Green Tomato Pickles

[linda]

Ever wondered what you should do with those green tomatoes left on the vine? These pickles will take a ho-hum meal and make it a special occassion. Linda

GREEN TOMATO PICKLES


Get out all of your hot water bath canning supplies
· Clean and sterilize your jars
· Put the lids in water ready to boil on the stove


Make the brine first.
· 4 quarts of water
· 1 quart of white vinegar
· 1 ½ cup salt

Bring the brine to a boil. You will eventually pour hot brine over the ingredients in the jars to begin the pickling process. You will need some sort of ladle to pour the hot brine.


In each quart jar, arrange these ingredients in an attractive manner
· 4 whole cloves of garlic
· 1 pinch of mustard seed
· 2 whole all-spice
· 2 red, dried chili peppers or fresh hot peppers from the garden
· 1 bay leaf
· 4 whole cloves
· 2 or 3 big pieces of red or green peppers for color
· 2 or 3 big wedge-shaped slices of white onion--1/3 to 1/2 onion in each jar
· Slices of very green tomatoes. It works best if the tomatoes chosen for each jar are about the same size.



Finishing touches
After the jars are filled with the tomatoes and condiments, pour the very hot/boiling brine over the contents. Use a plastic or wooden implement to release trapped air bubbles. Wipe off the top of the jar (the salt will crystallize and prevent sealing) and put on the sterile canning lid and ring. Set the jar in the hot water bath. Process the jars just until the water in the bath boils. Remove from the heat and let them cool. Don’t worry if they don’t seal.


How long until they are ready to eat?
Leave them sealed for a minimum of 3 weeks.

[Chrisnstar]

Linda, I used to make the Green tomato mincemeat recipe in the "Putting food by" book. It's excellent, makes great pies and you can make cookie bars with it too. Far better than the icky mincemeat in a jar you get at the grocery store and a great way to use up those greenies.

I also used to pullup my tomato plants by the roots when a frost was impending and hang the plants upside down in the basement. a good many of the tomatoes would ripen and we had tomatoes for another month that way.

chris

[linda]

And don't forget green tomato salsa! Actually, I put the greenhouse back over my tomatoes in mid September and we harvest for another month or so. I still have tomatoes from last year in my freezer. I have the "Putting Food By" book. I will have to check that out. Linda

[linda]

It is obvious, to me, that Zora just tried one of my pickles! Linda