Green Tomato & Onion Pickles

When the garden gives you more green tomatoes than you can fry, pickle them. Four quarts of sliced green tomatoes and 1 ½ quarts of onions go into a sweet, spiced cider vinegar brine, get a quick boil, then pack into jars for long-term preservation.

Green tomatoes are firm and tart, which makes them ideal for pickling. They hold their shape in the boiling brine where ripe tomatoes would dissolve, and their natural acidity works with the vinegar to create a pickle that’s both tangy and slightly sweet.

Mustard seeds do the heavy lifting in the spice department, with 6 full tablespoons scattered throughout. Whole allspice and cloves go into a cheesecloth bag so they infuse the brine without leaving hard, bitable spice bits in the finished pickles.

Five minutes of boiling is all these need. You want them just tender, not soft. Lift the slices from the bottom to the surface during cooking so they heat evenly. Overcooking turns them mushy and they fall apart in the jar.

Chef Tips

• Use apple cider vinegar for the best flavor. White vinegar works but tastes sharper.
• Pack the jars tightly. Loose pickles float above the brine and don’t preserve evenly.
• Process in a hot water bath according to your altitude. Proper sealing is essential for safe shelf storage.
• Wait at least 2 weeks before opening. The flavors need time to develop in the jar.

Variations

• Spicy green tomato pickles: Add 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes or sliced jalapeños to each jar before sealing.
• Bread and butter style: Increase the sugar to 2 ½ cups and add ½ teaspoon turmeric for a sweeter, golden brine.
• Dill green tomato: Replace the allspice and cloves with fresh dill heads and garlic cloves for a dill pickle flavor.