Pickled Sweet Green Tomatoes — NCHFP
A tested NCHFP recipe for spiced sweet green tomato pickles with altitude-adjusted processing.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 10 to 11 lb green tomatoes 16 cups sliced
- 2 cups onions sliced
- 1/4 cup canning or pickling salt
- 3 cups brown sugar
- 4 cups vinegar 5% acidity
- 1 tbsp mustard seed
- 1 tbsp allspice whole
- 1 tbsp celery seed
- 1 tbsp cloves whole
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars Pint or quart jars
Directions
Instructions
- Wash and slice tomatoes and onions. Place in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, and let stand 4 to 6 hours; drain.
- Heat and stir sugar in vinegar until dissolved. Tie mustard seed, allspice, celery seed, and cloves in a spice bag. Add the bag, tomatoes, and onions to the vinegar. Add only the minimum water needed to cover.
- Bring to a boil and simmer 30 minutes, stirring to prevent burning, until tomatoes are tender and transparent. Remove the spice bag.
- Fill hot jars and cover with pickling liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Remove bubbles, adjust headspace, wipe rims, and apply lids.
- Process pints for 10, 15, or 20 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 1,001–6,000 ft, or above 6,000 ft. Process quarts for 15, 20, or 25 minutes at those elevations. Cool 12 to 24 hours and check seals.
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Recipe Notes
Safety status: research-tested NCHFP recipe. Use 5% vinegar, preserve all ingredient proportions, use only pint or quart jars, and follow the altitude-adjusted schedule. Adapted from USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, revised 2015; accessed September 12, 2026.
Exact source: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/pickle/vegetable-pickles/pickled-sweet-green-tomatoes/