Pickled Green Tomatoes

This is another belated pickling post, but with another crop of Fall tomatoes on the horizon, I thought it would be a good time to share this pickled green tomato recipe.

Better late than never, right?

At the very tail end of our Summer tomato crop, we were left with quite a few green tomatoes.  We decided to go ahead and pick them all and tear out the plants, as they were quickly rotting thanks to the relentless monsoons.  Thank goodness for gorgeous, *dry* Fall weather!

I followed Garden Betty’s recipe for the most part, but left some spices out and added some based on what was in my cabinet.

Pickled Green Tomatoes
makes as many jars as you have tomatoes

ingredients

Basic Brine Ratio:
– 1 cup cold water
– 1 cup white distilled vinegar (5% acidity)
– 1 tablespoon kosher salt

Pickling Spices (per jar):
– 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
– 1 teaspoon celery seeds
– 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
– 1 garlic clove, peeled

instructions

Wash and dry tomatoes and slice them however you like.  I did some cherry tomatoes whole or in half, and sliced some bigger green tomatoes into round slices, and some into quarters.  Do what feels right!

Fill each jar with pickling spices of your choice – really, it can be anything as long as your brine has the correct ratio.  Get creative!

Pack the jars as tightly as you can with tomatoes.  I could have packed mine much more tightly, but didn’t want to mix slices.

Bring vinegar mixture to a boil and ladle into jars over tomatoes and spices, leaving about a half-inch of headspace.  Use a chopstick to de-bubble, or just gently tap the jars down on the counter a few times to release bubbles.  Tighten the bands down over the lids, and process for 15 minutes.

Remove with a jar lifter to a dish towel spread out over the counter and let cool.  The jars will pop as they seal.  If any jars don’t seal, refrigerate them immediately.

These are SO great on salads, in relishes, in chicken salad, on burgers….  Or alone, if that’s your thing.

I would also like to reiterate my love for the new blue Ball jars.  And to send my awesome Mama a shout out for always picking me up a case whenever she sees them!  They make pickles even prettier.

Perfect mason, indeed.

And because you haven’t had a good dose of Harold in a few days, here’s a half wet, extremely displeased Harold after his bath the day I made these pickles.

You’d think he would learn to quit rolling in small dead animals.  Quit acting like a dog, Harold.

And last today, but most definitely NOT least, I’d like to tell my amazing husband HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I attempted to shock and amaze you with a surprise party!

Love you so much, old man! ;)

Bring on the birthdays!!  And Fall tomatoes! And pumpkins!  And everything else that Fall entails.

#fallingforFall #pumpkin #PSL

I’ve definitely got CFD.  It’s a very real, serious disease.  Follow me on Instagram for more.  ;)