Italian Green Tomato Preserves

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Italian Green Tomato Preserves

Italian green tomato preserves are thin slices of unripe tomato in a glossy honey and vanilla syrup, with no added pectin. Cook them down with sugar and fresh lemon, then water bath can them in pints, half pints, or quarter pints.

Prep Time25

Cook Time50

Canning Time10

Total Time1 25

Course: Jam

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Green Tomato Canning Recipes, green tomato preserves, italian green tomato preserves, preserves without pectin

Servings: servings, makes 3 to 4 half pints

Equipment

Water Bath Canner
Canning Jars, Lids and Bands
Canning Funnel
Jar lifter
Bubble remover
Large stainless steel or enameled pot
Sharp paring knife
Vegetable Peeler
Instant Read Thermometer

Ingredients

2 lbs green tomatoes firm and unpeeled, see notes
1 large lemon peeled in strips, juice reserved
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice from the lemon, see notes
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/3 cup mild honey
2 pinches coarse sea salt
1 vanilla bean split lengthwise

Instructions

Prepare a water bath canner, jars, and lids, and keep the jars hot until you fill them.
Core the green tomatoes and cut them lengthwise into quarters.
Check the seeds. Leave small, soft seeds in, and scrape out mature ones.
Cut each quarter crosswise into thin slices.
Put the tomato slices, lemon peel and juice, sugar, honey, and salt in a wide, heavy-bottomed, nonreactive pot.
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the pot, and add the pod.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Reduce the heat to medium and keep it at a lively simmer, stirring often, until it reaches 220 degrees F and the preserves are glossy and thick enough to spread, about 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove the vanilla pod. The lemon peel stays in.
Ladle the hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and wipe the rims clean.
Center the lids on the jars and screw the bands down to fingertip tight.
Process pints, half pints, or quarter pints in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see notes).
Turn off the heat, remove the canner lid, and wait 5 minutes before lifting the jars out onto a towel.
Cool 12 to 24 hours, check the seals, take the bands off, and store in a cool, dark place.

Notes

Yield and measuring: Starts with 2 pounds of firm, fully green tomatoes, about 6 medium, and makes 3 to 4 half pints. Wash an extra jar, since the cook-down changes the count.

Recipe source: Adapted from Preserving Italy by Domenica Marchetti, and follows NCHFP guidance for jams and jellies. Neither the NCHFP nor the USDA has a green tomato preserve.

Lemon: Take the peel off one large lemon in strips with a vegetable peeler, then juice it for about 1/4 cup. Measure the juice, and juice a second lemon if you come up short. Don't cut it back.

Sugar: Keep it as written. It candies the slices and keeps them whole, and there's no low-sugar version. For a low-sugar spread, make a jam with Pomona's pectin.

Vanilla: No bean? Use 1 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract, stirred in off the heat.

Set and texture: No added pectin. Cook to 220 degrees F at sea level, about 1 degree lower per 500 feet of elevation. It firms up over 24 to 48 hours.

Batch size: Halves cleanly, and doubles to 6 to 8 half pints with a longer cook. Don't go past double, since a deep pot cooks so slowly that the slices overcook.

Canning optional: Keeps about 2 weeks in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer in straight-sided, freezer-safe jars with 1 inch of headspace.

Altitude adjustments: Processing time for pints, half pints, and quarter pints in a water bath canner.

0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes
Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes

Storage: Store sealed jars with the bands off in a cool, dark place, and use them within 12 to 18 months. Refrigerate unsealed or opened jars and use them within 2 weeks.

Nutrition