A sweet friend from church recently blessed me with some beautiful green tomatoes from her garden. They were so beautiful and a somewhat coveted fruit in the South. Among other things, many eat them sliced and deep-fried in a batter and dipped in ranch or enjoyed on a burger.

We did both and enjoyed them with an appetizer of Corn Fritters from my copy of Bluegrass Winners cookbook that the Mr’s Nana gave us when we married! Corn Fritters, originally of Native American roots, are another Southern staple. Nowadays, they’re a mixture of whole corn kernels milk, eggs, butter, and flour dropped into a pot of hot Crisco and bacon grease and fried until beautifully golden. After they’re salted and plunged into a dish of ranch, and these delectable goodies are a great appetizer to any Southern meal!

The Joy of Cooking supplied the recipe for the Fried Green Tomatoes. In this recipe, kelly orbs are sliced and dip in milk (I added a beaten egg to the milk to aid binding) and buried in a bunker of cornmeal, flour, & spices. They’re slipped into the same hot pot of reduced fat and fried until golden beautiful. It’s ok if verdant hues peek through, they’ll be delightful regardless. They can be enjoyed salted and dipped in ranch or atop a cheesy burger between two halves of a King’s Hawaiian hamburger bun!

The tomatoes themselves were tart and delicious with just the right amount of rustic crunch. The Joy recipe was just ok. I think it would’ve benefited from buttermilk and I could’ve used a finer cornmeal, but it was fun to try! What are your favorite recipes for green tomatoes?