Fermented Green Tomatoes

Green tomatoes, with their bright acidity and crisp texture, make excellent pickles. And just like ripe tomatoes, they pair beautifully with chilis and garlic. But what you may not know is that you can toss them in a jar with a little saltwater and ferment them too. Fermented green tomatoes are simple to make, and a lot easier than making pickles with vinegar.

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What are fermented green tomatoes?

Fermented green tomatoes are unripe tomatoes that have been fermented in a slightly salty brine. Recipes often include additional ingredients, like chilies, garlic or spices, which add flavor to the tomatoes while they ferment.

Their pleasantly sour and slightly salty flavor tastes similar to traditional pickled green tomatoes. However, unlike vinegar-pickled tomatoes, fermented green tomatoes are rich in probiotics like sauerkraut, fermented carrots, kimchi and other fermented vegetables.

Tips for Fermenting Green Tomatoes

While making fermented vegetables and other probiotic foods can feel daunting, it’s actually a fairly simple and straightforward process. As long as you can fill a jar and mix salt with water, you can make fermented vegetables.

You start first by whisking salt into warm water until it dissolves. Salt gives vegetables, like green tomatoes, flavor and it also helps keep them crisp while they ferment. Next, you’ll fill your jar with green tomatoes, chilis, garlic and any other spices you like. After that, you fill the jar with saltwater, seal it and allow the tomatoes to ferment until they taste pleasant to you.

Fermentation Crocks and Jars

Vegetable fermentation is an anaerobic process. That means that beneficial bacteria benefit from an airtight environment, in which oxygen is kept out. However, beneficial bacteria responsible for fermenting your tomatoes will release carbon dioxide that can build up in an airtight container.

 Using equipment designed for fermentation ensures that you create the optimal environment all those good bacteria, while also limiting chances of contamination by stray microbes like molds.  

That means, you’ll want to use either a fermentation crock with a water well or a jar equipped with a fermentation seal when you make fermented green tomatoes.

• Fermentation crocks are heavy, fairly expensive and you have to ferment a large volume. They’re excellent cooks for people who love fermentation and eat many fermented foods.
• Jars with fermentation seals are a good choice for small batches of fermented vegetables, and relatively inexpensive.
• Jars without seals work too; however, you’ll need to burp your jars regularly to allow the carbon dioxide that builds up to escape.

How to Serve Fermented Green Tomatoes

Most pickles and many fermented vegetables work well as an appetizer. The flavors of saltiness and sourness act as appetizers – kickstarting the digestive process. So serve them as part of a cruditée platter in advance of a meal.

In addition to serving fermented green tomatoes as an appetizer, you can also serve them as a side dish or condiment, too. You can chop them finely and serve them over broiled sausages, or slice them thinly and serve them on top of burgers.