When fall comes and the first hard freeze is in the forecast, it means one very crucial thing:
The tomatoes must be picked. Even the toughest, greenest tomato can not survive a hard freeze in Kentucky. It’s either bring them in or they die. When this happens every year I always have a couple bushels of green tomatoes in my life that need direction.
The first direction I head in is usually green tomato salsa. If you’ve never made this, you should. It’s incredible. And it’s green. Which is fun to serve at parties. Because it confuses people.
The salsa recipe uses up a gallon of my green friends, if you still have some left you can do this!
Why should you make pickled green tomatoes?
So you can eat them. I know men (and ladies) who eat them plain, straight-up, out of the jar. Others like them diced up in their tuna fish.
My favorite way to eat a pickled green tomato is on a sandwich. Warm ham, melted cheese, soft bun, crisp lettuce, cold, crunchy, pickled green tomato – it’s amazing.
These will turn any sandwich into an explosion of flavors you will want for the rest of your life.
A pickled tomato replaces the need for tomatoes and pickles on any sandwich. It’s both. It’s perfect.
I have been pickling green tomatoes for several years. This only works with very firm, very green tomatoes. If they are on the verge of ripening, turning pink, or getting soft – don’t bother. Pick only the firmest tomatoes. They need to be able to stand up to the brine and not get soggy on you.
First slice your tomatoes.
Then cram the slices into pickle jars.
Add some garlic.
Then some dill & pepper.
Cover with brine.
Screw on a lid and give them a gentle shake.
You can enjoy these the day you make them, but they will be more “pickley” after a day, even better after a week.
Transfer these into a refrigerator or process in a water bath and move into long-term storage.
The next time you make yourself a ham sandwich, you’ll be glad you made pickled green tomatoes. Oh BABY! Yum!
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Happy Fall!
Candi
First Make Brine:
Combine water, vinegar & salt in saucepan & heat until salt dissolves. Set aside.
To Pack Jars:
Wash, core, slice and pack tomatoes into jars. You do not need to peel. Add 2 cloves (roughly chopped) garlic, dash of pepper and 1 tsp. of dill to each jar. Cover with brine leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust lids. Transfer to refrigerator & enjoy within 2 months.
In my area, with my canner, I am able to process my pickled green tomatoes 10 minutes in a water bath canner for (unrefrigerated) winter storage. Please check your area (for elevation requirements) and your canner directions for proper canning instructions before canning.
Disclaimer: Always follow directions specific to your equipment and elevation for canning. Dispose of any home canned goods that show signs of spoilage which can include: bulging lids, leaking, corrosion, cloudy, mushy, moldy foods or disagreeable odors.
