triticale - the wheat / rye guy

Fireball Pickles

My coworker's cherry tomato bushes produced so abundantly this year that he picked me a bunch while still at my preferred stage of ripeness. I had a neighbor back in Chicago who pickled green cherry tomatoes in vodka, but this was the same fellow who lost ownerrship of a popular Lincoln Avenue tavern because he drank up the profits so I'm not going to follow his example. Instead I've tuned a recipe the wee wifey found among the half million in her Mastercook=formatted CD library.

7 lb small green cherry tomatoes
8 garlic cloves
4 celery stalks
4 hot red peppers
4 tbsp pickling spice
4 cups water
1/4 cup pickling salt
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups white wine viinegar

Twist the petals off the top of any tomatoes on which they remain, and cull any bruised or mushy ones. Preheat and sterilize four widemouth pint canning jars in boiling water. Pack 1-3/4 lbs. cherry tomatoes in each of the hot pint jars. To each jar, add two garlic cloves, a jar-length segment cut from the top end of a celery stalk, a hot red pepper, and a tablespoon of pickling spice. Combine water, pickling salt and vinegar. Heat to just short of boiling until salt is fully dissolved. Fill jars to 1/2" from top. Can per your best practice or store in the refrigerator. Allow a month or so for flavor to develop.