Green tomato relish

Hello foodies,

Here we are, the last weekend in September.  I have given my tomatoes all the time I am going to give them.  This morning, I went out and harvested everything that was either fully green or fully ripe.  There are a few left in the midst of ripening, and taking all the green fruit away will help with that - the plant can direct its flagging energy to finishing off the remaining fruit.

In preparation for making the relish, I have been researching recipes and methods.  Many recipes had cabbage in them.  Very few had garlic.  All had green tomatoes, bell peppers, and onions and vinegar as central ingredients, and most also had sugar, but the flavour profile beyond that seems rather flexible.  Ultimately, my reading led me to an understanding of the ratios of sugar, vinegar and salt needed, and my own preferences led me to develop my own flavour profile.  Thus, I am confident in saying this is my very own green tomato relish!

So, my recipe:

12 green tomatoes, chopped into 1-2 cm pieces
2 green peppers, chopped into 1-2 cm pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, cut into thin rings - with seeds
1 little tiny HOT pepper of your choice, also with seeds - I used a green Thai chili.
4 medium red onions, diced - the dice is smaller than the chop on the tomatoes and onions
1 head of garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 c white sugar
3/4 c cider vinegar
40 grams of pickling spice blend
1.5 tbsp salt
extra mustard seeds and celery seed to taste

 

Some recipes call for letting the chopped veg drain for an hour, or adding the vegetables to a simmering vinegar/spice/sugar solution.  I find all of that too fancy.  I just put it all in a big pot, mixed it about, put it on medium-high heat, and let it go.  Once it was simmering, I lowered the heat to a little over medium and let it go 20-25 minutes or so.  I didn't want to completely lose the structural integrity of the vegetables, but I wanted the rawness of the onion and garlic to cook out.  I sampled some, and found I like the flavour balance, and made the executive decision it was time to can.  Here is what it looked like after the cooking process:

 

Now, for safe food preservation, the jars and rings have to be sterilized, meaning boiled, completely submerged in water, for 10 minutes.  Some websites say that jars can be sterilized in the dishwasher or oven.  I don't trust this.  I placed a sushi mat at the bottom of my stock pot, arranged the jars and rings in the pot, poured hot water from the tap over until the jars were completely submerged, and then turned on the heat, bringing it to a boil.  The sushi mat is so the jars aren't in direct contact with the pot, which reduced the chance of breakage.  After the jars and rings had boiled long enough, I turned off the heat, and added the lids.  The adhesive strip around the lids can be damaged in water that is fully boiling.  This sterilization process was happening while I was chopping.  I left the jars in the water until I was finished cooking the vegetables. 

Using a funnel, I scooped simmering, bubbling relish into the sterile jars, wiped the edges, placed the lid, and tightened.  As I continued, I heard the already filled jars pop, meaning the seal was made, the button on the lid was down.   If you press the centre of the lid, it does not move at all.  Many recipes call for the full jars to be boiled for 10 minutes to set the seal, but my research (and family practice) has found that where you're putting boiling food into sterile jars, this is unnecessary.  Once the jars pop, you're able to tighten the rings further.  Properly canned and sealed preserves will keep 2-5 years.  When opening a jar, if the lid is rusted it is no longer good.

So, at the end of the day, I have nine 250 ml jars of green tomato relish, and one little tupperware container to use immediately.  The flavour is sweet and spicy, with a vinegary, mustardy tang.  The jalapeno and Thai chili bring a nice heat at the end.  I look forward to using this as a condiment with chicken and pork dishes, particularly, but it will also work with beef - especially on a burger, or a meatloaf sandwich.

 

All in all, my first summer of growing tomatoes has been mostly a success (there was that one plant that didn't produce anything).  I learned what I need to do to maximize production and facilitate ripening, so next year, I can manage my plants better from the start.  A small tomato crop is my new summer tradition.

Next adventure:  salmon gravlax, currently curing in the fridge.  Look for  a post on how it turns out on Tuesday or Wednesday.

For updates, follow me on twitter!  @culinarykira