Green Tomatoes

Salted Green Tomatoes

At the end of the summer, when cleaning up tomato plants, there are always the end-of-season tomatoes that could have been. A few more weeks of warm weather, and they would be red, orange, ripe, and ready - but it's cold and the winter wind is blowing strong - they remain green, forever. This year, cleaning out my grandmother's greenhouse resulted in an abundant harvest of green tomatoes. However, not a single under-ripe gem was wasted - they were quickly prepared and put away to re-emerge as a winter delight.

The process is simple and easily adaptable to local gardens; all you need is a big jar, water, salt, tomatoes, and plants! We used cherry leaves, garlic, dill, and black currant leaves from the garden, and from around the corner: wild horseradish leaves.

Sprinkle half of your seasonings at the bottom of the jar. Make a hole in the top of each tomato (the part that meets the stem) and fill the jar with the fruits. The hole will allow the tomatoes to saturate. Pour water over the tomatoes - for every two liters of water, add two tablespoons of salt. Put the rest of your seasonings in and wait! The tomatoes will be done in a few weeks, none wasted :)