Tomato Take Down

It was a sad day yesterday because it was time to take down the tomatoes. I had noticed some black spots on the leaves and the weather is now quite chilly, so a couple of people recommended taking them down. Bummer. There are two methods (at least that I know of) to choose from: 1) picking all the tomatoes from the vine, setting them inside and hoping that they ripen, or 2) cutting the entire vine and hanging the whole thing upside down in a dry place until the tomatoes ripen and fall off. I would have loved to try method #2, but really, my tomatoes were huge. (Not a metaphor.) And I've got six of them. (Certainly not a metaphor.) So I sincerely doubted that Craig would want six enormous tomato plants hanging in the garage for who knows how long. I maybe could have hung them outside, but it rains so much they'd get wet anyway.

I guess I could have just said that I picked all the tomatoes. But now you know my thought process.

The result? I laundry room crowded with five roasting pan-sized containers full of (with any luck) ripening tomatoes. I did take pictures, but I'm too lazy right now to post them. Maybe tomorrow. I have a feeling some will ripen, but if the others don't... does anyone know a good recipe for green tomatoes? I've only heard of fried green tomatoes and green tomato chutney. I'm not sure either of those sound good to me. Any ideas?

I also pulled down most of the beans. When doing so, I encountered my tiny, yet enormous, spider friend. Total hee-bee-jee-bees. I know it probably wasn't the same spider, as those spiders are everywhere around the garden and getting visibly bigger every time I walk outside. It makes sense to me now why spider webs are such a mainstay of Halloween decor. If only our spiders were more concentrated at the front door where I could just spray them with silver spray paint. That would take care of decorations and pest control.