Good Eats at the TEOTWAWKI Café—Green Tomato Salsa

This time last year I was in a somewhat rotten mood—we experienced a very early, hard freeze, and as a result my tomato harvest was pathetic.  This year, I prepared much better by getting some frost blankets.  I also saved all our milk jugs and painted them black to help keep heat in under the blankets.  Naturally, as I was so well prepared, nothing happened.  Before the first freeze hits, we will have gotten a full four weeks more of growing time over last year.  I definitely can’t complain and I’m quite grateful for the bountiful harvest.  I’ve still got a lot of tomato sauce and salsa to make. 

Because I had so many green tomatoes last year, I went looking for recipes to use them.  The first thing I made was an “apple” pie.  Fortunately, it was ok, but as long as we have real apples, that’s what we’ll use.

Green salsa was next on the list, but I guess I got distracted and didn’t blog about it at the time.  Anyway, the following recipe comes directly from the Ball® Canning Back to Basics (2017 edition).  

Now you might be aware that there has been some controversy over Ball recipes and cookbooks of late.  The contention is that Ball Corporation hasn’t tested these recipes, or at least, hasn’t shared test results.  The Cooperative Extension people are a bit uneasy about this.  You’ll have to decide where you stand on this issue.  Maybe you think Ball can be trusted and that they wouldn’t take a chance.  After all, if people got poisoned due to following their recipes, Ball would likely become the target of lawsuits.  On the flip side, you could say that it’s just not worth the risk.  Or you could simply pressure can the salsa or test with pH strips.  Your choice.

Green Tomato Salsa

2 pounds green tomatoes, finely chopped

1 cup onion, finely chopped

1 teaspoon canning salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, seeded and chopped

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup lime juice

Bring the first 5 ingredients to a boil in a large saucepan.  Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.  Ladle the hot salsa into jars, leaving ½” headspace.  Remove air bubbles, wipe jar rim, and apply the lid and band.  Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude.  Turn off heat, remove lid, and let jars stand 5 minutes.  Remove the jars and cool for 24 hours.  Label and store. 

Family reviews:  Ellie really liked it and wanted me to make more this year.  I have a rice and cheese dish I like using it in.  With at least 10 gallons of green tomatoes, I’ll be making another batch of this in the next week or so.

If you’re uncomfortable with the above recipe from Ball (because they don’t share their test results or methods), here’s one from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension in Cumberland County.  We haven't tried it, so I can't offer any reviews:

Green Tomato Salsa

5 cups chopped green tomatoes or tomatillos

4 cups chopped onions

1 ½ cups seeded, chopped long green chilies

1 cup bottled lemon or lime juice

½ cup seeded, chopped jalapeno peppers

1-3 tablespoons oregano leaves

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle hot into pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Wipe jar rim. Apply dome lid and screwband and adjust band to fingertip-tight.

Process jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude if necessary.   Yield: 5 pints

Links to related posts:

Alternative Uses for Green Tomatoes—Pies!   

Alternative Uses for Green Tomatoes--Almost Raspberry Jam  

Protecting the Garden from Early Fall Frosts  

pH Test Strips or Meter?  

References:

https://extension.umaine.edu/cumberland/2016/10/14/lets-preserve-green-tomatoes/