Green Tomato Relish

I have a really, really good recipe to share with you today! It’s been over a week since I made this green tomato relish, but I wanted to do a taste test before I put the recipe on the blog. It’s just a point of pride for me to only give you what’s truly good! And this one is really, really good! It would be delicious as an accompaniment to roast beef or pork tenderloin or would be divine on deli-style sandwiches.  But first, I must tell you that this is not a recipe that I developed.

 Recipe courtesy of Best of Bridge Home Preserving:120 Recipes for Canning Fruits & Vegetables by Best of Bridge Publishing Ltd. 2014 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.

I found it in this book that was sent to me to review about  2 months ago. It the Best of Bridge Home Preserving book published by the Robert Rose company. The Best of Bridge books are Canada’s favorite cookbook series and can be ordered from Amazon or Barnes and Noble.  This book is a great resource for anyone who is thinking about canning and need all the directions and tips in one place. The good thing about all the recipes is that the amounts of ingredients are given is customary units (used in the United States) and metric. The easy to understand and detailed instructions provide all the information that you need before beginning any canning project, and there’s even a section in the back of the book with additional recipes using some of the preserves. I highly recommend this book for beginning canners as well as experienced ones because there’s something for everyone.

To make this recipe, you are going to need some green tomatoes-7 1/2 pounds of them!

I got mine from our garden. Recently Leo started pulling up the tomato plants and I went along behind him scooping up as many green tomatoes as I possibly could. Since then, we’ve had some Fried Green Tomatoes and I’ve made 2 batches of this relish.  I think I love green tomatoes almost as much as ripe ones!

After rinsing your tomatoes, you will need to slice them rather thinly. I have found that a knife with a serrated edge is best for that job.

Put the sliced tomatoes in a bowl and set aside.

Wash 5 green bell peppers and 4 red ones. These all came out of our garden. (Have I mentioned that I put Epson salts on our pepper plants this year and that we’ve had an abundance of them? It really works!)

Peel, halve, and slice 4 large onions. These also came from our garden and since these were smaller, I used more than 4.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, peppers, and onions and add 1 cup of pickling or canning salt. (I do this in layers.)

Don’t be tempted to use regular salt because the additives in regular salt will make your preserves cloudy. Have you ever wondered why you add salt to preserves? According to this book, salt draws the juices out of vegetables and fruits, allowing the pickling liquid or brine to enter the cells and preserve the food. It also contributes to the texture. There are all sorts of helpful tidbits and tips sprinkled through this book.

Cover the bowl and let stand at room temperature overnight.

The next day, working in batches, put the vegetables in a colander and drain the vegetables and rinse well. Drain again and squeeze out the excess liquid. Set aside in the colander to continue draining.

Meanwhile,  wash and then sterilize 10 pint jars by putting them in boiling water for 10 minutes. ( I use the canner to do this.)

In a smaller pot, bring 10 lids and screw bands to a simmer. (Lids must be new, but you can reuse screw bands.)

Combine the drained vegetables, 6 cups sugar, 2 tablespoons pickling spice, 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon each ground cinnamon and ground cloves, and 4 cups white vinegar. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer gently, stirring often, for about 30 minutes or until onions are translucent and relish is slightly thickened.

Ladle hot relish into the jars to within 1/2 inch of the rim. To really pack the jars well, I use a spatula to push down the veggies and I also pour out the extra vinegar solution until I get the jar filled. Wipe the rim with a clean cloth, apply the prepared lids and bands, and tighten just until finger-tip tight.  Process jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes. Turn off the canner and remove the lid. Let the jars stand in the water for 5 minutes.

Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let rest at room temperature until cooled. Check seals and if any jars did not seal properly, keep them in the refrigerator and use within 3 weeks.

The second time I made this, I used half-pint jars to so I could give them to folks who just aren’t sure if they’d like green tomato relish. But I guarantee there will be many converts!

Now I’m just trying to figure out what I’m having for dinner to compliment the sweet and tangy goodness of this green tomato relish.

If you’d like a printable copy of this recipe, click HERE.

And since I was so impressed with this cookbook, I’m heading over to Best of Bridge to peruse more titles!

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