Green Tomato Pickles – Old Retro Recipe

What did the roast beef and cheese sandwich say to the green tomato pickles? You complete me! Or maybe that’s just a line from a bad Tom Cruise movie. Anyway, these green tomato pickles are so delicious.

I have just finished smothering a bread roll in this spicy relish and devouring it, and believe me, it really does make the sandwich complete!

This pickled relish recipe is a fabulous way to use the green tomatoes that won’t ripen at the end of the season.

green tomato pickles
Green Tomato Pickles

There are so many traditional recipes that I remember my grandparents making when I was small. A lot of recipes like jams and relishes were used to ensure there wouldn’t be wastage when there was a huge crop of cucumbers, or the tomatoes weren’t ripening.

I have noticed a lot of these family secret recipes just don’t seem to get made anymore!

When I was younger housewives and granny’s would be making, and giving away; tomato chilli jam, chutneys, pickles, cucumber relishes and jams.

This green tomato pickles recipe is a real blast from the past. My taste buds instantly remembered the relish flavour.

It took me back to eating roast beef and cheese sandwiches at nan’s, with heaps of pickles and chunks of real butter.

Green tomato pickles recipe
Green Tomato Pickles Recipe

So how did I come to be sharing a recipe for Green Tomato Pickles?  I had just made my Tomato Chilli Chutney from the excess tomatoes in my garden and a friend commented that his mother had the best green tomato pickle recipe ever!

So Craig decided that it was time that I should learn how to make this family recipe. We engaged the assistance of his mother Maureen to make a batch of Nana’s famous green tomato pickles.

Green tomato recipes, pickles
Green tomato recipes, pickles
green tomato pickles recipe-11

Green Tomato Relish Recipe [ Pickles ]- Homemade Retro Method

What did the roast beef and cheese sandwich say to the green tomato pickles? You complete me! Or maybe that's just a line from a bad Tom Cruise movie. Anyway, these green tomato pickles are so delicious.
3.65 from 42 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, Australian, English
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours 3 minutes
Servings: 18 Jars
Calories: 18kcal
Author: Matt Dobson

Ingredients

  • 1.9 kg Green Tomatoes
  • 400 g Onion
  • 9 Tbs salt
  • 900 g sugar
  • 750 ml white vinegar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3 Tbs Curry powder
  • 1 Tbs Ground Turmeric

Instructions

Day 1

  • Wash the tomatoes, remove any stalks and dry them thoroughly.
  • Chop the tomatoes and onions into a similar sized dice. In a large saucepan add a layer of 1/3 of the tomatoes and 1/3 of the onions, add 1/3 of the salt evenly over the layer.
  • Continue this process until you have three layers. Cover the saucepan and leave to stand overnight. This will draw out any moisture.

Day 2

  • Drain off all the liquid from the tomato mixture.
  • Boil a jug with hot water and pour over the tomato mixture and drain again. Do this twice to remove all the salt.
  • Put the tomatoes on the stove and add 450ml of white vinegar. Bring the mixture to the boil cover and then cook for ten minutes using a timer.
  • In the meantime in a bowl combine the flour, turmeric, and curry powder with the remaining 300mls vinegar until it becomes a paste. Reserve for later use.
  • Once the tomato has boiled for ten minutes add the sugar and stir until dissolved.
  • Turn off the heat and add the paste slowly to the tomato mixture while stirring. Avoid lumps by adding the paste slowly and continuing to stir.
  • When the paste has been fully combined, place the pickles over a low heat and simmer gently. Pickles should be cooked for another 10 minutes, or until the mixture has reached the desired consistency.
  • Remove from the heat and allow it to cool slightly before bottling in sterilized jars.

Nutrition

Serving: 30g | Calories: 18kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 0mg | Sodium: 3489mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.6mg

Out comes the Sweet Pickles old school recipe card

One of the really cute things about this recipe is that it was typed on nice little-indexed cards in pounds! We had to convert the recipe to metric as we went.

green-tomato-pickles-recipe-Card
Green Tomato Pickles Recipe Card

As it turns out, finding 6kgs of green tomatoes isn’t that easy, but after a trip to Ricardoes Tomatoes in Port Macquarie the vital ingredient was secured. The pickle making is a two-day process so Craig’s mother kindly offered to dedicate two days to the pickling and teaching of her recipe.

green tomato pickles recipe-3
Green tomato recipes, pickles

The result of all these green tomatoes would be three batches of pickle relish or about 18 jars!

green tomato pickles recipe-4
Green Tomato Recipe, Pickles

I have given the recipe for a single batch which is about six jars.

green tomato pickles recipe-5
Green Tomato Relish prep

Maureen (Craig’s mum) warned us that she would be the quality controller for cooking this recipe.

Unless each green tomato pickle batch all past the taste test they wouldn’t be allowed out of her kitchen.

We learned well under her watchful eye because although there were differences in the spiciness of each pickle, they were all delicious.

green tomato pickles recipe-6
Cooking green tomato pickles recipe

Day 2 of cooking Green tomato pickles:  

Draining off all the liquid from the tomato pickles mixture.

Boil a jug of hot water and pour over the green tomato mixture and drain again. Do this twice to remove all the salt.

green tomato pickles recipe-7

Put the green tomatoes on the stove and add 450ml of white vinegar. Bring the mixture to the boil cover and then cook for ten minutes using a timer.

green tomato pickles recipe-8

In the meantime in a bowl combine the flour, turmeric, and curry powder with the remaining 300mls vinegar until it becomes a paste. Reserve for later use.

green tomato pickles recipe-9

When the tomato has boiled for ten minutes add the sugar and stir until dissolved.

Turn off the heat and add the paste slowly to the tomato mixture while stirring.  Avoid lumps by adding the paste slowly and continuing to stir.

Once the relish paste has been fully combined, place the pickles over a low heat and simmer gently. Pickles should be cooked for another 10 minutes, or until the mixture has reached the desired consistency.

green tomato pickles recipe cooking in the pot
Green tomato pickles cooking in the pot

So thank you so much, Maureen, for sharing your famous green tomato pickles recipe and your time with me.

finished product green tomato pickles recipe
Finished Product – Green Tomato Pickles Recipe in Jars

Have you ever tasted or cooked something that instantly triggers a time in your life like the Green Tomato Pickles did for me?

5 thoughts on “Green Tomato Pickles – Old Retro Recipe”

  1. I used this recipe last year and am using it again this year because it was simply delicious. The whole family got a jar each and without exception it was a big thumbs up and their lining up with requests again this year. Thank you for a great recipe!
    Maureen.

    Reply
  2. Thank you for this recipe
    I only had a few green cherry tomatoes but I made 1/2 batch at it turned out great
    I have been making pickles for years and so far this tops.
    Also as I live Nth of Coffs the day Ricardoes is tipoff was great

    Reply
  3. This is the first time I have made these for about 15 years. I had a lot of small patio tomatoes given to me and they came out just great. The flavour is lovely and they are very close to the ones that my grandmother used to make. Have had lots of compliments. Had some vinegar left after the making of the paste so did not put it in as they looked to be just the right consistency. maybe larger tomatoes would need it. Thank you Maureen and her Mum

    Reply

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