How to Pickle Green Tomatoes

Some seasons, an early frost requires you to pick your tomatoes before they’ve ripened. If you have a large bowl of green cherry or cooking tomatoes, consider brining and canning them so that you can enjoy them year-round. Thanks to their firm texture and sweetness, they make excellent pickles.

Ingredients

1.5 lb. (0.7kg) green tomatoes/jar
1 cup (0.24l) white vinegar
1 cup (0.24l) water
1 tbsp. (18.2g) kosher salt or pickling salt
2 tsp. (4.2g) dill seeds
1 tsp. (2.3g) black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
4 garlic cloves

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:
Preparing Tomatoes

1
Measure the amount of green tomatoes you want to pickle. You will need between one and one and a half lb. (0.5 to 0.7kg) of tomatoes per quart jar. Multiply the vinegar, water and salt needed by the number of batches you are going to do.
2
Wash your tomatoes thoroughly.
3
Slice cherry tomatoes in half from top to bottom. Quarter larger tomatoes.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:
Making the Brine

1
Place the saucepan on the stove. Add your water, vinegar and pickling spice.
2
Heat the brine to a gentle boil over medium heat. Remove it from the heat source when it has boiled.
3
Decide upon the type of spices you want to use for your pickles. You will pour the dry spices into the bottoms of each jar. The following are good spice blends for green tomatoes:
- Combine dill seed, black peppercorns, bay leaf and garlic cloves for dill pickles, as instructed in the ingredient list.
- Combine one tsp. (2g) yellow mustard seeds, one tsp. (2g) celery seeds, one tsp. (1.8g) coriander seeds, one-half tsp. (1.15g) black peppercorns and one-half tsp. (0.8g) whole allspice per jar for a basic pickling spice blend.
- Combine one tsp. (2.3g) black peppercorns, one tsp. (2.3g) Szechuan peppercorns, one tsp. (2g) brown mustard seeds, one-half (0.9g) tsp. coriander seeds and one-half tsp. (0.9g) red pepper flakes for spicy pickles.
- Combine one tsp. (2g) curry powder, one-half cup (47g) packed brown sugar, one-fourth tsp. (0.5g) cumin seeds, one-fourth tsp. (0.4g) whole allspice and three-fourths inch fresh ginger root sliced into corns for curried pickles.^{[1]
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:
Canning Green Tomato Pickles

1
Start your boiling water canner on the stove. Fill the stockpot with enough water to cover the jars with an extra one-inch (2.5cm) of space. Sterilize your jars by placing them in the boiling water canner, on a rack, for 10 minutes.
- Increase the time they rest in the water by one minute for every 1,000 feet (304.8 m).^{[2]
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- Purchase new, sterile lids and rims every year. Set them aside in a clean place until your jars have been filled.
2
Measure your dry pickling spices into the bottom of quart jar.
3
Pack the green tomatoes tightly into each jar.
4
Pour the brine over the tomatoes slowly, giving it time to fill in around the tomatoes. Use chopsticks to stir the tomatoes a little to remove air bubbles.^{[3]
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Research source} Leave one-fourth inch of headspace.^{[4]
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- Use a funnel to pour the warm brine liquid neatly in the jar.
5
Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp rag. Place the lids on the glass and tighten the rings.
6
Place the jars on your boiling water canner rack. Lower them down into the boiling water bath. Allow them to boil for 10 to 15 minutes, depending upon elevation.
7
Remove them carefully from the boiling water bath with tongs. Place them on the counter to cool completely for several hours before storing. The tops of the jars should pop when the vacuum seal has formed. The tomatoes will last for one year in a cool, dark place.