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How to cook green tomatoes for the winter: simple, but unusual and tasty recipes from around the world

Green tomatoes These are unripe tomato fruits. Many people don’t risk using them and simply throw them away. Yes, you can’t eat them fresh, but canning them is just what you need.

We will tell you in more detail about the properties of such tomatoes and offer recipe options for their preparation in this article.

Is it possible to eat green tomatoes?

You can’t eat fresh, unripe tomatoes—it’s fraught with poisoning, but properly processed and properly cooked tomatoes are possible and even necessary. Canned green tomatoes can be consumed by anyone who has no contraindications.

Composition and properties

The chemical composition of green tomatoes differs from ripe ones.

Nutritional value per 100 g:

calorie content – 23 kcal;
proteins – 1 g;
fats – 0.1 g;
carbohydrates – 5 g.

In addition, they contain minerals - potassium and copper, vitamins B, C, K, PP, E and carotene, phytoncides.

Attention! Green fruits contain few vitamins. Only vitamin C is available in sufficient quantities.

In addition to the beneficial properties, green tomatoes also contain poisons:

Solanine. This glycoalkoloid is found in all green unripe fruits of the nightshade family and is destroyed by heat treatment. Poisoning occurs when 200-400 mg of the substance enters the body.
Tomatin. This element is specific and is found only in unripe tomatoes. For poisoning, 25 mg of tomatine is enough. Lethal dose – 350 mg. But there is little of it in tomatoes, so poisoning with it is rare.

Unripe tomatoes also contain:

lycopene – useful for eye diseases, normalizes blood pressure, non-toxic, but in large quantities can change skin color;
serotonin – known as the “happiness hormone”, has a beneficial effect on the human brain.

Benefits and harms

Green tomatoes are beneficial for acid-base imbalance, intestinal diseases, and can be used for varicose veins.

They are not suitable for those who are allergic to this product, kidney disease, gastrointestinal tract, vascular and heart disease. Contraindicated during pregnancy and breastfeeding.

The best recipes for green tomato preparations

We offer the simplest, most delicious and popular recipes for green tomatoes that will help you use this seemingly unsightly product.

Green tomatoes for the winter “You'll lick your fingers”

The preparation is delicious and easy to make.

Ingredients: How to cook green tomatoes for the winter: simple, but unusual and tasty recipes from around the world

unripe tomatoes – 1 kg;
parsley, dill and currant leaves – 50 g;
white onion – 1 head;
garlic – 3-4 cloves.

For the marinade:

table vinegar – 70 ml;
black pepper – 2-3 peas;
bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
water – 1 l;
salt – 0.5 tbsp. l.;
sugar – 3 tbsp. l.;
sunflower oil – 15 g.

Way preparations:

Prepare the filling. To do this, add sugar and salt to the water. Then wait a bit for them to dissolve.
Place a container of water on the stove, add bay leaves and peppercorns, and boil the marinade. Remove it from the heat and add vinegar.
Take a sterilized dry liter jar, put chopped garlic and herbs on the bottom. Also add oil.
After this, lay the tomatoes, and then the onions in rings or half rings. If the tomatoes are too large, cut them into pieces.
Pour the marinade over the contents of the jar, but it must be hot.
Then sterilize the workpiece directly in the jar for 20 minutes in a water bath.

The tomatoes are ready for rolling. Keep can be done in any convenient place.

Stuffed green tomatoes in jars

Unripe tomatoes can be stuffed with any vegetables. However, the most delicious option is made from pepper, herbs and garlic.

To make one liter jar you will need:

green tomatoes – 10 pcs.;
water – 1 l;
parsley and dill - a bunch;
sweet bell pepper – 1 pc.;
garlic – 2 heads;
salt – 15 g;
sugar – 20 g;
sunflower oil – 30 ml;
table vinegar – 30 ml;
peppercorns – 2 pcs.;
bay leaf - 1 leaf;
coriander - to taste;
pepper seasoning – 0.5 tsp.

Preparation:

Cut the pepper into small slices. Squeeze the garlic through a press, chop the greens. Combine ingredients.
Take a clean, sterilized jar, put bay leaf, coriander, peppercorns, and a mixture of peppers on the bottom.
Cut through the tomatoes “crosswise”, but not all the way. “Open” the tomatoes a little and add the prepared filling to them.
Place the tomatoes in a jar. Then pour in oil and vinegar, add salt and sugar.
After this, fill the workpiece with hot water so that its level is approximately 1 cm from the edge of the jar.
Place the jar in a container of water and sterilize for about 15 minutes from the moment it boils.

After the procedure, roll up the jar with a metal lid, turn it over and cover with a blanket. Let cool for 6-7 hours. Then put it away for storage.

Green tomatoes for the winter in Korean

This snack uses carrots, also a seasoning for Korean carrots. The workpiece is sterilized, so it is suitable for long-term storage.

For Korean tomatoes you will need:

unripe tomatoes – 1.5 kg;
carrots – 250 g;
bell pepper – 5 pcs.;
hot pepper – 1 pc.;
garlic – 1.5 heads;
sharp white onion – 2 pcs.;
sunflower oil – 120 ml;
vinegar – 60 ml;
salt – 45 g;
sugar – 15 g;
Korean carrot seasoning – 5 g.

Prepare as follows:

Cut the bell pepper into thin, short strips, after removing the seeds, and cut the hot pepper as finely as possible.
Chop the onion into thin rings or half rings.
Grind the carrots using a Korean carrot grater; a regular one with large holes will do.
Pass the garlic through a garlic press or cut into thin slices.
Wash the tomatoes, wipe them, cut them into pieces.
Mix all vegetables and add seasoning.
Place the resulting vegetable mixture in a large container, pour in oil, vinegar, salt and sugar. Let stand for about 30 minutes.
Place the mixture into prepared liter jars and cover with lids.
Sterilize jars for 15-20 minutes after boiling. Then roll up the lids and store in any convenient place.

Green tomato caviar

Incredibly tasty caviar will be a good snack in winter. It will require the following components:

unripe tomatoes – 2 kg;
white onion – 10 pcs.;
carrots – 10 pcs.;
garlic – 4-5 heads;
sugar – 8 tbsp. l.;
tomato sauce – 4 tbsp. l.;
salt – 2 tbsp. spoons;
crushed paprika – 2 tsp;
sunflower oil – 200 ml;
ground pepper – 3 tsp;
table vinegar - 4 tbsp. l..

Cooking process:

Wash the tomatoes, cut into pieces and puree them using a food processor or meat grinder.
Pour vegetable oil into a container, add tomato puree and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Also chop the onions and carrots in a food processor or using a meat grinder and add them to the tomatoes.Mix everything and cook for another 8 minutes.
After this, put salt, sugar, paprika, tomato paste and chopped garlic into the pan. Stir and boil for 5-7 minutes.
To obtain a more homogeneous mass, pass the caviar through a blender. After all the manipulations, add vinegar to the resulting mass, bring to a boil and remove from heat.

Now you can put the workpiece into pre-prepared sterilized jars and roll it up with metal lids.

Spicy green tomatoes with garlic

The tomatoes in this recipe are prepared in slices, but if the tomatoes are small, you can add them whole.

Important! The snack can be eaten within 12 hours after preparation.

It will require the following products:

green tomatoes – 2 kg;
hot chili pepper – 6 pods;
bell pepper – 4 pcs.;
garlic – 2 heads;
vinegar 9% – 100 ml;
sugar – 4 tbsp. l.;
salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
vegetable oil – 100 ml;
ground red pepper - to taste.

Preparing the snack:

Wash the tomatoes, cut them into several parts, removing the places where the stalks are attached.
Peel the chili pepper and chop finely. Also remove the seeds from the bell pepper and cut it into strips.
Take a saucepan, put tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers in it, put the garlic passed through a press on top.
Add salt, sugar, ground red pepper, and add parsley or dill if desired.
Then add oil and vinegar. Mix the resulting mass well and let it brew for half an hour.

After this, place the workpiece in clean, sterilized jars, close the lids and put in the refrigerator.

Pickled tomatoes “Like barrels”

Let's look at a simple recipe for making pickled green tomatoes that taste like barrel tomatoes.

For cooking you will need:

parsley - a bunch;
garlic - large head;
salt – 3 tbsp. l.;
horseradish - a few leaves;
water – 3 l;
unripe tomatoes – 15 sh.;
celery - several stalks.

Cooking process:

Place chopped herbs at the bottom of a sterilized three-liter jar.
Peel the garlic and divide into cloves. Then crush it with a knife and distribute it evenly on the bottom of the jar.
Pour a liter of water into a container and boil it along with salt.
Let the water cool slightly, then pour into the herbs and garlic.
Wash the tomatoes and put them in a jar.
After this, add boiled chilled water to the jar of tomatoes and close with a nylon lid.
Place the jar in a cool place, and after 20 days the tomatoes will be ready.

Quick pickled tomatoes

The easiest way pickling such tomatoes are a regular roll.

Important! For this recipe, it is better to use medium or small sized tomatoes.

Required ingredients:

green tomatoes – 10-15 pcs.;
water – 3 l;
salt – 3 tbsp. l.;
sugar – 3 tbsp. l.;
garlic – 4 cloves;
pepper – 4-5 peas;
dill - to taste;
onion - 1 head;
vinegar - 1 tbsp. l..

Preparation:

Wash the tomatoes and prepare the jars.
Prepare brineby boiling water with salt and sugar.
Place horseradish, garlic, a few tomatoes on the bottom of the jar, then chopped onion and dill. After this, place the remaining tomatoes, put horseradish on them and throw peppercorns into the jar.
Pour the hot solution with salt and sugar over the tomatoes. Cover with a lid, but do not roll up. Wait 20 minutes.
After this, drain the water, boil it again and pour it into the jar again. Add vinegar and cover with a metal lid.
Turn the jar over, cover with a blanket and put it in a secluded place overnight.

Green tomato salad for the winter

For such a delicious salad you will need the following products:

bell pepper – 2 pcs.;
onion – 2 heads;
green tomatoes – 6 pcs.;
salt – 2 tbsp. l. without top;
parsley - a bunch;
vinegar - 6 tbsp. l.;
seasonings - to taste.

Cooking process:

Wash and peel all vegetables.
Chop the parsley and mix it with salt.
Chop the onion into half rings, cut the pepper into thin strips, and cut the tomatoes into slices.
Place all ingredients in a cup and mix well, add seasonings and vinegar.
Place the salad in the refrigerator for a day. Then put it into jars.

Georgian green tomatoes

For this recipe take the following ingredients:

green tomatoes – 5 kg;
celery greens – 700 g;
garlic – 400 g;
hot chili pepper – 40 g;
parsley – 50 g;
bay leaf – 4 leaves;
water – 5 l;
salt – 350 g.

Cooking instructions:

Wash the greens and chop finely.
Remove seeds from hot peppers and chop into small pieces. Chop the garlic. Mix everything.
Cut the tomatoes halfway on the side so that they do not fall apart.
Place the prepared mixture into the tomatoes and place them in a large container.
After the layer of tomatoes, add greens and bay leaves.
Prepare the brine. Pour salt into the water and boil until completely dissolved. Cool afterwards.
Place a weight on top of the tomatoes, then pour the cooled marinade over them.
Cover the container with tomatoes with a clean cloth and leave at room temperature for several days. Then transfer to a cold room with a temperature of 0…–1C°.

After 2 weeks, fill the container to the brim with brine and close the lid. In another 10 days the tomatoes will be ready.

Canned green tomatoes in slices

This recipe requires green tomatoes with thick skin.

You will need the following products:

tomatoes – 600 g;
bay leaf – 2 pcs.;
black and allspice peppercorns – 15 pcs.;
ground red pepper – 3 g;
onion – 1 pc.;
vinegar – 75 ml;
water – 0.5 l;
salt – 50 g;
sugar – 100 g.

Preparation:

Wash the tomatoes and cut into slices. Peel the onion and chop finely.
Boil water with salt and sugar, cool, add vinegar.
Combine tomatoes with onions and spices, pour in brine. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
After this, drain the filling. Then boil it again.
Place the tomatoes in jars and pour hot brine over them.
Seal the jars hermetically and store.

Cooking tips and tricks

When choosing unripe tomatoes for cooking blanks are guided by their size. It is best to use medium-sized tomatoes or slightly larger.

To completely get rid of solanine, the tomatoes are kept in salt water for several hours before cooking - this guarantees complete safety.

To choose the right container size for preparing preparations, you need to know the exact amount of ingredients and the shelf life of the snack.

Conclusion

Products with unripe tomatoes are in steady demand in the winter. Preparing food and cooking takes a little time, but if you follow all the recommendations, you will get delicious preparations that will delight your family and friends.