Last weekend we helped the Chastain family make pickles. They’ve been making them for 36 years.
Gerald Chastain is the ring leader. He organizes each year’s pickling and makes sure every thing needed is ready for the two day event.
The first step is getting enough small green tomatoes for everyone. Gerald buys them from a farm not too far away. Several folks go along to help pick. We were planning to go this year until my sinus infection knocked that in the head as Granny would say.
Late of an evening on the day the tomatoes are picked folks gather at the community center to make the first part of the brine. Gerald said way back there he tried doing it on the same day, but just like the woman who shared the recipe with him said, the tomatoes turned out mushy.
The salt water mixture is allowed to cool over night and early the next day starts the race to the fill the jars.
This year the total jars filled was 272. There have been years the count was almost 500!
Most of the jars are filled with a mixture of green tomatoes and peppers, but there’s also a few jars of okra and just peppers.
The perfect size green tomato for pickling is about the size of a golf ball. The small tomatoes are quartered before putting them in a jar.
Any tomatoes that are a larger size are sliced before putting in the jar.
Peppers can be added whole if small or sliced to better fit. Hot, sweet, or a mixture of both can be used.
A lot of the peppers and okra came from various gardens here in Cherokee County including Gerald’s.
In case you want to try it here’s the recipe Gerald uses.
Pickled Green Tomatoes, Okra, and Peppers
Put 1 and 1/4 cups canning/pickling salt in one gallon water. Bring it to a hard boil then cover and let it sit overnight.
The next day, cut your tomatoes and peppers (or use whole okra) and pack them in jars.
Add 1/2 gallon white vinegar (5% acidity) to the salt water and bring to a hard boil again.
Heat your seals in a pot of water while the vinegar and water are heating.
When the mixture comes to a hard boil dip it out and fill jars. Put seal and ring on and tighten.
This recipe makes approximately 10 quarts or 20 pints.
They are ready to eat in a couple of days but are better after a week.
If the tomatoes or peppers have been in the refrigerator, take them out and let them come to room temperature before packing in jars.
—Recipe from Gerald Chastain
Gerald told me he was at a get together and a lady from Hiwassee Dam offered him a green tomato pickle. He told her “No thank you I don’t eat pickles.” She insisted he try one even telling him he could spit it out if he didn’t like it. He liked it so much he got the recipe from her and has been making them ever since.
This is my second year getting to be part of the Chastain pickle day and I enjoyed it just as much as the first go round. Matt tagged along and he thoroughly enjoyed it too.
Such a wonderful feeling to be with friends and loved ones and work together towards a common goal. There’s always laughter, good fellowship and food, and at the end of the day the feeling of a job well done and a load of pickles to enjoy in the coming year.
Last night’s video: Ground Cherry Salsa & The Sweetest Watermelon We’ve Ever Grown!
Tipper
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I wish I could buy green tomatoes at my local supermarket (HEB, in Texas). I’ve wanted to try making my own chow chow because I can’t find any commercially produced here like I could in NC. I love chow chow that much that I’d make my own if I could find the ingredients. Being on my 85th trip around ole Sol, growing the ingredients is not within reason for me.
I’ve tried to grow tomatoes here in central TX with no success at all. No matter how early I planted, the soil always got too warm and the plants never produced. Strangely, I didn’t have that problem in FL, but I planted for a late Fall crop there, IIRC.
If anyone knows where I can find green tomatoes here in central TX, I’d be much obliged for the information.
Tipper, first of all, thank you so much for the laugh you gave me today. My grandmother used to say, “well, that knocked that in the head.” I hadn’t heard anyone say that in a while and it brought her saying that back to mind and made me laugh. I could just see and hear her! The green tomato canning is quite a wonderful community activity. Appreciate the recipe; now I just have to find the additional inspiration to pull those last green tomatoes to try it out! Prayers for Dee, B, and Debbie, today and all others needing God’s healing touch. Meg, I am so happy your appointment went well. Please continue to stay off of your feet as you can and be aware of getting in plenty of fluids. Continued prayers for you and baby too! God is Good!
Beautiful ! So glad you guys were able to take part ! Love & prayers for all !
What a fun tradition to be a participant! It’s like a reunion.
Dee-prayed that your procedure was successful today.
What a fun and enjoyable time!
Prayers for all mentioned.
There is just something about working together as family or community that forms strong bonds between folks. This is how our cousins and we make applesauce and apple butter together every November; we make a weekend of it starting on Saturday evening and going on to Monday. I wouldn’t trade that weekend for anything.
Those jars of pickles are beautiful and I bet they are just as yummy as they look. I have never tasted pickles made from green tomatoes., but would love to try them. My mama always made many jars of dill and sweet pickles, but only from cucumbers. I have made and eaten pickled hot cherry peppers—they are also beautiful in jars and very tasty. I didn’t get a chance to comment yesterday, but one thing I have noticed about fall coming is the squirrels. They were out in full force yesterday burying acorns and nuts all over my yard.
Hi Tipper and Acorns. Watching your videos every day bring me such joy. TY. The ENT (Dr. Lewoczko) visit yesterday was a blessing. Some hearing loss and I will get Physiotherapy for that and my inner ear/dizziness. I just put 2 Cornish hens in the crockpot with Hobo Packets of vegetables. I made a quart of pickled eggs, a pint of pickled beets and a batch of slaw. When I got home yesterday, I put away this months groceries and baked a pizza. I ate 2 slices. I washed a load of clothes and hung them in the living room to dry. I went to bed about 10 pm. We are usually off to sleep by 7pm. TY for the recipe. TY all for keeping Ed and me in your prayers as well as my sister Nancy and her husband Gary. They will travel from Mountain City to Nashville every few weeks to have her leg checked for tissue rejection and healing. I keep everyone here, Pappaw Tony/Nana and the good folks up Wilson Holler in my prayers.
Corn Silk Tincture:
Please be sure to speak with your doctor before taking any type of herb/traditional medicine!
I use a half gallon jar but it can be used in any size. Ratio is 1 cup 100 proof Vodka to 2/3 cup fresh corn silks. I no longer measure and just eyeball it. 2/3 of the jar of corn silks to the full jar of Vodka. If you cannot find 100 proof then 80 proof is ok, but 100 is better for fresh silks because of the moisture content.
We do not use any chemicals on our sweet corn so I know it is as safe as possible from the chemicals as can be.
After we pull the corn I take a pair of scissors and trim the brown part of the silk away. I carefully peel back the layers of the shuck and once I get to the silk I try to hold and pull in one motion. I place the silks in the jar until the desired amount is reached and cover it completely with the Vodka. Make sure all areas are completed covered and submerged. Let it sit 8 weeks in a cool dark place. I do check daily for about a week to make sure all silks look completely saturated and covered. When you open the jar it should smell strongly of the silks. Dosage is 1-3 ML two-three times a day.
Corn silk is considered safe, but check all regular medicines for side effects. It can cause lower blood sugars if taking medications for that and same for blood pressure meds.
I use to have interstitial cystitis quite a bit and my husband suffers kidney stones. This has helped immensely and has been a miracle from our Creator! Corn silk is good for many things and a quick search online will help you see all of the benefits. Don’t let it scare you as nowadays online searches quickly discourage us from using what God has given us. Just do your research for your specific case!
*There are recipes online for a glycerite if you cannot consume the alcohol.
Thank you so much!
I guess I misunderstood you maybe it was on the live Monday night–whenever it was I thought you said you did not get to go to participate in that family’s yearly tradition…..so glad you DID get to go and especially tickled for Matt that he went with you too. A gathering like that is such a fun thing that makes the work not seem like work at all. I have ordered a package of the pineapple tomatoes for my second cousin to plant next year because of you and Matt saying how well they grew how much they produced and also being a tasty tomato. My thought is that her other tomatoes can satisfy all of us eating fresh on sandwiches etc and she can count on the pineapple ones to come in after everything else has finished and these ones she can use strictly for canning.
loved your first video and this one too. pacemaker surgery scheduled for noon EST. thank you for your prayers.
Dee, I’m praying for you!!
Praying for you, Dee!
We will be prying for you today!
I wanted to directly copy and paste on the update for B. This is what her momma posted.
SEPT 8 UPDATE: Blakely had routine labs today. Just a double check after restarting her medications. We expected routine. Instead, we got another pause. Her liver numbers came back too high. The drugs we fought so hard for—the drugs insurance denied, the drugs we KNOW are working—are putting too much stress on her liver right now. And how do you even process that? Something can be helping fight the monster in her brain, while at the same time being too hard on another part of her little body. So we pause the medications for two weeks and give her liver time to recover. Then we check labs again and pray her numbers have come back down enough to restart. This DIPG journey is constant whiplash. It’s a rollercoaster you never asked to get on—and half the time it feels like the tracks are missing. You’re just holding on, wondering if you’re going to fly out of your seat. Nothing can prepare you for your child to have cancer. But this is a speed bump in Blakely’s road, and this girl has already shown us she knows how to take a speed bump and ramp right over it, full speed. So in two weeks, pray for one word.. “YES.” YES, her liver numbers are back down. YES, she can restart her drugs. YES, we keep fighting forward. And keep praying for the one thing our girl has wanted through all of this… to be a normal kid again. God, we’re still asking BIG.
I will keep praying for her!!
I’m praying for lille B.
Keeping Little B and her family in prayer.
YES, I’m still praying for Little B♡
Praying for sweet little B. Thank you for sharing this update. ❤️
We will be praying for that sweet girl and you all who love her!
Is Gerald’s middle name Homer?
I don’t know but will see 🙂
Good morning. I have a quick question. It may be dumb question. Are you using green tomatoes as in “not yet ripe” or green tomatoes like you get in a Mexican grocery store (not tomatillos)
I will have some green “not yet ripe” ones and I would love to pickle them.
Thanks
Susan they are “not ripe” tomatoes 🙂
Great. I still have some. I better get to picklin’
Thanks
I’m glad you and the Deer Hunter felt like being a part of Gerald’s pickle-making day. It wouldn’t surprise me to see a video of you two making your own batch of tomato pickles. My friend knows a guy who raises a ton of tomatoes and sells them to mom-and-pop stores. At the end of the season, he gets tired of messing with the smaller tomatoes and gives them away before cleaning up the garden for next year. Last fall was my first time being lucky enough to be on the receiving end of his giveaway. I’m curious what the guy does with the leftover green tomatoes, but I need to ask before it’s too late.
That sounds like fun and what a great learning experience for those who want to learn about canning. There are always something to learn about canning pickles, no matter what your pickling or how long you’ve pickled. After reading that he made the brim, then waited the next day to pack the jar and can so the tomatoes wouldn’t be mushy, it made me wonder if I should do that with my cucumbers, because mine seem to come out mushy even if I add the crisper solution. That just seemed to make them very salty. This year with the little that had grown in our little garden, I just made refrigerator pickles. They stay crispy and not overly salty. Probably the best pickles I’ve ever made. Lord willing, maybe next year I’ll try his method of pickling and hopefully I might actually have canned pickles that aren’t mushy.
Christine that might work? Gerald did say they tried his recipe with cucumbers one time and were not pleased with the results.
I have never in all my days seen such a pickling operation as Mr. Chastain runs each year! I cannot believe the pickling ended up with almost 300 jars which is incredible and going to be GREAT when opening a jar on a cold and snowy day!!! I think this is one of the most blessed canning occasions I ever heard tell of! I’m sure you and Matt had a wonderful time with good people and good food! I’m highly impressed! God bless you all today and one question-how were the pickles? Please share a tasting sometime.
Sadie, they are delicious!
I’m new to pickling, so please excuse my question. I would love to make this recipe. At the end, when I heat the lids and put on my jars, do I water bath can them then, or are they shelf ready without it?
Brenda, they do not water bath the pickles and we do put them on the shelves until needed. FDA says you should not use this method.
Many years ago we worked a lot with children and teenagers. We scheduled two separate weeks each Summer for each age group for Vacation Bible School. The first week my wife had the teen girls making pickles while I had the boys making book cases. The second week the girls wanted to build a book case and the boys wanted to make pickles. We couldn’t find enough cucumbers at the Farmer’s Market so the boys made strawberry jam and jelly. Our girls couldn’t wait two weeks to try the pickles like we told them. They asked several times, “Are you sure we need to wait two weeks? They look like they’re ready.”
I’ve often wondered if either group ever tried canning again. These were inner city kids and probably had never seen a garden much less a farm.
That sounds like a fun event. Never had pickled green tomatoes. Mama made 14 day sweet Virginia pickles that were so good. They were so sweet it made your teeth hurt! Grandma always made chow chow. An aunt made sun dill pickles that were also very good. Anytime we visited in late summer, there was always a gallon jar of pickles making in the sun on her back porch. Good memories.
Allie’s comment about the feeling of community struck a chord with me. What exists at the scale of individual churches, families, interest groups and other such small organizations we can easily recognize as the very thing we would like to see and have at the scales of towns, counties, states and nations. It can be had when there are enough things held in common. And that reminds me of “the common salvation”. I had never thought before just this way but the effects of salvation (deliverance) are not restricted to spirit and soul but spill over into everyday common life and work thus extend through all of society, even down to the smallest courtesies (AI doesn’t know that word.) For those who read this, thank you for bearing with me. I know I can be tedious…..
That tradition is so beautiful to me! I loved your video of it last year! I bet those pickles taste so good with everything this winter! I have had to work pretty hard to convince my younger daughter not to pick green tomatoes, so she would have a blast getting to pick only those!
We had a good appointment yesterday and I thank you all so much for the prayers. It was so good to see that baby is growing and has a strong steady heart beat and is doing well. What I have been experiencing is likely what is called prodromal labor and can drag on for quite some time before the real thing. I haven’t had experience with it being this strong before, but it can be. Instructed to rest and be ready but not pressured as this could be several more weeks. I have an appointment for a sonogram next Tuesday to check again that baby is still doing fine, and I think it will be reassuring.
Allie, that is neat that we both experienced life as Army wives. I didn’t for as long as you did! Thank your husband please for his service! Lynn, my husband says “Thank you,”. We actually ran into a friend from his unit (now deactivated) at the grocery store yesterday. It was fun to catch up even if it was right by checkout on a busy afternoon. Him and his wife may come visit us sometime and I hope they do.
I am sitting here in the now fully stocked kitchen giving thanks for allyour prayers and for the many blessings in our days. Thinking about how people used to have to work so hard to prepare for winter is inspiring, but I am glad to have these modern conveniences and options now. I think choosing to preserve food but not having to in order to survive is quite a luxury by historical standards. Thank you for the recipe! Hopefully when we preserve our big garden next year, I can try those green tomato pickles. ❤️
So glad you were able to join the Chastains again for their pickle fest. It’s always easier to do a big job with a group. Hope your head is clearing up. Blessings to you all!
That would be so fun to be a part of!!!
I wish we had more of these events in the communities, working with friends and neighbors. But instead people seem to be separating themselves from each other. They stay in their houses and prefer looking at their phones and computers and texting instead of speaking on the phone or in person. My mother put up many jars of different kinds of pickles each summer after the garden stuff came in. She canned some hot pickles as well as regular ones. When I was dating my husband one of my brothers tricked him into taking a bite of one of the hot pickles. He drank about a gallon of water to cool his mouth. Tipper, my parents used the saying Granny did, “knocked that in the head.”
As long as they come out better than Aunt Bee’s pickles, that’s all you can ask!
LOL, Kerosene Cucumbers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vztt_lW-BGw
I would absolutely love to participate in something like this. What a blessing all that fellowship and working together would be. I think we were meant to live in community in this way. I’m so thankful both you and Matt could go this year. I enjoyed the story about Gerald turning down a pickle and the woman insisting he try one. Look at the plan God had with that encounter!
I so enjoyed your first video of pickling with the Chastain family. Who wouldn’t want to be a part of this celebration ♡ I’d like to try one before going to the trouble lol Can’t wait to see the 2 of you enjoying this years pickle making. I sure hope you both get back to feeling 100% very soon. I’m getting a tickle in my throat and worried I might be coming down with the crud and I really worry about it since my wbc is so low. Prayers it’s just a passing cough and nothing more! Meg, hope all is going well for you and your baby. Sooo glad to hear Papaw Tony is feeling like going to deer camp. Gotta get Matt and his clothes aired out!!
Kim, I will be in prayer for you. Lord, You know the needs, but we humbly ask for the tickle in Kim’s throat to be nothing! Lord, she has endured and shared joy in midst of her pain. We ask that You now touch her in the Name of Jesus and the tickle is nothing but a tickle. We give You all of the praise and glory for the complete healing of our dear Acorn friend! Amen
Debbie, thank you S♡ much!!
I want to add, getting together with others like this makes it so much fun and fast! Many hands make light work and the fellowship is awesome!! I pray you’re feeling better!!
Praying Matt has a good deer season! Our 15 year old twin granddaughters are gearing up for it too! I loved seeing his clothes laid out on the rails. It brought back so many memories!
I’m going to have to try this. As y’all know our garden was flooded several times and we are in salvage mode. I was able to make a run of salsa and it was delicious. We saved about 5 dozen ears of corn and last night we ate the only squash we’ve had all season. I’m so thankful.
I got enough silk to make half a gallon of corn silk tincture. If anyone is interested I can share the process. Always check with your doctor. It is good for all kinds of urinary tract issues. It has truly been a Godsend for us. I’ve studied herbs for years and make a lot of our own meds and salves. My grandfather way back was an herbalist and medical doctor during the Civil War. I always wondered where the passion for old way meds came from. I was thrilled when I found out.
I think Freida said yesterday something about diverticulitis. I too get that when I eat so much fresh stuff. When I was fixing the squash I prayed. I mix flour and meal and sometimes it sets it off. My momma had it and the colon specialist told her to drink lots of buttermilk and eat yogurt and cottage cheese. So I ate the squash and turned up a big cup of buttermilk. Buttermilk has so many beneficial bacteria. I make homemade buttermilk from the raw milk we get. My grandmother use to have a clabber she used on the regular. So thankful for the old ways and Tipper thank you for keeping them alive for others!
God bless y’all and keeping you in our prayers!!
I’d be very interested in learning about corn silk tincture, Debbie! I, too, love the old ways and the old remedies! I enjoyed your comment immensely. God bless!
Debbie and Freida, my mother suffered with diverticulitis. I know buttermilk is suppose to be good for you, buttermilk is the first thing one of my friends takes for an upset stomach. Buttermilk and cornbread is mighty fine eating for many, but I have tried to drink it many times over the years and could never get a taste for it. It would come back up as fast as it went down. It does not bother me when used in cooking. I dearly love cornbread and sweet milk.
Hi! I would be interested in the process for corn silk tincture. We have family members who struggle withthose issues, and this might be just what they need.
you probably need to get tested for celiac disease. my nephew has the disease and can’t handle gluten. they have alternative flours to use instead of wheat.
I hope the family keeps up this tradition. I know it brings everyone together and the talking and eating brings them closer. What a great time they must have.
My mother and grandmother would make cucumber pickles and chow chow each year. They would also make quart jars of pickles using green tomatoes and hot pepper. I have heard it said these tomato pickles would put a blister on a work glove or defrost a refrigerator if put inside of it. They would also make peach pickles using golf ball size ripe peaches. I loved them but can not find any of the store bought peach pickles that come close to tasting like theirs did. If I was able to walk around a jockey lot/flea market, I would try to find some homemade ones. A farmers market might be another good place to look but again just being able to walk around would be a problem.
No sign of fall with these temperatures of 92 degrees today and the last two days, topping out at 94 degrees for tomorrow, before upper 80’s and 40- 50% chance of rain this weekend and then temps going right back up next week to the lower 90’s. Last night it was still 90 degrees at 6 o’clock .
I have just read this on my local news website, yesterday NOAA said the 2026 summer was the hottest on record. I am going on record as saying I hope Ryan Hall is wrong in his forecast for a lot of snow this winter. For many years instead of getting to set at home by the fire and enjoy it, I worked rotating or swing shifts and had to drive 17 miles one way either coming or going. Being on the rural backroads at midnight with no other traffic is no fun. I did this many times before there was cell phones. I lost all of joy for snow.