If tomatoes no longer turn red on the bush in autumn, the green, unripe specimens do not have to be thrown away. Although they are slightly poisonous, they can be boiled down sour and enjoyed with a snack in winter.

Tomatoes can be canned both ripe and unripe

What you need to know about green tomatoes

This is not a special type of tomato, but the fruit that no longer ripens on the bush. The unripe tomatoes can be canned and eaten, but you should be careful about the amount you eat. Green tomatoes contain a toxin called solanine. Too much of the poison causes headaches, nausea and vomiting. However, at least eight green tomatoes must be eaten for a poisoning that occurs with around 200 mg of solanine.
Even if you preserve the fruit sweet and sour, you should not eat too many of the unripe tomatoes, because the solanine remains in the vinegar water and after it has been boiled.

Can green tomatoes

First prepare your mason jars and sterilize them in boiling water or the oven. For a 1 liter jar you need about 700 g green tomatoes. They should be about 3-4 cm in diameter. Smaller specimens are not yet fully grown and are not edible.

  1. Wash the tomatoes thoroughly.
  2. Halve or quarter the fruit.
  3. Prepare the broth for the tomatoes.

To do this, put about a quarter liter each of water and vinegar, as well as spices, in a large pot. Use as a seasoning:

  • sea-salt
  • dill
  • peppercorns
  • Bay leaf
  • clove of garlic
  • mustard seed
  • sugar or honey
  • ginger
  • Bring the broth to a boil.
  • In the meantime, put the tomatoes in the jars.
  • Pour the hot brew over the fruit and close the jars.

    • Now cook the tomatoes. You can use an automatic preserving cooker, the oven or a large pot.
    The jars should stand in the water when boiling and not touch each other. It is cooked at a temperature between 80 and 90 degrees and takes about 30 - 40 minutes.
    After the glasses have cooled down a little in the alarm kettle, oven or saucepan, remove the glasses and let them cool down completely under a tea towel.
    Canned green tomatoes have a shelf life of about a year.

Category:

Vegetable garden