Several beds of our garden are in an area that is generally quite wet in the spring. Not the place to plant early crops like peas or lettuce, but perfect for tomatoes, especially since the area gets lots of sun.
This year, though, it was wet and rainy until early July. The area is built up with wood chips, but still, it was so soggy, I was afraid that our tomatoes would rot.
On top of that, we had to delay planting because of a late frost. So, for quite a while, I wasn’t expecting much from our 24 tomato plants.
And then the rain stopped, and the weather went in the opposite direction – hot and dry. The tomatoes finally took off, and because the chips were still holding water, we never once had to water that area despite the lack of rain.
And we got tomatoes. Lots of them, I’m happy to say. I’ve canned them, dehydrated them, and froze them. Sauced them, and salsa-ed them. I could barely keep up.
Our first frost is imminent, and the green tomatoes have been harvested. Some of them will ripen. Some of them will be fried. And some are fermenting nicely in a crock on my kitchen counter.
I really do love fermented fruits and vegetables, and think they are a great way to add probiotics to our diet, and to preserve the harvest.
I’m blessed to have an extra refrigerator in the basement, and it’s full of fermented green beans and cabbage, snow peas, and grape juice. And fermented green tomatoes.
My winter self always thanks my summer self as we’re enjoying probiotic-rich fresh veggies on a cold, snowy evening.
Any fermenting going on around your place?
Lacto-fermented Green Tomatoes
Ingredients
- Small green tomatoes
- sea salt
- chlorine-free water
- garlic optional
- jalapeno peppers optional
Instructions
- Quarter the green tomatoes and remove any stems. Place these in your fermentation vessel.
- Add whole garlic cloves and jalapeño peppers to taste.
- Mix 3 tablespoons of sea salt to each quart of chlorine-free water, making enough to completely cover the tomatoes.
- Weigh the tomatoes down with a fermentation weight, or a sealed plastic bag containing water. Be sure that the vegetables are completely submerged.
- Cover and ferment for 5 days on your counter. Refrigerate and allow fermentation to continue for several more days. Store in refrigerator.
More Green Tomato Recipes:
65 Recipes for Using and Preserving Green Tomatoes
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Susan Eapen says
Does the fermentation happen on its own, without the addition of an agent?
Susan Vinskofski says
Susan, yes! Raw vegetables fresh from the garden contain lactobacillus which will cause the fermentation.
Susan Eapen says
I just wanted to say that I really love your website, though much of it is not relevant to where I live near the southernmost tip of India. But I have adapted many things from what I learn from your website.
Thanks
Susan Vinskofski says
Thank you so much for the lovely compliment!!!
Kristel Wiesner says
I hope to try this this week. I’ve never been a fan of green tomato anything, but after reading that green tomatoes have a compound that might help protect against age related muscle loss, I’m in. Here’s a link http://now.uiowa.edu/2014/04/green-good . Once I made a green tomato soup that had a lot of warming spices like cinnamon, cloves, allspice. I think I’ll try adding those spices to my fermented green tomatoes. Thanks for this idea!
Susan Vinskofski says
Oh, Kristel, I think those spices would make a great addition to this ferment. Umm, I never heard about that compound, but I’m in, too!
Christine says
Kristel, I might consider adding the spices later since cinnamon is a great anti-bacterial… which is no good for fermentation!
Kris says
Based on Kristel’s post, and the link, I wonder how a green tomato green & apple ferment, with some ginger, nutmeg, allspice, clove and cinnamon(added after ferment stage) would taste??? maybe even some turmeric??? I’m thinking the apple’s sweetness would play well against the tomato’s tartness?
I have yet to do my first ferment but have come across lots of great recipes and inspirations… my PinBoard is growing quickly! planning to start a few this weekend, wish me luck!
Susan Vinskofski says
Sounds like a great plan!