First freeze! AAUUGGHH!

We even covered the tomatoes and peppers, but to no avail.  The fact that the temperature dropped another five degrees right before sunrise did not help our cause at all.  So, this morning I went down to check out the damage. 

Now, to add insult to injury, by the time I made it to the garden, it was 62 degrees and the forecast for the rest of the week is extremely nice—lows in the 50s.  If we could have just saved them this one night, we might actually have had ripe tomatoes for the Thanksgiving table.

So, what to do with eight pounds of green tomatoes?

I salvaged some peppers, too.

My grandmother utilized everything from the garden—nothing went to waste.  She made green tomato relish by the gallon, but my favorite was green tomato pickles.  I would pray for an early frost so she could make these. 

My first thought was to make relish, but it is a two day process.  As I was going through the family cookbook, I found the green tomato pickle recipe.  Thirty minutes and three quarts later, I had pickled tomatoes.

Here is grandmother’s recipe.  I have italicized my comments to update the recipe.

Dilled Green Tomatoes

Pack 5# green tomatoes into three or four quart jars.  I chopped my tomatoes into spears because some were quite large. 

Add 1 clove garlic, 1 hot pepper pod, dill weed (about 1/2 t.); dill seed (about 1/2 t.), 6 or 8 peppercorns to each jar.

Heat 1 1/2 qt. water, 1/2 c. salt, 2 c. vinegar (cider).  Heat to boiling.

Pour over tomatoes in jars and seal.  (I will refrigerate these.)

Hope they're like grandma's.

Green Tomato