This should not need more than an hour’s boiling. It will make about 54%4lb. The only chutney that is better with onions than with garlic,