my opinion is that maybe the plum tomatoes pickle better than the regular toms because they have less juice inside. Anyway I like to pickle with plum toms. I pick them slightly small and none are really big toms. but if I slice a few in half top to bottom then I can get a few extra into the jars. I also like to use more vinegar in my brines. In fact I have always used all vinegar and no water. that makes for a very sour pickle that I like and it is also more safe because the pH is always low this way. So one thing to remember. You can always use more vinegar and less water. It simply makes for a more sour pickle. I like them this way. if you do use water. the water is important. you really want very soft water. hard water can cause a problem getting the pH low.

I made them with several different recipes but my idea of dill is "Claussen" and I couldn't even come close. They were crispy, however.

Processing time seems awfully short on that one, especially considering the fat. Hi Robin. I'm not generally a fan of green tomato anything; to me most green tomato recipes reflect a kind of end-of-harvest-desperation. But here's a green tomato mincemeat that does pass muster. It's been called "sinful." Green Tomato, Apple & Pear Mincemeat Use completely green tomatoes; they should not show white, yellow or pinkish cheeks. A pint will fill an 8-inch pie. With the addition of diced fresh apple, some nuts, a few snipped dried apricots, a dollop of rum or brandy, it will fill a 9-inch pie. 3 quarts coarsely chopped completely green tomatoes, scrubbed and trimmed of stem scars 1 Tablespoon canning and pickling salt 1 1/2 quarts diced, peeled and cored firm, tart apples, the firmer the better 1 quart diced, peeled and cored firm, slightly underripe pears 2 1/2 cups dark seedless raisins Grated zest (no white pith) and chopped pulp of 1 large or 2 medium oranges Grated zest of 1 1/2 large lemons 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup undiluted frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed 3 1/2 cups (packed) light brown sugar 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/2 cup dark rum, preferably Jamaican 1. Stir chopped green tomatoes and salt together, then scrape into a colander and let drain for 2 hours. 2. Combine drained tomatoes with all other ingredients except the rum. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower heat and cook mincemeat, uncovered, stirring often, until thick enough to mound in a spoon. Stir often to prevent sticking at the end of cooking. 3. Stir in the rum and ladle boiling-hot inot hot, clean pint canning jars, leaving 1/2" headspace; remove air bubbles. Seal with two-piece canning lids and process BWB 30 minutes. This comes from Helen Witty's Fancy Pantry, one of the best (if not the best) preserving books ever. I increased the BWB time by 5 minutes to reflect currant standards. Carol

I think you can. If there was not a lot of salt to begin with, however, they may not properly cure now. I made a batch of half sour cukes earlier this year and was a bit skimpy on the salt in the brine and allowed it to continue for the 3 days and then into the fridge. They were tasted a week later and were very soft, watery, and rubbery, not like I expected. Tossed them all out! It was probably due to not only an insufficient salt in the brine, but also the cukes were store bought, and a bit larger than a common pickling cuke. Needless to say, to get the best crispness the cukes need to be really fresh, and picked the same day as pickled. When I make mine, I added about 10 good sized branches of fresh dill weed to each jar, as well as 4-5 cut cloves of garlic, and a single whole peppercorn. The mixes usually have sufficient dill flavor, but I like to fortify them a bit more, with fresh herbs. The mix I used also had some whole dill seeds in it too. I could tell they were fermenting as I opened the jar covers (two days later) and could see tiny streams of bubbles coming to the surface. At that time, I had to pour off about a 1/4 cup of the brine to fit the white vinegar in. They are all in the fridge now. If you like a really strong dill flavor, place some of the dill seeds in a small coffee grinder (blender type) and chop them up a bit, along with some whole ones. The brine I made from a larger packet of Mrs. Wages dill pickle mix was a bright yellow due to the tumeric they add, and was just on the edge of being too salty and salty enough to 'water your mouth' point. Ideally thats where you want to be at before teh curing starts. I did post an actual amount of salt used with a specific amount of water, and got that info from a recent Good Eats show hosted by Alton Brown. I think it was something like 5 1/2 ounces of pickling salt, or a mix (like Ball or Mrs. Wages) to to a gallon of water. I posted the info on another recent thread. The search engine here is terrible and I couldn't even find the 'Tamarind' word when I did a search after a posting about that flavor in another thread.