Sometimes, sudden frosts force you to find tomato preservation techniques before they are fully ripe. If you have a large bowl full of green or other Pachino cherry tomatoes, consider pickling them and storing them in jars so you can enjoy them all year round. Thanks to their firm texture and sweet taste they are excellent pickles.
Ingrediants
- 700 g of green tomatoes
- 240 ml of white vinegar
- 240 ml of water
- 18 g of coarse salt
- 4 g of dill seeds
- 2 g of black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 cloves of garlic
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Prepare the Tomatoes
Step 1. Weigh the amount of tomatoes you want to treat
You should use about 450-700g per one liter jar. Adjust the amount of vinegar, water and salt respecting the proportions.
Step 2. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly
Step 3. Slice the Pachino tomatoes in half, while quartering the larger ones
Part 2 of 3: Prepare the Brine
Step 1. Put a saucepan on the stove
Add the water, vinegar, and spices.
Step 2. Bring everything to a light boil over medium heat
Remove the saucepan from the heat when it starts to boil.
Step 3. Determine in advance which spices you want to use
You can put dry spices on the bottom of each jar. Here are some tips:
- Mix the dill seeds with the black peppercorns, bay leaf and garlic.
- If you want a “classic” aroma, mix 2 g of mustard seeds with 2 g of celery seeds, 2 g of coriander seeds and 1 g of black peppercorns in each jar. Also add 1 g of allspice.
- If you want spicy pickles, combine 2 g of black peppercorns with 2 g of Sichuan pepper, 2 g of brown mustard seeds, 1 g of coriander seeds and 9 g of red chili.
- If you love the aroma of curry, try a mix with 2 g of curry powder, 47 g of brown sugar, a pinch of cumin seeds, a pinch of allspice and 2 cm of grated ginger root.
Part 3 of 3: Put the Tomatoes in the Jars
Step 1. Boil the water in a large pot
Add enough to cover the jars with 2.5cm of liquid. Sterilize the jars by putting them in boiling water for 10 minutes.
- Increase the boil time by one minute for every 300m you live at.
- Every year, buy new, sterile lids for your jars. Set them aside in a clean place until it's time to use them.
Step 2. Add the spices to each liter jar
Step 3. Add the tomatoes by compacting them inside the jar
Step 4. Slowly pour the brine over the tomatoes, allowing it to filter through the vegetables
Use a stick to mix the contents so as to eliminate air bubbles. Leave about 0.6 cm of space on the top edge.
Help yourself with a funnel for this operation
Step 5. Wipe the rim of the jars with a clean, damp cloth
Put the lids on and screw them on.
Step 6. Put the jars in boiling water for 10-15 minutes depending on the altitude you live at
Step 7. Remove them with great care with the help of special pliers
Place them on the kitchen counter and let them cool completely for several hours before storing them in a cool, dry place. The caps should “snap” when the vacuum forms. In these conditions, green tomatoes can be kept for one year.
