Pickled Green Tomatoes

These really were simple enough to do, and took very little time. I'm always a bit sad to see them lose the bright green colour in processing-so I have one jar curing in the fridge. I'll do a comparison later on.

You Will Need:
(makes about 8 pints)

5 pounds small, firm green tomatoes
1/4 cup canning salt
3 1/2 cups vinegar (5%)
3 1/2 cups water
About 16 cloves garlic (I doubled the recipe amount, but you could just use one clove per jar)
1/4 cup of dill seeds (2 teaspoons per jar)
7 or 8 bay leaves (one per jar)

Sterilise jars and have them heating and ready to fill. Heat lids without boiling and have ready as well.

Wash and drain tomatoes. Core and cut either in half or quarters. Combine salt, vinegar and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Pack tomatoes into hot jars with a bay leaf, 2 cloves garlic and 2 teaspoons of dill seed per jar. Fill with brine mixture leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe threads clean with a damp cloth. Process fifteen minutes in a boiling water canner. Let cool 5 minutes in the canner before removing to a heat safe surface (I use about four towels on the wood surface). Let cool 12-24 hours before testing seals.