If you are one of those getting into canning or getting back into canning, this is a great relish to make. As a teenager, I used to hang out my girlfriend’s house and spend time with her mom, a really good cook. I would copy out recipes of hers that I liked, then try and make them. My dad went through a jar of this relish every week! God knows what he was doing with it! You can find green tomatoes near the end of summer at Farmer’s Markets or fruit and vegetable stands. Just ask for them. The food processor makes chopping up the veggies a cinch, imagine the olden days when they ground them with a hand cranked grinder!
Makes 10 – 500ml Jars
10 large green tomatoes, (approx. 7 lbs.)
5 large onions
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
Pickling salt (not table salt)
Dressing
2 ½ cups white distilled vinegar
2 cups hot water
3 cups sugar
¾ cup unbleached flour
1 Tbsp. turmeric
2 tsp. ground ginger
¼ to ½ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. celery seeds
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
Chop the tomatoes and onions in the food processor in batches until they are medium-fine, using on/off turns. Place in a very large bowl; sprinkle with a handful of pickling salt, cover with plastic wrap, let stand overnight. Drain well in a colander in the morning.
Make The Dressing
Mix the dry ingredients together. Whisk in the hot water, bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat to medium and boil 5 minutes, stirring/whisking often. Add the vinegar; simmer 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and onions; simmer until very hot, stirring/whisking often to prevent sticking. Place the mixture into hot sterilized jars & seal. Process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes.
Helpful link: to information on safe canning methods. http://www.bernardin.ca/
