Today, though, we make a green tomato pie!

Since tomatoes require warmth to turn red and my many green ones won't turn red before the frost, I'll be making pies. In my garden, I grow mostly Roma tomatoes, which are just perfect for baking. But any green tomatoes will do.

Come with me. First, let's make a crust:

Easy Pie Crust

In a large mixing bowl, gently stir these ingredients together:

2 1/2 cups flour (all purpose is fine)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

Then, take 1 cup of very cold butter (2 sticks of unsalted butter) and lay them on the flour mixture. With two dinner knives, begin cutting the butter into tiny pieces. As you cut, move the butter pieces gently into the flour so they get continuously covered with flour. This keeps the butter pieces from sticking together and combining better with the flour mixture. When you are through "cutting your butter in" - it will look like a lot of flour covered peas in your bowl.

Now, using very cold ice water, gently add about 1/3 cups of cold water in drops. Using your knives and that cutting motion (not mixing or mashing), just try to mix up the moistened flour with the dry flour evenly. To see if it's wet enough, take a large amount into your palm and try to mash the dough together into a ball. If it falls apart and will not stick, add 1 or 2 more tablespoons of ice cold water. Go slow! Once you can gather all the dough and smash it into a ball, divide it into two balls, cover and refrigerate your dough for a minimum of 30 minutes.

While your dough is resting in the refrigerator, gather together some green tomatoes and go ahead and pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees. Then,

Bake a Green Tomato Pie:

In a mixing bowl, mix these together:

1 1/3 cups of sugar (I use raw sugar)
1/4 cups of flour
1 1/4 teaspoons powdered cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt

Now, cut up your green tomatoes into bite sized chunks. Using green Roma tomatoes, I often end up just halving or quartering mine. Once you've cut up about four cups (more if you have a large pie pan), then, drop your tomato chunks into the sugar and spice mixture, tossing until they all individually coated.

Take your dough out of the fridge. Using one ball (or half the dough mixture), roll it out on a floured board of table until its large enough to cover your pie pan. Gently lift and place the dough in your pie plate, crimping edges. It's a good idea to set this in the refrigerator for a few minutes while you roll out the second ball of crust dough.

Now, let's assemble our pie. Spoon the tomato mixture into the pie pan and top with the second crust. Crimp your edges to seal the crust and make a few steam vents in the top. Brush the top crust with a little milk or yogurt and sprinkle some raw sugar on top. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes and let cool for at least 10 or 20 minutes before serving.

If you are a little adventurous, you might try adding ground cardamom, orange rind pieces and dried fig pieces to your tomato pie. You could also slice your top crust into strips and weave it for your top. Sometimes I make savory green tomato pies instead of sweet ones. For these, I'll bake them exactly the same way but replace the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg with Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and thyme. I have even added chunks of roasted garlic, eggplant and bread crumbs.

And for healthy flour options, choices include wheat, rice, graham, or unbleached. Each one has different properties and will give your crust a different consistency. Many people mix flours (such as white flour mixed with whole wheat flour) to get the perfect texture and to add nutrients.

See you tomorrow for some mint, cilantro and pepper chutney! It freezes well and it's so good with homemade bread!

After Community Hunger Day is observed (by the way, I'm observing it by going without two meals today, having had only oatmeal and coffee today) - then, let's eat my garden before it freezes. There's no better place to think about solving the world's problems, than in a garden kitchen. And, besides, we'll have all those ungreen days before April to get the world in shape.