Quick Pickled Green Tomatoes
This is a super simple way to use up a glut of unripened tomatoes as the frost approaches. My poor outdoor tomatoes didn’t get enough heat on them this year and despite a bumper crop they barely ripened at all. I’ve been brainstorming over the past while on the best ways to use them up and this has been my favourite (and the easiest) way so far. They are salty, tangy, fresh and delicious. Everything you want from a pickle!
Since this is a quick pickle you won’t need any fancy canning equipment to make these and best of all they will be ready to eat after only 24 hours.
I used a pretty traditional pickling brine recipe here but I also added in some dried alexanders seeds that I picked earlier in the season to see what they would bring to the table and I was impressed! They gave an extra peppery aniseed flavour to the tanginess. If you don’t have any alexanders, don’t worry, you can leave them out and double your peppercorns.
Your pickles will last approximately one month in the fridge.
Ingredients:
4 cups (approx 800g) of unripe green tomatoes
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup filtered water
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp turmeric powder
1tsp peppercorns
1 tsp alexanders seeds
1 tsp dried dill or 2 sprigs of fresh
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp sea salt
Method:
Chop & quarter your tomatoes and pack them tightly into a sterilised jar. If your tomatoes are on the bigger side they may need to be chopped into smaller pieces.
Make your pickling brine by simmering your water, vinegar, sugar, salt, turmeric, peeled garlic, dill and peppercorns together in a pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt.
Once the sugar and salt have dissolved, pour the warm pickling brine directly over your tomatoes, covering them completely and letting the garlic cloves settle on top.
Tap your jar on the counter to release any air bubbles, add more brine if needed to cover the tomatoes and seal up the jar tightly.
Allow to cool to room temperature, give them a quick shake and pop them in the fridge.
Give the pickles 24 hours to settle in the fridge before eating.
