Many households across the country take pleasure in canning sliced green tomatoes, preserving them for frying and making it possible to enjoy this summertime delicacy all year long. Yet, it’s often in the dead of winter that one truly appreciates the value of home-canned green tomatoes.
ARE TOMATOES A HIGH OR LOW-ACIDIC FRUIT?
Tomatoes are considered a borderline fruit when it comes to acidity, according to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. This means that tomatoes fall between high and low-acid categories, allowing them to be canned using either a hot water bath or a pressure canner. For those canning tomatoes using a hot water bath, it’s important to add an acidic ingredient to increase the acidity in the jars.
The following tomato products can be safely canned in a hot water bath canner if an acidic item is included to boost the acidity:
- Spaghetti sauce without meat
- Chili sauce without meat
- Canned tomatoes (diced, whole, or crushed)
- Salsa
- Slices of green tomatoes
By ensuring the acidity is properly raised, these items can be safely preserved using the hot water bath method.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 jars of canned green tomatoes
- Pinch or two of salt and pepper
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and pepper together to create the flour mixture.
- In a separate bowl, beat the egg and buttermilk together to make the buttermilk-egg mixture.
- In another bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and cornmeal to create the breadcrumb-cornmeal mixture.
- Dip the tomato slices into the bowls in the following order: flour mixture, buttermilk-egg mixture, and finally the breadcrumb-cornmeal mixture.
- Fry the breaded green tomatoes in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Enjoy your crispy fried green tomatoes!
