These green tomato pickles are a great, different way to use some of your garden harvest.
These pickles start with a simple brine and the recipe is adjustable for any quantity of tomatoes you are canning.
To Make These Pickled Green Tomatoes You Will Need:
- green tomatoes
- canning/pickling salt
- mixing bowl
- white vinegar
- cinnamon sticks
- black peppercorns
- minced garlic
- mustard seeds
- hot chili peppers (optional)
- cheese cloth or muslin spice bag
- onion
- pickle crisp
- kosher salt
- canning tools
- pint jars
- hot water bath canner (or steam canner)
- damp cloth
- colander
Watch Me Make These Green Tomato Pickles in the Video Below:
How to Make Green Tomato Pickles
To begin, combine vinegar, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and chili peppers in a pot.
Bring the brine to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes.
Remove it from the heat and allow to cool.
Use several layers of cheesecloth to strain the solids from the brine.
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Alternatively, you can put the solids into a muslin spice bag if you wish.
Discard the solids and keep the liquid.
This brine can be made the day before you can, simple refrigerate overnight. Or you can make it the day you are going to do the canning. (Day 2 of this recipe.)
Core and cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices, cut the slices in half. For smaller, cherry sized tomatoes, simply remove the stems and cut them in half or quarters.
Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl. Liberally sprinkle them with canning salt and stir them to coat.
Let the tomatoes sit overnight.
The next day, prepare your canning tools, canner, and supplies. Inspect and heat your pint canning jars.
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Drain the liquid from the tomatoes with a colander. Thoroughly rinse and drain the tomatoes again.
Measure the quantity of your brine. You will have lost some liquid when simmering the spices. Add an equal amount of water, combining them in a large pot. Bring the brine up to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep it hot.
Peel, quarter, and slice an onion.
In each jar, add 1 tablespoon of the onion, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon pickle crisp.
Add in your drained tomatoes to 1/4 inch of headspace.
Ladle in your brine.
Use a bubble wand to remove any air pockets.
Add additional brine to return the headspace to 1/4 inch if needed.
Wipe the jar rims with a damp cloth dipped in white vinegar.
Add the lid and ring. Place the jar in your canner.
Repeat the steps with all of the jars & tomatoes.
Process your jars for 15 minutes.
Allow the jar to cool in a draft-free location overnight. (12-24 hours.)
Remove the rings, test the seals on your lids, and label the jars.
Allow the jars to sit in the pantry for 3-4 weeks for the flavor to develop.
These green tomato pickles are best served chilled.
Enjoy!
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Green Tomato Pickles
Ingredients
- 8 lbs green tomatoes
- canning/pickling salt
- 8 c white vinegar
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 Tb black peppercorns
- 3 teaspoon minced garlic, additional for canning
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 2 hot chili peppers, optional
- 8 c water
- 1 onion
- pickle crisp
- kosher salt
Instructions
- To begin, combine the vinegar, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, mustard seeds, and chili peppers in a pot.
- Bring the brine to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 4 minutes.
- Remove it from the heat and allow to cool.
- Use several layers of cheesecloth to strain the solids from the brine.
- Alternatively, you can put the solids into a muslin spice bag if you wish.
- Discard the solids and keep the liquid.
- This brine can be made the day before you can, simple refrigerate overnight. Or you can make it the day you are going to do the canning. (Day 2 of this recipe.)
- Core and cut the tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices, cut the slices in half. For smaller, cherry sized tomatoes, simply remove the stems and cut them in half or quarters.
- Place the tomatoes in a mixing bowl. Liberally sprinkle them with canning salt and stir them to coat.
- Let the tomatoes sit overnight.
- The next day, prepare your canning tools, canner, and supplies. Inspect and heat your pint canning jars.
- Drain the liquid from the tomatoes with a colander. Thoroughly rinse and drain the tomatoes again.
- Measure the quantity of your brine. You will have lost some liquid when simmering the spices. Add an equal amount of water, combining them in a large pot. Bring the brine up to a boil, then reduce the heat to keep it hot.
- Peel, quarter, and slice an onion.
- In each jar, add 1 tablespoon of the onion, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon pickle crisp.
- Add in your drained tomatoes to 1/4 inch of headspace.
- Ladle in your brine.
- Use a bubble wand to remove any air pockets.
- Add additional brine to return the headspace to 1/4 inch if needed.
- Wipe the jar rims with a damp cloth dipped in white vinegar.
- Add the lid and ring. Place the jar in your canner.
- Repeat the steps with all of the jars & tomatoes.
- Process your jars for 15 minutes.
- Allow the jar to cool in a draft-free location overnight. (12-24 hours.)
- Remove the rings, test the seals on your lids, and label the jars.
- Allow the jars to sit in the pantry for 3-4 weeks for the flavor to develop.
- These green tomato pickles are best served chilled.
- Enjoy!
Video
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Brine in the UK is salt and water! which you have after salting the tomatoes overnight. Assume the pickling liquor with vinegar and spices is what is called brine here. And what is the measure ‘c’? And what do you do with the 8 c water listed in ingredients. Not mentioned in the recipe account. All of it most confusing.
Then mess around with an air pocket wand – watch the nonas video pickle red tomatoes and shiggle the air from the jars. Done it for years and shear skill.
Is there a substitute you can use for the cinnamon ?
Hi, I’m making your recipe and I have a question. The ingredients list 3 tsp minced garlic and additional for canning. Should that initial 3 tsp minced garlic go in the muslin bag with the other spices or no. Thanks
Yes, exactly :)
How many pints does this recipe make?
It can vary, but on average, this recipe would make about 6 pints
Can you use yellow or orange plum tomatoes? Do you have a canning receipe for yellow or orange tomatoes. I have tons!!!
If you are canning ripe tomatoes, I would just use a regular tomato canning recipe. This one is mainly for green tomatoes. I don’t think it would work for ripe ones. I have used “non-red” tomatoes successfully for pretty much any tomato recipe I have canned.