Green Tomato Relish By Mavis Vawter

When the garden gives you more green tomatoes than you can fry, this relish is where they go. Four quarts of chopped unpeeled tomatoes get boiled down with onions, red bell peppers, banana peppers, white vinegar, pickling salt, and spices into a tangy, chunky condiment that’s perfect on burgers, hot dogs, or spooned alongside roasted meats.

The vegetables get chopped, drained of their raw liquid, then boiled together for just 20 minutes. That short cook keeps everything bright and slightly crunchy rather than soft and jammy. The vinegar brine is strong enough to preserve the relish safely through water bath canning.

Eleven pints. That’s plenty to stock the pantry shelves and still have jars left to give away.

Pro Tips

• Drain the chopped vegetables thoroughly before combining. Excess liquid dilutes the vinegar and weakens the brine, which matters for safe canning.
• Use pickling salt, not table salt. Iodized salt clouds the brine and can darken the vegetables.
• Leave a full ½ inch of headspace in each jar. Too little space and the lids won’t seal properly.

Variations

• Add a diced jalapeno or two for a spicier relish.
• Stir in a cup of sugar before boiling for a sweet-and-sour version.
• Toss in mustard seeds and celery seed with the pickling spices for a more complex, piccalilli-style flavor.