Tomato Relishes

[CM]

Green Tomato Piccalilli (or what to do with all those unripe tomatoes).

This is a good relish to make the night before a hard frost when there are still too many green tomatoes left on the vine that haven't ripened.

Wash and coarsely grind:

1 peck green tomatoes, stems and seeds removed
3 red hot peppers, seeds and cores removed
1/4 peck onions (7 or 8 large)

Put the chopped vegetables into a wide stainless steel bowl and sprinkle them with:

1 cup canning salt

Let stand for several hours or overnight. Drain thoroughly, rinse briefly in cold running water, and drain again. Taste (they should be slightly salty only - if too salty, rinse and drain again, or soak under clean cold water for another hour, then drain thoroughly).

Add 2 quarts vinegar. Tie up 2 oz. whole pickling spice (such as Durkee, Ball, or Mrs. Wages or make your own) in a square of cheesecloth. Rinse cheesecloth bag in water before adding to vinegar. Add 2 1/2 lbs. sugar. Simmer the vinegar over very low heat for 2 hours (a Crockpot is good for this, too).

Wash jars in dishwasher using a sani-rinse cycle if you have one. Fill pint jars with chopped vegetables; top with vinegar to within 1/4-inch of jar rim. Wipe jar rim clean with a damp paper towel. Adjust two piece caps to seal.

Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

If you have too many green tomatoes still in the garden and there's a frost coming, pick them before the frost and wrap them in newspaper. Check them often as they will continue to ripen slowly but some will ripen faster than others, some won't ripen at all (but most will).

[CM]

Old Fashioned Tomato Relish

30 ripe tomatoes
12 large apples
6 or 7 onions
2 red or green peppers, cored and seeded
1 pint good quality cider vinegar
2 1/2 cups sugar
5 tbsp. canning salt
1 tbsp. whole cloves (or to taste)

Peel and cut up tomatoes, add chopped onions, apples and peppers. Stir in sugar, salt and vinegar. Simmer together for 1 1/2 hours over low heat, stirring often until thick.

Add the cloves 15 minutes before mixture is done. Mix well. Pack hot relish into hot jars leaving 1/2-inch headspace and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.