Canning Sliced Green Tomatoes for Frying
Many households across the country enjoy canning sliced green tomatoes. Canning green tomatoes for frying allows this summertime treat to be enjoyed year round. One unable to appreciate canning green tomatoes until the dead of winter.
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There are two things my closest friends know about me, I was born in the wrong era and I love southern cooking. Actually, I love comfort foods, which so happens to cover many southern dishes.
Give me a plate of collards with bacon, fried tomatoes and fried pasture raised chicken and you’ve got one extremely happy individual. It is about the love of food, all food, which allows me to crave some deep fried foods.
Consuming freshly fried green tomatoes is reserved for the summer months. However, because canning sliced green tomatoes is an option we can now enjoy this treat throughout the year. Actually, the process for cooking an already “cooked” item makes the process much quicker than frying a fresh item.
The flavor found in canned unripe green tomatoes is very much similar to the cooked version. There is not a growing season which goes by that this item is not preserved. My only regret? That I am not able to preserve more than a few jars each year!
Canning Sliced Green Tomatoes
Green tomatoes are very different from red variety. The texture and slightly tart flavor puts this green fruit into a league of its own.
Aside from canning sliced green tomatoes there are a plethora of options to preserve this item.
- pickled green tomatoes
- green tomato chutney
- homemade tomato pie
- green tomato sauce
Ingredients
- 6 pounds medium green tomatoes
- bottled lemon juice
- boiling water
Equipment
- hot water bath canner
- jar funnel
- jar lifter
- air bubble remover
- 7 wide mouth pint jars
Instructions
- The first thing you want to do is wash tomatoes extremely well. Remove the core and the blossom end.
- Evenly slice tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices.
- In a kettle, bring water to a boil.
- Add the sliced tomatoes to wide mouth jars, stacking them as to fit as many slices as possible into each jar. Make sure to leave a 1-inch headspace.
- Next, add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each jar.
- Once the water has begun boiling, fill jars leaving a 1/2-inch head space.
- Gently slide the air bubble remover along the inside of the jar removing any trapped air bubbles. Add additional boiling water as needed, making sure to leave a 1/2-inch headspace.
- With a clean towel, wipe jar rim to dry.
- Add warmed lids and rings to finger tight.
- Process jars boiling water bath canner or a pressure canner according to the altitude in which you reside, see the chart below.
Processing Time for Hot Water Bath Canning
| Type of Pack | Jar Size | 0 – 1,000 ft | 1,001 – 3,000 ft | 3,001 – 6,000 ft | above 6,000 ft |
| Raw | Pint | 40 mins | 45 mins | 50 mins | 55 mins |
| Quart | 45 mins | 50 mins | 55 mins | 60 mins |
Processing Time for a Dial Gage Pressure Canner
| Type of Pack | Jar Size | Processing Time | 0 – 2,000 ft | 2,001 – 4,000 ft | 4,001 – 6,000 ft | 6,001 – 8,000 ft | above 8,001 ft |
| Both Raw and Hot | Both Pint and Quart | 25 mins | 11 PSI | 12 PSI | 13 PSI | 14 PSI | 15 PSI |
Processing Time for a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner
Please note, the weight required is 15 pounds regardless of where you reside from sea level.
| Type of Pack | Jar Size | Processing Time | 0 – 2,000 ft | 2,001 – 4,000 ft | 4,001 – 6,000 ft | 6,001 – 8,000 ft |
| Both Raw and Hot | Both Pint and Quart | 25 mins | 15 pound weight |
A Few Tips
- In October 2019 the NCHFP released information stating, the processing time for canning green tomatoes is the same as red variety.
- Pressure canning green tomatoes is not a shorter process time than what is stated for the hot water bath method.
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For additional tip, trick, and recipes on how to preserve foods grab a copy of my book, The Farm Girl's Guide to Preserving the Harvest. Whether you are a novice or seasoned home food preserver my book has something for everyone. Learn how to can, ferment, dry, cure, freeze, and store raw the harvest as a sustainable homesteader would.
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Learn more about the Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest and what makes it different than other preserving books.
Printable Recipe Card
Canning Sliced Green Tomatoes for Frying
Many households across the country enjoy canning sliced green tomatoes. Canning green tomatoes for frying allows this summertime treat to be enjoyed year round. One unable to appreciate canning green tomatoes until the dead of winter.
Ingredients
- 6 pounds medium green tomatoes
- bottled lemon juice
- boiling water
Instructions
- Wash tomatoes extremely well. Remove the core and the blossom end.
- Evenly slice the green tomatoes into 1/4-inch slices.
- In a kettle, bring water to a boil.
- Add the sliced tomatoes to wide mouth jars, stacking them as to fit as many slices as possible into each jar. Make sure to leave a 1-inch headspace.
- Next, add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice to each jar.
- Once the water has begun boiling, fill jars leaving a 1/2-inch headspace.
- Gently slide the air bubble remover along the inside of the jar removing any trapped air bubbles. Add additional boiling water as needed, making sure to leave a 1/2-inch headspace.
- With a clean dish towel, wipe the rims of the jars.
- Add warmed lids and rings to finger tight.
- Process jars according to the altitude in which you reside, see the chart in the article.
Notes
Equipment
hot water bath canner
Jar Funnel
Air Bubble Remover
7 wide mouth pint size jars
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
7Serving Size:
1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Frying Canned Green Tomatoes
At the end of the growing season you will be left with green tomatoes, what to do with them is the ultimate question. Canning green tomatoes for frying is a treat and one which should be enjoyed year round. How can you go wrong when buttermilk, bread crumbs, corn meal, eggs, and flour are involved?
- 2 jars 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
- Heat the oil in a skill onto medium heat.
- In a bowl mix flour, salt and black pepper.
- Next mix the breadcrumbs and cornmeal in another bowl.
- Using a third bowl beat the eggs and buttermilk together.
- Dip the slices into the following bowls in this order: flour mixture, buttermilk-egg mixture, and then the breadcrumb-cornmeal mixture.
- Fry the breaded green tomatoes for 3 to 5 minutes on each side until brown.
More Green Tomato Recipes
- Canning Tomatillo Salsa Verde
- Canning Pomodori Verdi- A Green Tomato Pasta Sauce
- Heirloom Tomato Pie- Can Make a Green Tomato Pie
- Canning Green Cherry Tomatoes
- Canning Tomato Jam- Use Green Tomatoes for Green Tomato Jam
Ok I have a potentially really dumb question: When a recipe calls for green tomatoes, is it just unripe tomatoes from your regular tomato vine, or is there an actual variety that stays green even when ripe and that’s what you’re using here?
That’s not dumb at all! This is green unripe tomatoes from the vine. An heirloom variety can be used, however, because of the size it would have to be cut quit a bit to fit into the jars.
They are the unripe tomatoes from your garden. They do not stay green, they will turn red if set on a window sill.
However, when you can them green, they remain green.
Can you use fresh lemon juice or does it need to be bottled? Can’t wait to try this! Also, would you happen to have a good recipe for pickled green tomatoes – not sweet. Thanks!
Bottled lemon juice is high in acidity and quite consistent in regards to how much. Fresh citrus (lemon or lime) is not consistent. The ripeness of the fruit and the growing conditions do not make it ‘sure proof’. I do use fresh lemons and limes in my recipes, however, they are balanced by another item which is high in acidity, for example, vinegar. Because green tomatoes are lower in acidity than red tomatoes I would suggest sticking with bottled lemon juice.
Could you email me back on this
I did not see any salt added. Is that a error or do you not add salt. I thought all tomato canning recipes had to have salt added.
Hi there! Salt is NOT required when it comes to canning tomatoes or anything for that matter. The only thing required when you are hot water bathing tomatoes is assistance with balancing the acidity, hence, bottled lemon juice or vinegar at 5%. This is per the National Center of Home Food Preservation.
Yes I was reading your recipe for canned green tomatoes and then saw after processing , they turned yellow. Does this effect the taste and don’t they kinda become soggy from sitting in all that water?
The canning period is over 40 minutes, so consider them to be cooked. As you bread them for frying you’ll only worry about the breading being cooked and the tomatoes warming.
Could not find the processing chart that was mentioned in directions. Could you show it?
Can’t wait to try it.
Hi there, the processing time is in the blog post. Enjoy it!
With the length of the processing time, do the tomatoes fall apart when removing from jars. Do they hold up in the jars. I am just afraid of them turn8ng out mushy..
The texture holds, but they are cooked. When you fry them the intent is to only cook the batter and warm the tomatoes.
This looks so good! I didn’t know you could do this with green tomatoes!
Thanks for sharing! DO they keep long?
I canned the green tomatoes and used the water bath method of 40 minutes for the pints. I opened a jar to test them out to see how firm they remained. They did awesome! I might have cut them slightly thicker than I would have if I was frying them straight from the garden. I am about to can more green tomatoes in a quart jar. I am hoping the extra five minutes in the water bath will not affect the texture too much. We are so thrilled to find out the water bath method for these. We had previously pressure cooked them, and they fell apart. Thank you Ann! I am working my way through your book!
Can you use vinegar instead of lemon juice?
Yes, you can use vinegar which is 5% or high in acidity.
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
This looks so good! What a fun way to enjoy this summer treat throughout the year!
Can ripe sliced tomatoes be canned? if so, would it come out as afresh sliced tomatoes?
Unfortunately, no. Once the canning process has been completed it will be cooked.
My tomatoes are large. Can i put them sideways?
Absolutely!