One thing I love about summer is gathering, cooking, and eating fresh food that has just been picked from the garden. I would say that when I'm in New Jersey, I am really spoiled about this. My mother in-law has the most abundant square foot gardens I have ever seen. She even claims that this summer was the most successful crop in a long time. So thank goodness I was here for it!
Every time I go over for the day, our meals have something from the garden. Whether it is Swiss chard, or pole beans, or freshly made pesto, or a bowl full of raspberries - it is all wonderful!
The tomato season has just started, so we trekked out to the garden with our bucket and picked as many fully ripened tomatoes as we could find. She grows yellow and red cherry, plum, and grape tomatoes. When we decided that there weren't enough ripe ones, we went ahead and picked a few handfuls of the almost ripe, not really ripe and straight up green tomatoes. We also snagged a bunch of dill growing in the spice square.
I have been wanting to make these pickled tomatoes since I found the recipe here. So thank you, little tomatoes, for existing for my pickling pleasure!
The tomato season has just started, so we trekked out to the garden with our bucket and picked as many fully ripened tomatoes as we could find. She grows yellow and red cherry, plum, and grape tomatoes. When we decided that there weren't enough ripe ones, we went ahead and picked a few handfuls of the almost ripe, not really ripe and straight up green tomatoes. We also snagged a bunch of dill growing in the spice square.
I have been wanting to make these pickled tomatoes since I found the recipe here. So thank you, little tomatoes, for existing for my pickling pleasure!
1 1/2 cups WATER
1 1/2 cups APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
1/4 cup KOSHER SALT
2 tbsp SUGAR
Enough TOMATOES (approx 5-6 cups) to fill 3-16oz jars
A few slivers of ONION
CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES
3-4 CLOVES OF GARLIC
A few WHOLE PEPPERCORNS
3-4 HEADS OF FRESH DILL
1 1/2 cups APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
1/4 cup KOSHER SALT
2 tbsp SUGAR
Enough TOMATOES (approx 5-6 cups) to fill 3-16oz jars
A few slivers of ONION
CRUSHED RED PEPPER FLAKES
3-4 CLOVES OF GARLIC
A few WHOLE PEPPERCORNS
3-4 HEADS OF FRESH DILL
Begin by preparing your jars. Place jars into a large, heavy stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and reduce to simmer until ready to fill.
Place water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Slice tomatoes so they are all approximately the same size.
Remove jars from the hot water and fill each jar with tomatoes, a few slivers of onion, a dash of red pepper flakes, one clove of garlic, 3 whole peppercorns, and one head of dill. You want to fill each jar as full as possible so after you pour the liquid into the jar, all the contents don't float to the top.
Place water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
Slice tomatoes so they are all approximately the same size.
Remove jars from the hot water and fill each jar with tomatoes, a few slivers of onion, a dash of red pepper flakes, one clove of garlic, 3 whole peppercorns, and one head of dill. You want to fill each jar as full as possible so after you pour the liquid into the jar, all the contents don't float to the top.
Once all of the jars have been filled, wipe the rims with a paper towel, place the lids on top and screw the rings on. Place the jars back into the hot water (from the jar prep) and bring back to a boil. Continue to boil the jars for 15 minutes (this is called processing or water bath). When the time is up, carefully remove the jars from the water and place them on a towel in a draft free area. After about 20 minutes, you can check the seal on the jar by pressing lightly on the lid. If it does not spring back, then it is sealed! (If the lid springs back, recheck the lid and ring to make sure there are no leaks, then place back into the hot water and boil for another 10 minutes.)
The longer you wait to open them, the better. I am straining myself to hold off for at least three weeks before opening a jar! I cannot wait to try these pickled tomatoes out on salads, pizza, or just as a side dish!