When the garden season comes to an end, many people have a large number of green tomatoes on the bushes. It is unlikely that they will be able to withstand the first frosts and mature, so it is worth collecting them in this form. What to do with them?
Some of the green tomatoes can be frozen for later use in soups and vegetable dishes, but pickling is the best way to preserve this immature crop. In fairness, it is worth noting that many like almost all vegetables in pickled form, and the solid texture and specific taste of green tomatoes make them one of the best village options.
A simple recipe for green tomatoes with garlic for the winter is universal and can be adapted to any taste. Use apple cider vinegar instead of white for a sweeter taste or try adding teaspoon of red pepper flakes to each jar for spiciness. Alternatively, you can replace dill with curry powder and mustard seed.
Pickled green tomatoes can be eaten directly from a can, used as a filler for a sandwich, served with meat or chicken, or even used as an alternative snack to Bloody Mary or martini.
Classic blank
To cook green tomatoes with garlic for the winter, you will need:
- a glass of white vinegar;
- glass of water;
- 3 tablespoons table salt;
- 1 kg of green tomatoes;
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of tea dill;
- 3/4 teaspoon of tea pepper;
- 6 garlic cloves, minced in minced meat.
Combine vinegar, water and salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Place half a teaspoon of tea dill, 1/4 teaspoon of tea pepper, and two cloves of chopped garlic in each of 3 sterile liter jars.
Wash the tomatoes and cut in half or quarters (depending on their size). Arrange them tightly in banks. Pour in brine to cover the tomatoes, leaving about 7 mm of free space at the top. Cover and sterilize for ten minutes in a water bath.
Spicy option
Winter tomato recipes made from green tomatoes include spicy options. To make this pickle, you will need:
- 6 chili peppers, cut in half;
- 4 leaves of laurel;
- a quarter cup of coriander seeds;
- a quarter cup of cumin seeds;
- 2 cinnamon sticks;
- 2 teaspoons whole cloves of tea;
- 4 tablespoons black pepper;
- 10 cloves of garlic;
- 8 cups apple cider vinegar;
- half a glass of honey;
- 4 tablespoons of salt;
- 2 kg of green tomatoes.
Spicy green tomatoes for the winter with garlic are prepared as follows. First sterilize the jars. Wash them with covers in hot soapy water, rinse well. Place a wire rack or a thick towel on the bottom of a large pan, fill it halfway with water and bring to a boil (but then do not boil). Submerge the cans in water and rinse. Sterilize the lids in a separate small vessel with boiling water.
Make a pickle. Combine chili, bay leaves, coriander and caraway seeds, cinnamon sticks, cloves, pepper, garlic, vinegar, honey, salt and a glass of water in a large saucepan. Boil and cook for 3 minutes. Cool a little, remove chili and bay leaves.
Cut the tomatoes into halves using a sterilized knife and chopping board. Remove cans and lids from boiling water with mites, fill with tomatoes, halves of chili peppers and bay leaves.
Pour warm brine over the tomatoes in each jar, leaving about 7 mm on top. Stir with a rubber spatula around the inside of each can to remove air bubbles. Wipe the top of the cans with a clean towel, then place the sterilized lids on top. Carefully tighten them.
Reheat the pan with water, put the cans in it, making sure that the water covers them for several inches. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and leave them in the water for 10 minutes.
Then transfer the jars to a kitchen towel. Leave them to cool upside down for at least 12 hours. A vacuum seal is formed by cooling the cans. Pickled green tomatoes with garlic, prepared for the winter, will be most delicious after about 3 months after canning.
Kosher Salt Option
Kosher salt is somewhat different from table salt, and preparations for the winter with its use have a specific taste. Pickled green tomatoes are a favorite among many. If cooked correctly, they are always crispy and juicy. It is necessary to take fruits collected before the first severe frosts, because frost can make them soft. To make pickled green tomatoes with garlic for the winter according to this recipe, you will need:
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar;
- 1 1/4 cup distilled water;
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt ;
- 500 grams of solid green tomatoes;
- 1/2 chili pod, with the core removed;
- 6 medium garlic cloves, cut in half;
- 4 tablespoons dill seeds;
- half tablespoon whole black pepper.
What should be considered during preparation?
Tomatoes can be of any kind, they must be green and hard, and they need to be cut in half or a quarter. In addition, they should be close to full size, which means that small green buds that have not started to form seeds will not work.
You can find distilled water at some grocery stores or the pharmacy. Distilled water is better because it is cleaner and impurities can give off odors. In extreme cases, you can take clean spring water.
The point of adding pepper in this recipe is that you need to achieve a light burning aftertaste. If you can’t find fresh pepper, take half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes.
In addition, you must use distilled vinegar. Any other kind of salt adds too many extraneous aromas to the pickle.
How to do it?
Make sure you have really clean cans and lids. The latter should have good rubber seals. Sterilize them by immersing them in a boiling water bath.
Add garlic, dill seeds and peppercorns to the jar. Wash peppers and tomatoes thoroughly and chop them in half or quarter. Cut out all the spots and ends of the stem. Put them in jars, leaving about 1 cm of space at the top.
Make a pickle by mixing vinegar, water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and mix until salt is completely dissolved. Pour hot brine on top of tomatoes within 7 mm from the top. Wipe the top of the can, put on the lids and tighten. Keep them in the refrigerator for at least 1 week before use.
Such green tomatoes with garlic for the winter can be stored for a long time, but only in the refrigerator or a cold cellar. At first, the brine will be very concentrated, but this should not worry you. Tomato juices will dilute the salt concentration in a week or two.
Whole tomatoes
Most recipes involve cutting vegetables for canning, but you can make whole green tomatoes with garlic for the winter (fingers and similar varieties). To make tomatoes using this method, you will need:
- 10 glasses of small green tomatoes, washed;
- 2 cups diced onions;
- 2 chopped chili peppers;
- 10-12 cloves of garlic, chopped into thin rings;
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary;
- 1 teaspoon black pepper;
- 1 teaspoon pink pepper ;
- a quarter cup of salt;
- 3 leaves of laurel;
- a glass of sugar;
- 3 cups of vinegar;
- glass of water.
How to cook it?
This recipe for green tomatoes with garlic for the winter is as follows. In a large saucepan, mix vinegar, water, sugar, salt and spices (except for garlic and chili), boil and cook for 5 minutes. Strain and place the herbs in hot sterilized jars evenly. Arrange the tomatoes, garlic and chili. Fill everything with hot brine, leaving a space of 7 mm on top. Remove air bubbles. Add more fluid if necessary.
Wipe the cans, adjust the lids and cook for 15 minutes in a pot of boiling water. Then remove and let cool.
Put the finished preservation in a cool dark cabinet. You can eat these tomatoes after three weeks.
Option with garlic and butter
In addition to the standard billet in sour marinade, there are other methods of conservation. So, recipes of green tomatoes for the winter, stuffed with garlic, suggest the addition of non-standard ingredients, such as olive oil.
You will need the following:
- 2 kg of green (small) tomatoes, halved;
- salt;
- 1 cup ordinary white vinegar;
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped;
- a third of a glass of dried oregano;
- 4-5 fresh red chilli, finely chopped;
- 3 cups light olive oil, plus optional as needed.
How to do it?
Place a layer of tomatoes in a large bowl, then sprinkle with salt, repeating this process until all the tomatoes are used (you should get four or five layers, depending on the size of your container). Place an inverted plate on top of tomatoes with a load on top, for example, with clean cobblestone. Leave to stand in a cool and rather dark place for 24 hours.
The next day, drain all the liquid that has formed in the bowl and squeeze out any excess from the tomatoes with your hands. Gently pat the tomatoes with a clean towel to dry them.
Transfer the tomatoes into a large, clean bowl. Mix vinegar with 1 cup of water (250 ml) and pour the vegetables with this mixture. Place the overturned plate on top again with the load on top (immerse the tomatoes in the solution) and leave in a cool place for 24 hours.
The next day, drain all the liquid that has formed in the bowl and squeeze the vegetables by hand. You have to make green tomatoes with garlic on the recipe (for the winter). Place them in a large clean bowl and mix with garlic, oregano, chili and olive oil. Stir them so that the halves are filled with a mixture of spices, and leave at room temperature for another 3 hours.
Pack garlic-stuffed green tomatoes for the winter tightly in prepared jars, folding their halves for the appearance of whole fruits. Leave about 2-3 cm at the top of each jar. Pour olive oil to cover tomatoes about 1 cm. Close the container and store in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks before use. This preparation will be stored in the refrigerator for up to 6 months - after opening the cans, the snack should be consumed for a week or two.
Tomatoes with apples
This is a great way to use unripe tomatoes and apples left at the end of the season. For this you will need (for 1 jar):
- 3-4 green tomatoes (smaller is better);
- 2-3 apples (sour);
- 2-3 jalapenos (fresh);
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- 1 teaspoon of salt;
- 2 cups of white vinegar;
- glass of water.
Cut green tomatoes into a large bowl, divide the smallest into halves.
Prepare clean, sterile jars and lids.
Bring a mixture of 2 parts vinegar and one part water to a boil.
Place two garlic cloves, 2 or 3 apples, slices of tomatoes and chili in each jar. Sprinkle on top with one teaspoon of salt on top. Pour boiling marinade.
Wipe the top of the cans and attach the prepared lids, tightly wrap. Turn upside down to cool and ensure tightness. No treatment in a water bath is necessary, otherwise the tomatoes will become soft. Wait 1 month for the pickled green garlic tomatoes for the winter to reach their full flavor.
Italian style workpiece
For this fragrant piece you will need the following:
- 500 grams of small green tomatoes;
- 1 cup white vinegar;
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice;
- 1 tablespoon of salt;
- 4 sprigs of fresh oregano;
- 4 large basil leaves;
- a pinch of hot red pepper flakes or 2 small red chili peppers;
- 2 tablespoons sugar granulated sugar;
- 1 large garlic clove minced in minced meat;
- one small red onion, chopped.
How to cook it?
Wash the tomatoes thoroughly, remove the stem and “core” from the top of each fruit, cut them into pieces. Soak the tomatoes in lemon juice in a small bowl for 5 minutes. In the meantime, sterilize the cans and lids, keeping them hot.
Combine vinegar, sugar, hot peppers and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Place the tomato mixture in hot jars, alternating in layers with chopped onions, making sure they are packed as tightly as possible.
Add herbs and garlic, dividing them evenly between banks. Pour the marinade gradually, removing air bubbles and air pockets in the process. Fill the jars with liquid, leaving a free space of 5-7 mm. Drain any additional fluid.
Wipe the top of the cans and install the lids. Refrigerate at room temperature.
Some tips and additions
You can also use a mixture of different colored tomatoes or fruits in different maturity states. The combination of green and red tomatoes looks very appetizing. Chili peppers obviously give a salty burning taste, so if you don’t want a spicy snack, do not add it. Red pepper flakes give only a slight sharpness, but you can exclude them if you wish.
You can also change this recipe by making green tomatoes with garlic inside for the winter. To do this, cut the fruit into halves, not dividing them to the end, and put the greens, onions and garlic into the cuts.
Wine tomatoes
You can use not only vinegar as a preservative, but also its combination with wine. To make pickles according to a recipe for pickled green tomato with garlic and vermouth, you need:
- glass of water;
- a glass of vinegar;
- 1 tablespoon sugar;
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds;
- half a spoon of tea salt;
- half a teaspoon of chopped red pepper;
- a quarter cup of dry vermouth;
- 12 halves of green tomatoes;
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped;
- 1 shallot, finely chopped;
- 2 stalks of dill.
How to do it?
Combine vermouth, green tomatoes, garlic and shallots in a small bowl, leave for 4-6 hours.
Combine water, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, salt and chopped red pepper in a saucepan on a medium level. Bring to a boil, stir.
Then put dill branches in sterilized jars, put tomatoes with garlic and shallots. Pour in hot marinade.
Assorted vegetables with green tomatoes
Green tomatoes with garlic, prepared for the winter, are good not only by themselves, but also in combination with other vegetables. To make such an assortment, you will need:
- 1-1.5 kg of solid green tomatoes, large or small;
- 1 large or 2 medium onions, coarsely chopped;
- 4 cloves of garlic, cut in half;
- 3-4 bell peppers, red or green, cut into 6 long pieces;
- 3-4 fresh or dried chilli, cut in half with scissors, but left attached to the stem;
- 4 leaves of laurel;
- 2-3 tablespoons of coarsely chopped coriander seeds.
For marinade:
- 2 cups of white vinegar;
- half a glass of water;
- 2 tablespoons honey;
- 3 tablespoons table salt;
- 2 cinnamon sticks.
Rinse and cut into four pieces larger tomatoes. Cut the smaller fruits into 2 pieces. Place the tomato slices, peppers (sweet and hot), onions, garlic and bay leaves in alternating layers in sterilized jars, filling them almost to the top. Sprinkle with coriander seeds.
In a large saucepan, bring to a boil a mixture of vinegar, water, honey, salt and cinnamon. Stir to dissolve honey and salt completely, remove the cinnamon sticks. Pour enough marinade into the jars to completely cover the vegetables, leaving only 5-7 mm free. Close the jars and let them stand for about 10 days before use.