Can you pickle green tomatoes and are they any good?

Question

We have an abundance of tomatoes, mostly green. They came off the plants when our garden flooded after bad rains last week. I'd hate to throw them away. Some are turning red, but most will stay green. Any ideas?

Answer 1

the red ones will ripen if you leave them on a windowsill

Answer 2

You sure can, whole quarters or sliced, I just use a common pickling solution with brown sugar and cider vinegar and a bit of mix spice, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, mustard seed, peppercorns and celery seed and pack mine in slices in the jars, pour over the mix and let them cool, top with the sterilized lids and give them a week to cure, you can use the same pickle solution and leave out the whole spices and use powdered ones, and mash the tomatos and make a "Chow-Chow" relish, very popular in the south, my (late) grandmother here in Canada would put up it and Zucchini relish at the same time.

Answer 3

There are several things you can do with them. FOR RED TOMATOES, THE Easiest & fastest solution is to freeze em. Peel chop bring to a boil with spoon of sugar, salt and pepper DO NOT ADD WATER!!!!. Bring to boil & turn off after 1 minute.  Cool completely and freeze in ziplock freezer bags.  Of course you can always fry a batch of fried green tomaotes, yum!!!

Thinner will be crispier and I use flour n milk not cornmeal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPR0xFgCA...

Or

Green Tomato Chow Chow

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

Ingredients:

4 quarts green tomatoes

1 large head of cabbage

10 medium onions

5 medium green peppers

7 medium sweet red peppers

1/2 cup salt

15 cups vinegar

5 cups sugar

3 tablespoons dry mustard

2 teaspoons powdered ginger

1 tablespoon turmeric

4 tablespoons mustard seeds

3 tablespoons celery seed

2 tablespoons pickling spice

Preparation:

Chop all vegetables; combine in a large kettle. Stir in salt; let stand at room temperature overnight, or at least 8 hours. Drain.

Combine vinegar, sugar, dry mustard, ginger, and turmeric in a large kettle. Put mustard seed, celery seed, and pickling spices in a 6-inch square of cheesecloth or cheesecloth bag. Tie ends or gather and tie string and add to the kettle. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. Add vegetables and return to simmer for 30 minutes longer. Discard spice bag. Spoon chow-chow into hot sterilized jars and seal.

Process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner, or 20 minutes for altitiudes of 1001 to 6,000 feet. Over 6,000 feet, process for 25 minutes.

Or

GREEN TOMATO PICKLES (5 pint jars)

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=h...

1/4 pkg. (1 3/4 lb.) green tomatoes

4 onions

1/4 c. salt

4 peppers, chopped

1 qt. vinegar

1/2 tsp. celery seed

1/2 tsp. mustard seed

1 tbsp. whole allspice

1 tbsp. whole cloves

1 lb. sugar

Firm, small to medium green tomatoes (entirely green, not partially ripe) and firm, white onions. Wash well. Slice tomatoes and onions, sprinkle with salt and let stand overnight. Rinse well in cold water; add peppers. To the vinegar, add spices (tied in a bag) and sugar. Mix with vegetables and cook for about 2 hours. Remove spice bag. Seal pickle in clean, hot sterilized jars.

If you pick them almost red or starting to turn red make sure to pick some limb with them, put in a brown paper bag on the counter or in the window sill & they will turn red.