CANNING GREEN TOMATOES RELISH | PICCALILLI (2024)

Piccalilli Canning Green Tomato Relish is a great way to preserve the abundance of your garden when the fall season is over. The green tomato piccalilli recipe is a favorite recipe in the collection of vintage recipes our family has been making for a long time.

Piccalilli is a British staple and in the south is called southern chow chow. It has always been one of our family’s Italian recipes.

If you’re seeking a good recipe for canning green tomatoes, you’re in for a treat! This piccalilli relish recipe is perfect for anyone trying their hand at preserving it for the first time. Passed down from our grandmother and found in old clippings, this recipe has become a staple in our own recipe box. Trust me, it’s a delicious condiment that will quickly become a family favorite.

This delightful green tomato relish will capture your heart and become a cherished annual tradition. This sweet and spicy relish ingeniously combines the abundance of garden produce you’re unsure how to utilize, resulting in a savory relish so delightful, that you’ll be eagerly anticipating its creation year after year.

From those surplus green tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, onion, cabbage, celery, mustard seeds, clove, and apple cider vinegar, this relish is a delicious solution to make sure nothing goes to waste. You will be transforming garden surplus into a beloved relish you’ll savor with every bite.

Why not make this savory relish that is used as a condiment for all your holiday meat dishes? This traditional unripe green tomato recipe comes from Jim’s mother’s family, the Ross family. Piccalilli traces back to New England in the late 1800s.

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Find all my top 5 canning recipes here: 5 Basic Garden Canning Recipes.

The Buonpane Family Tradition for Piccalilli Green Tomato Relish:

My husband Jim grew up with his mother, Grace, making the recipe every summer. Grace’s original green tomato piccalilli recipe does not call for the water bath. However, to be on the safe side Jim and I water bath any canning recipe in a water bath canner. Pint Jars are the best option, just the right size. You do not need to even can this recipe. It tastes great right when you make it and will last in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks if it is not all eaten before that.

You can also make the piccalilli relish and put it in freezer plastic containers and freeze it for the holiday season. Piccalilli relish, or green tomato relish is delicious and a special treat for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners. The winter holiday is when mother-in-law served her jars of this delicious relish. You get that fresh garden taste in the dark winter. The green tomato relish was a treat everyone looked forward to each holiday.

Grace would make green tomato piccalilli recipe at the end of the garden season and would store the jars in the root cellar. She would serve the condiment for Sunday dinner, especially on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

If you do not have a garden, all of the ingredients can be found at your local farmers’ market or grocery store. The recipe does take a day to sit so start the recipe when you will be home for a few days. It is best the next day.

What to Eat Green Tomato Piccalilli Recipe:

• Turkey
• Ham
• Hot Dogs
• Roast
• Cold cut Sandwiches
• Crackers on a Cheese Board.

The Best Main Dishes to Serve with Piccalilli: Green Tomato Relish

Ingredients For Piccalilli Relish:

• 3/4 peck Green Tomatoes
• 6 Sweet Green Peppers
• 2 Red Peppers
• 3 Stalks Celery
• 10 Large Onions
• 1 Medium Cabbage
• 1/4 cup Mustard seeds
• 2 TLB Cinnamon
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 1 TLB Whole Cloves
• 2 cups Brown sugar
• 1/4 cup Salt
• 6 cups of Apple Cider Vinegar

How to Make Green Tomato Relish

1. Make sure you have all of the ingredients at hand and ready to go. You can also substitute or leave out any of the ingredients, just make sure you have the green tomatoes.
2. In a food processor or a grinder unit for your mixer, grind the green tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, celery, and cabbage.
3. Layer all of the vegetables that you grind in an extra-large bowl and salt in between layers. I use a stainless steel bowl.
4. Cover your bowl and let sit overnight.
5. The next day in the morning drain off the liquid that the vegetable release and raise the vegetable in cold water in a small hole colander.
6. Mix the drained vegetables with all the remaining ingredients and cook on the stove in a large pot at a medium boil for 1 1/2 hours.
7. Make sure that you sterilize the lids and rims of the jars in the dishwasher to make sure all germs are removed.
8. Try to not handle the jars and lids and rims with your hands but with tongs.
9. When you have cooked the mixture, ladle it into canning jars. Make sure to wipe the jar rim and seal it with the proper canning lids and rims.
10. You can also put the jars when cooled to room temperature into the refrigerator to eat right away or put them in freezer jars and freeze them.
11. If you are going to can the mixture, water bath the sealed jars for 30 minutes.

Supplies Needed:

• Ball Canning Jars
• Lids & Rims
• Large Canning Pot
• Stock Pot for Boiling Water
• Ball Secure-Grip Jar Lifter (a must)
• Canning Funnel
• Cutting Board
• Paring Knife

Preserving Homemade Goodness: Check Out the Treasury of Homestyle Canning Recipes

Canning our fresh food for winter not only brings joy and excitement to the kitchen but also offers numerous health benefits. It allows us to preserve the vibrant flavors and nutrients of seasonal produce, ensuring we have access to wholesome, homemade meals even during the colder months.

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