If I can offer a suggestion...

I think the word 'save' may be a channeling your thoughts down a limited path.

If they are showing any blush at all, they should ripen just fine eventually. However, if they are pre-blush, think fried green tomatoes...

You can try them a few different ways. The southern classic is a breading made from cornmeal seasoned with salt and pepper. You change that up with any blend of grain flour or meal and any seasoning of herbs and spices you wish.

If you prefer, you can try a wet batter, or tempura.

Or, you could do one of my favs and just use them plain in a stir fry (although, admittedly, I like a slightly blushed fruit for that use.)

Slicing, or cutting into chunks, brushing them with olive oil, lightly seasoning with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and then grilling is also tasty.

You get the idea... 'saving' them as what we preconceive as a red ripe tomato is only necessary if we've tried, and dislike cooked green tomatoes.

I've ripened completely green tomatoes many times successfully on the counter, shoulders down. Takes longer than if they were blushing of course, but still worked.

Most of those will probably turn color... though they may not have quite the same taste.

you probably would have had better luck ripening them if you left them on the vine.they aren't going to rot any faster by leaving them on the broken plant. if any, it will help ripen them.

I could not let them on the vine, I had to completely discard the plant. It had fallen on my pepper plants.

Fried tomatoes sounds awesome. I will try that tomorrow!

Agree that many of them will very likely ripen in time - shoulders down, out on the counter, out of direct sun. But I also agree with Stevie that you likely could have left many of them on the vines, even with broken stems, and gotten better results. Just something to keep in mind for next year.

6 feet tall plans is the norm for most indeterminate varieties but so is 8 feet or even taller so now is the time to research tomato plant support options for next year. You'll find lots of discussions about the various types of support systems over on the Growing Tomatoes forum here.

Dave

Yes, I am already planning next year! My husband is quite the handyman, so I think we'll go with homemade tomato cages http://banglandtrust.org/2014/06/05/diy-is-in-our-dna-garden-made-tomato-cages/

I could not let the plant live since it crashed on my pepper plants...

The 6' CRW wire mesh cages in your link are by far the best. Lots of discussions about them on the Tomato forum. Note that they will still require a stake or two so they don't fall over. The cattle panels also work well but require lots of tying-up time.

Dave

You can make them ripen faster even in this stage if you put them in paper bag with ripe(even overripe) apples - 1 -2 regular supermarket apples per large paper grocery bag of tomatoes. Ripe fruit(and apple is one of the best for it) produce gas ethylene, that makes all fruit to ripen. At the end of the season I usually pick large green tomatoes and place them one layer on the table or floor in spare room. If i want them to ripen faster, I add apples or ripe tomatoes in between and cover with packing paper. If I want them to last longer, then I do not cover and remove all the tomatoes that getting red - the rest will ripe slower without them.

We've wrapped green tomatoes in newspaper and have had them ripen.

We ripen them every year at the end of the season, when we want to clean out the veggie garden but there are a bunch of green tomatoes left. Spread them out on sheets of clean newspaper in a cool dry place, not touching. Check and remove any that are going bad. They will all ripen. They won't be as good as vine ripe, but they will still be way, way, way better than any tomato you can buy at the store.

Green Tomato Hot Dog Relish

Flavorful green tomato
relish is the perfect relish for hot dogs and hamburgers, or stir some into
your dressing for pasta or potato salad.

Ingredients:

•8 cups finely chopped (processed or ground) cored green
tomatoes

•2 cups finely chopped (processed or ground) peeled onions

•4 bell peppers, part red, finely chopped (processed or
ground)

•1/3 cup pickling salt

•2 tablespoons mixed pickling spices

•1/2 teaspoon celery seed

•1 clove garlic, chopped

•2 1/4 cups white vinegar

•1 2/3 cups packed light brown sugar

Preparation:

Combine the chopped vegetables and salt in a large stainless
steel pan. Cover and let stand in a cool place (about 65° tF to 70° F) for 10
to 12 hours, or overnight.

Pour the vegetables in a colander over the sink and let
drain. Rinse with cool water and use your hands to squeeze out any excess
liquids.

Tie the pickling spices and celery seeds in a cheesecloth
spice bag.

In a large stainless steel or enamel-lined pan, combine the
vinegar, the spice bag, chopped garlic, and the vinegar. Put the vinegar
mixture over high heat and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Add the drained green tomato mixture and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce
heat to medium-low and boil gently, stirring often, for 1 hour.

While the mixture is cooking, prepare the work area, canner,
jars, and lids. See Preparing Jars for Canning and Boiling Water Processing.

Fill hot, prepared jars and remove any air bubbles with a
small plastic spatula, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Clean jar rims and fit with
lids and rings. Process in a covered boiling-water bath canner for 10 minutes.
Turn off heat, remove the cover, and let jars stand in the hot water for 5
minutes. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

Makes about 7
half-pint jars of relish.

http://southernfood.about.com/od/picklesrelishes/r/r90712a.htm