Green Tomato Pickles – Easy Pickled Green Tomato Recipe for Canning

I made up a batch of these pickled green tomatoes to use up some of the unripe tomatoes knocked off the vines during our recent hail storm. We picked all the storm damaged fruit, and trimmed off the spoiled bits, saving the undamaged parts for preserving. I found a number of green tomato recipes, but pickled green tomatoes seemed most likely to appeal to my family. (The crew groaned out loud at the green tomato mincemeat recipe.) We like dill pickles, so why not dilly green tomato pickles?

Pickled Green Tomatoes – Which Tomatoes to Use

These pickled green tomatoes work best with small, firm tomatoes, not ones that are large and juicy. The firmer the fruit going into the pickle, the firmer the end product. The recipe isn't meant for tomatoes that are green when ripe. I'm sure you could still turn those into green tomato pickles, too, but they would be soft and mushy. This recipe also works fine for pickled green cherry tomatoes.

I use cider vinegar in my pickled green tomatoes, but you could also use white vinegar for a brighter color. Homemade vinegar is not recommended because the acidity may vary.

Green Tomato Pickles Recipe

Adapted from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving Dilled Green Tomatoes recipe.

Ingredients

• 5 pounds small, firm green tomatoes
• 1/4 cup canning salt
• 3 1/2 cups vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups water
• garlic cloves, 6 or 7
• fresh dill heads, 6-7;  or 1/4 cup dill seeds
• bay leaves, 6 or 7

Directions

Prepare jars and two piece canning lids. Wash tomatoes, drain. Core tomatoes; cut into halves or quarters.

Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil.

Pack tomato chunks into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Add 1 clove garlic, 1 head of dill (or 2 teaspoons dill seeds) and 1 bay leaf to each jar.

Ladle hot liquid over tomatoes, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims and screw on lids finger tights.

Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. Yields about 6 pints.

Recommended Resources:

• Blue Book Guide to Preserving
• Granite Ware Water Bath Canning Kit
• Pickling Salt

More Condiment and Relish Water Bath Canning Recipes

Because of added vinegar, most pickle and condiment recipes (like pickled green tomatoes) can be processed in a water bath canner instead of a pressure canner. These are some of the other water bath canning recipes featured on the site:

• Home Canned Salsa Recipe – Plus 10 Tips for Safe Salsa Canning
• Homemade Ketchup – Canned
• Pickle Relish Sweetened With Honey
• Betty's No Can Dill Pickles
• Pickled Dilly Beans with Garlic and Cayenne Pepper
• Gram Irene's Pickled Beets
• Pickled Peppers
• Green Tomato Chow Chow Relish

For an overview of different ways to store food at home, see Home Food Preservation – 10 Ways to Preserve Food at Home.

Are you a fan of pickled green tomatoes or green tomatoes in general? What's your favorite way to use them? Do you have any other tips for using garden produce that might otherwise not make the cut? Leave a comment and let me know.

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Green Tomato Pickles – Easy Pickled Green Tomato Recipe for Canning

Pickled green tomatoes are a great way to use up unripe tomatoes, or simply mix up your tomato harvest with the crisp texture of green tomatoes.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 6-7 pints
• Category: Condiment
• Method: Canning
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 5 pounds small, firm green tomatoes
• 1/4 cup canning salt
• 3 1/2 cups vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups water
• garlic cloves, 6 or 7
• fresh dill heads, 6-7;  or 1/4 cup dill seeds
• bay leaves, 6 or 7

Instructions

Prepare jars and two piece canning lids. Wash tomatoes, drain. Core tomatoes; cut into halves or quarters.

Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large sauce pot. Bring to a boil.

Pack tomato chunks into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Add 1 clove garlic, 1 head of dill (or 2 teaspoons dill seeds) and 1 bay leaf to each jar.

Ladle hot liquid over tomatoes, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rims and screw on lids finger tights.

Process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. Yields about 6 pints.

Notes

Note: Nutrition information includes salt in the brine, most of which is not eaten unless you like to drink pickle juice.

Keywords: pickle, pickled green tomatoes

Originally published in 2017, updated in 2018.