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 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
The Chastain family has been gathering to make pickled green tomatoes, okra, and peppers for over 30 years!
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 shared it with the rest of his family.
I’ve known about the Chastain tradition for a good long while, but never got to be part of it till this year. It was an amazing experience. I’ll share more about it in a video later this week.
Before the big day of putting up they go to a farm that allows them to hand pick the green tomatoes.
The perfect size 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.
Gerald’s sister Sharon fried some of last year’s sliced pickled tomatoes for us to eat. Oh my they were good! She used Zatarains fish fry mix as breading.
As you might imagine pickled green tomatoes go great with pinto beans and cornbread.
There were several jars of pickled okra made. Some with pepper some without. And there were a few jars of banana pepper rings made too.
A lot of the peppers and okra came from various gardens here in Cherokee County including Gerald’s.
Last night’s video: Picking Peppers & Matt’s Cold.
Tipper
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How Tipper the recipe looks wonderful. Do you know if you could substitute green beans, onions or cabbage. Thank You! Vivian
Gerald said he had tried other vegetables and was never pleased with how they turned out 🙂 But you could sure try it!
I made these pickled green tomatoes for the first time. I let them sit for about a week and a half, then tried them. Oh my!!!! probably the best pickles I have ever had!! Thank you so much for the recipe. I think this is going to be a yearly canning for me.
Karen,
Do the jars HAVE TO SEAL before storing? I have canned for years, but this is a new recipe for me. Thank you
Just send me an answer to my email please: dramasbiscuits@gmail.com
How long should they be processed or do they even need processing?
Melissa, they don’t process them, but make sure the liquid is very very hot before adding to jars and sealing. FDA doesn’t recommend that type of canning. You can also water bath them if you want to. I guess about 10 minutes.
Great story of how the lady got Gerald to tast! Would love to try the fried green slices made with Zatarain’s fish fry mix. Must have been fun to join in the Chastain’s tradition of family making them together.
Sounds good and the family story makes it even better.
Randy, we will be praying for you and Tipper’s family and all the Blind Piggers and Granny, too. One day at a time. As my Papa used to say”how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Life takes us down many paths and tribulations but we just have to pray and keep on keeping on. Love and prayers to all of you!
My mama used to can everything she could, and a variety of pickles was one of those things she canned but I don’t recall her making these. They sure are a pretty sight! Relishes and chutneys also were in her canning to do list each year.
TY so much for the recipe and the story. I love Y’all.
For me it was a wonderful year for okra, peppers and eggplant. Nothing else did anything. Oh well! I’ll take the blessings I was given!
I think I would be just like Gerald and say no thank you, if someone offered me a green tomato pickle. Mom made pickled green beans and mixed pickles with beans, corn, cabbage, and whatever was left in the garden when I was growing up, and I didn’t like either. She never added green tomatoes to the mixed pickles, as we liked them fried too much to have leftovers for canning.
Oh my, this sounds delicious…except that I have never eaten okra. I just never knew anyone who grew it or fixed it for dinner. I need to buy some at the grocery store and give it a try so I know what it tastes like. Now, green tomatoes and all kinds of peppers, I am very familiar with. My hubby loves any kind of peppers, especially hot ones…and we love fried green tomatoes as well. I enjoyed your video and seeing all the peppers you harvested, and listening to the back and forth between you and Matt…you two are fun and entertaining! It’s a wonderful, cool morning. Enjoy!
Those jars looks so good. That green and bit of red looks like Christmas. And gathering to make those pickles means that every jar has family tradition, stories, love and laugher pickled right in, food for the spirit.that warms the heart. And that is what makes strong families, communities, counties, states and nation. All from one pickled tomato and sharing.
Well I love fried green tomatoes. I imagine the tomato pickles would be tasty too.
What beautiful bounty I see in those glistening jars! That’s the way to can-make it a big event and invite plenty of friends and family! I bet you all did have a big time in fellowship and gathering garden bounty! They say put your money where your mouth is and based on that, the Chastains have made plenty of pickled tomatoes, okra and peppers, but they’ve also made many wonderful friends! I call that a win win!!! Winner winner-here’s your chicken dinner!!! Have a blessed day yall! I’ll be packing for the millionth day…
What a beautiful and delicious tradition!
I would try making some, but our sheep got out last week in the night and ate all our pepper plants. I guess we are just lucky they are ok as nightshade plants can be poisonous.
I commented too late yesterday, but wanted to send my condolences about your Uncle Henry. I am sorry for you all’s loss and praying for you all. ❤️
Meg, you must have planted sweet pepper! My neighbor says his hot pepper plants are the only thing the deer won’t eat. To him and his family, habranaro is not a hot pepper, he likes the ghost pepper and some others that are just as hot if not hotter.
Happy Labor Day to everyone. My mother and grandmother would make green tomato and pepper pickles like this using hot pepper, probably cayenne pepper. I heard some say these pickles were hot enough to put a blister on a work glove. I have never cared for these pickles, chow chow, relish, etc. on my food. The one thing they made that I did love was pickled peaches, they would pickle small golf ball size pickles leaving the seed in them. I don’t know the recipe they used, but do know the so called pickled peaches I can find today do not compare to the ones they made. I have something not of my doing going on right now, causing a lot of anxiety for me, please remember me in your thoughts and prayers.