Fall was unseasonably warm this year. With temperatures hovering in the mid 60s, Our plum tomato plants just kept producing fruit, but the diminished sunlight ensured that they never reddened. Our solution? Pickles! Here's how:
The green tomatoes were oblong in shape and smaller than their red summer counterparts, more like grape tomatoes than the traditional Italian plum variety. We washed them, removed any stems, and quartered them lengthwise.
All together we had about two quarts (eight cups, when quartered) of tomatoes. We packed these tightly into sterilized (washed in the dishwasher on the sanitize setting) eight ounce mason jars.
with the space left in the jars, I needed between four and six cups of brining liquid so I put the following in a pot:
2 c. of white vinegar
1 c. of apple cider vinegar
3 c. of water
1/4 c. sugar
3 tbsp salt
1 tbsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp black pepper corns
5 peeled and smashed garlic cloves
Then I brought the pot to boil and let it simmer for about ten minutes. I transferred the liquid to a large pyrex measuring cup so it would be easy to handle, then poured it into the jars, making sure to cover the tomatoes completely. I screwed a lid tightly on each one.
At this point I could have put them in the fridge, but I wanted to be able to store them in my pantry, so I brought out my pasta pot, filled it with water, and brought it to a vigorous boil. I placed the jars in the pasta insert, lowered it into the boiling water, and kept them submerged for ten minutes of vigorous boiling to vacuum seal the jars.
The pickles are delicious (almost like a light salsa). I love them with eggs, toast and avocados, or as a relish alongside tacos. Sometimes I just snack on them with a Saturday afternoon beer.
Who knew something so green could taste so full of sunshine?