Green Tomato Relish

We tend to put in lots of tomato plants when we start the summer garden and this year was no exception.  For large fresh eating tomatoes I'd switched to Celebrity tomatoes a couple of years ago because they tend to stay relatively short yet produce heavily.  This year, in addition to the Celebrity tomatoes we put in Roma tomatoes.  The Romas were selected because they are not as juicy and would require less time to make homemade ketchup of the proper consistency.  Since I've not grown Romas before I planted them like I was used to planting Celebrity and other varieties.  In previous years, that meant that once the cages were around the tomato plants I had room to walk between the rows of tomatoes and harvest the ones that were ready.

The tomato jungle with pepper plants in front

Welcome to the tomato jungle.  The Celebrity tomatoes have gone crazy this year and have grown much longer and fuller than previous years.  The Romas grew more than I'd anticipated.  As a result of both varieties spilling over the tops of the tomato cages I have a huge tangle of tomatoes.  In order to harvest the Romas I have to crawl between the rows on my hands and knees.  I imagine I look a sight crawling through the tomatoes in a kilt.

This is why I have to crawl between the tomatoes to harvest

One problem with crawling between the tomatoes is the dislodging of green tomatoes before they are mature enough to finish ripening on the kitchen counter.  Since these tend to be small there is not much to be done with them.  I could save them up and when I had enough on hand to fill a jar I could ferment them.  On a whim while fixing supper I thought I'd whip up a green tomato relish to go with the pork chops I was fixing.


I've made it twice with slight variations and both were good.  I finally got around to searching the internet and found that green tomato relish is a thing but typically far different from mine.  Many are for large batches to can and almost all use far more ingredients.  The result is that the green tomatoes are not really that prominent in the flavor profile.  They also called for cooking the relish which softens the green tomatoes and changes the whole texture of the relish.  I wanted the crunch and the flavor.

A bowl of fresh Green Tomato Relish

Thus far, I've used this relish on both pork chops and chicken breasts.  Both were seasoned with a Szechuan seasoning blend I'm experimenting with.  The pork chops were pan fried in a little butter and the chicken breasts were pan fried in bacon grease left from preparing bacon for tomato pie.  The green tomato relish complimented both very well.

Pork chop topped with Green Tomato Relish, sautéed zucchini and onions, Parmesan smashed potatoes

Green Tomato Relish

2-4 small green tomatoes

1 small red tomato

1slice onion, 1/4 inch thick

basil

oregano

marjoram

parsley

salt

1 tsp olive oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 small hot pepper, optional

Dice the green and red tomatoes and put in a bowl.  Dice the onion and add to the tomatoes.  Mince the herbs, about 2 tsp each, and add to the bowl.  Add olive oil and vinegar and stir to combine.  Add salt to taste.  Relish is ready to top whatever you are having for supper.

Chicken breast topped with Green Tomato Relish, Parmesan smashed potatoes, and Tomato Pie

Optionally you can add some finely diced hot pepper to give a hint of heat.  I had a small, 1 inch long, jalapeno that I added to the relish that accompanied the chicken.  Another option if you don't have fresh herbs is to use dried Italian seasoning.  I did this once because I didn't want to get out in the heat again.

Later in the year, end of season, I may see about making a fermented version of this relish.  Given the small size of the dice it shouldn't take long.


Give green tomato relish a try if you are growing tomatoes or if you can get them from a Farmer's Market.  This relish goes well with both chicken and pork as well as an accompaniment to peas.  Let me know what you  think.


Uncle T