🍅🤔 Did you know you can eat green tomatoes before they turn red? Green tomatoes are more tart and acidic than ripe red tomatoes, but they are absolutely delicious fried, pickled, or roasted.
🌱😋 Pickled green tomatoes are one of Grandma Sita’s favourites! This plant-based recipe is tangy, salty, slightly sweet, and makes the perfect condiment. It’s also a delicious way to make the most of green tomatoes that haven’t had time to ripen.
INGREDIENTS
1 kg green tomatoes
½ litre water
½ litre white vinegar
1 tbsp salt
For the syrup:
750 g sugar
100 ml white vinegar
100 ml water
1 vanilla pod or cloves, to taste
METHOD
1. Prepare the green tomatoes. Cut the green tomatoes into wedges. Place them in a saucepan with the water, vinegar and salt. Bring to the boil and cook until the skins begin to loosen and can be peeled away easily.
2. Prepare the pickling syrup. In a separate saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, water and your chosen spice — either the vanilla pod or cloves — to make the sweet pickling syrup.
3. Cook the tomatoes. Bring the syrup to a gentle boil. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 3–4 minutes, stirring gently from time to time to help the sugar dissolve and coat the tomatoes.
4. Jar and chill. Carefully transfer the tomatoes and pickling liquid to a clean jar. Leave to cool to room temperature, then seal tightly with the lid. Refrigerate for at least 24 hours before eating to allow the flavours to develop.
5. Serve and enjoy! Once chilled and nicely infused, your pickled green tomatoes are ready to enjoy as a tangy, sweet and savoury condiment. A delicious way to give green tomatoes a second life — the Grandma Sita way!
🧓🏻❤️ Grandma Sita’s tips:
- Green tomatoes are easy to store for later use. Keep them at room temperature, ideally in a single layer and away from direct sunlight. A cool spot on the kitchen counter is perfect. Little by little, they will naturally begin to ripen.
- Colour is one of the best signs of ripeness, but the feel of the tomato matters too. There are many ways to preserve tomatoes — you can dry, can, freeze, grill, or stuff them. And when your tomatoes are still green, pickling is another delicious way to make them
📗 What is pickling? Pickling is a traditional method of preserving food and extending its shelf life, usually by fermenting it in brine or immersing it in vinegar. The process changes the food’s flavour and texture, creating that delicious tangy taste we know and love. The preserved food is called a pickle — or, simply, pickled when describing the ingredient.
♻️ Nearly half of all the fruit and vegetables produced worldwide are wasted each year. So, what if you could do one simple thing in your own kitchen to help reduce food waste? We can all make a difference at home, and every little action counts. Make pickles, not waste!