Pickled Green Tomatoes

We harvested a few green tomatoes from our CSA's field and made pickled tomatoes, which are very good.  Sadly, they will not make it to the winter time at the rate that we are eating them.

·      1 cup white vinegar

·      1 1/4 cup distilled water

·      2 tablespoons kosher salt

·      1 pound firm green tomatoes

·      1/2 serrano, stem removed

·      6 medium garlic cloves, peeled and sliced in half

·      4 tablespoons dill seeds

·      1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns

Method

1) Make sure you have a really clean bottle and lid. The lids must have good rubber seals. The best thing to do is buy canning jars and lids from Ball. They are in a lot of hardware and grocery stores. Sterilize them by submersing them in a boiling water bath.

2) Add the garlic, dill seeds, and peppercorns to the jar.

3) Thoroughly wash the tomatoes and slice them in halves or quarters. Cut out all bad spots and the stem ends. Cram them in the jar leaving about 1/2" - 3/4" of space at the top.

3) Make the brine by combining the vinegar, water, and salt in a sauce pan or pot. Bring to a boil, and stir until all the salt is dissolved.

4) Pour the hot brine over the tomatoes to within 1/4" of the top. Wipe the jar top, put the lids on and tighten. Age for at least 1 week in the refrigerator.

Beware. The brine will taste very salty at first, but don't panic. The juices from the tomatoes will dilute the concentration of salt in a week or 2.