Pickled Green Tomatoes

A fresh, crunchy way to preserve those end of season tomatoes that just won’t turn!  Pickled green tomatoes are extremely easy to make & you probably already have the ingredients.  We like to enjoy these with fried fish, fried chicken, eggs in the morning, BBQ chicken, basically anything that goes well with ​pickles! 

Time: 15 minutes  + time to cure 

 Ingredients to make one 10oz jar [amount of all ingredients to be adjusted based on the amount of jars you’re filling or how large your jars are]: 

• 3 medium sized green tomatoes or a bunch of green grape/cherry tomatoes. Use the greenest ones, this won’t come out good if they have started to turn already. 
• 1 part white vinegar
• 3 parts water
• 1 teaspoon black pepper kernels or a sprinkle of ground black pepper  
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 1 hot pepper (we used Thai chilis) 
• 1 teaspoon canning salt  (can sub kosher salt)

Reipe:

1. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, bite sized 
2. Slice the garlic or smash it if you prefer to keep it whole
3. Boil the water & vinegar together
4. While the mixture is boiling, layer the tomatoes, garlic, black pepper & chili in the jar. I made this multiple times & sometimes I vary between slicing the chili up or leaving it whole. It’s more spicy when you slice it up so just be mindful of that
5. Sprinkle the canning salt in the jar
6. Place the jar in the sink & pour the boiled mixture into the jar. Cover it & use pot holder to lift the jar out of the sink, rinsing any spilled liquid away. I usually turn it over a few times to let the salt incorporate with the water/vinegar mixture. 
7. Leave the pickled tomatoes in the fridge to cure. You can taste them as early as the next day but they are even better after about a week of curing!  

Quick Kimchi

I know I know.. it's not red like normal kimchi. But guess what? It's really yummy. And you have a version of kimchi in 20 minutes. So try it.  

 Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:  

• 1/2 head of cabbage, chopped 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon salt  
• 1 teaspon sugar
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped ginger  
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil  
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (I used Guyanese pepper sauce made with scotch bonnets)  
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar  
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Recipe:  

1. In a small pot, cook the cabbage & minced garlic in the water. It may seem like too little water for the cabbage, but remember cabbage already has a high water content so don't add more than 1/4 cup! Let it cook for ~4-5 minutes.
2. Take the heat off & move the pot off the burner. You can also transfer the cabbage at this time to a large bowl. 
3. Add all of the remaining ingredients to the cabbage & mix to combine.
4. Refrigerate the kimchi & enjoy later or add to fried rice, fries, anything you want!