Evil tomatoes, part 2

Remember the evil tomatoes? For months, people have been asking, "Are those black tomatoes?" and "What do they taste like?" and I've been answering, "Yes," and "I don't know, they're not ripe yet." We've been eagerly discussing whether they'll taste just like other tomatoes, or if they'll have some complex flavor befitting their dramatic appearance.

Well, friends, the Indigo Rose tomatoes are finally showing signs of ripening. And they still taste lousy.

Either it's still too early, or I'm doing something very, very wrong with my watering, or the folks at Oregon State still have a lot of work to do. These last ones are better than the even less ripe ones I tried earlier, but there's no intense tomato flavor, no sweetness, no acidity — they're just bland and a little mealy.

I'm really hoping they'll improve over the next weeks. If not, I may follow a friend's suggestion and use them while they're still unripe, sautéed in olive oil. I hear you can also make green tomatoes into chutney, pies, pickles, and cakes. While the cake concept seems a little questionable, I may have to try the chutney and pickles just because they'll look so damn beautiful.

Anyone got a good green tomato chutney recipe?