Green Tomatoes
EVERY gardener winds up with a bulging basket of them, and asks just what is to be done with those stubborn green tomatoes. We, of course, shy away from green tomatoes, but others are not so squeamish, and green tomato pickle is popular with folks in eastern Europe and in the US, who relish its sourness and pungency.
So, to rescue that bright green bundle of fruit, here is a clever recipe for Pickled Green Tomatoes, from Oded Schwartz's fine book Preserving (Dorling Kindersley, £16.99). Mr Schwartz's book is jam packed with great ideas, so start here.
Pickled Green Tomatoes
1kg (2lb) green tomatoes a few sprigs of dill
2-3 bay leaves
2-3 fresh or dried red chillies
1 1/2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4-5 cloves
1 litre (1 1/4 pints) cider vinegar
125ml (4 fl oz) water
4 tablespoons honey or sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1. Lightly prick each tomato in several places with a wooden cocktail stick. Put in a sterilised jar with the herbs and spices.
2. Put the vinegar, water, honey or sugar and salt in a non corrosive pan. Bring to the boil and boil rapidly for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave until warm.
3. Pour the warm vinegar into the jar. If there is not enough liquid to cover the tomatoes, top up with cold vinegar. Weight down the tomatoes with some sterilised pebbles, then seal. The tomatoes will be ready to eat in one month, but improve with two to three months keeping.