Russian Varieties
This year I haven’t had a very successful tomato season. I grew tomatoes in pots inside the conservatory and although I thought I gave them plenty of water, I still ended up with wrinkled tomatoes… Then, when they finally ripened they were mealy and flavourless.
I grew Russian tomato varieties with the idea to grow a few outside as well – Russian varieties are hardier than others and can stand the cold better. Bear in mind that we have a short growing season here in the south of Belgium – just three to four months. The ones that I planted outside started to grow when the sun finally came out but by then it was already late summer so the tomatoes had no time to ripen. Hence I ended up with a lot of small green tomatoes.
Not one to waste, I searched the internet for a Green Tomato Salsa recipe and found this one.
(I had about half the weight of green tomatoes listed in the recipe so I halved the rest of the ingredients to match)
Ingredients:
2.5 kg green tomatoes, chopped small (according to your salsa preference)
6 yellow onions, chopped
3 jalapenos, chopped with seeds
4 large red bell peppers, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped
225 ml lime juice
120 ml vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
2 teaspoons pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional, to taste)
1 – 2 teaspoons sugar
Directions:
Combine everything in a large pot, mixing well. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Ladle the salsa into hot sterile jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Wipe the lids and jar edges clean before finger tightening the lids and placing them back in the boiling canning pot.
Process (boil) the jars for 15 minutes.
Remove carefully and allow to sit for 24 hours. Check the lids for seal and refrigerate any unsealed jars.
Unfortunately the bright green and red colours didn’t remain after cooking but the result is a fresh,spicy, sour green tomato salsa which tastes wonderful with tortillas and meats. I prefer to eat it in my lunchtime sandwich with a little cheese and have already finished one whole jar!
About Laila Noort
My name is Laila Noort. Originally the gardener of a 2×2 square metre garden, balcony and windowsill in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, I am now the owner of more than 2,000 square metres of grassland in the Belgian Ardennes. I used to work as a secretary in an office but always felt there must be more to life…
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Cool! I never tried green tomatoes in my salsa. I really preferred the usual tomatoes since I just love the colors it gave in my recipe. So lovely!
Alice @ Vinyl Garden Sheds
Hello Alice, thanks for stopping by. I agree with the usual tomato salsa, the bright red colors from the tomatoes and peppers are lovely. This recipe however is wonderful for the ” leftover” green tomatoes which wont ripen anymore. It has a tangy flavor which is a nice change from the usual tomato salsa. I say…make both!
{ 1 trackback }