This green tomato mincemeat is the perfect way to make the best use of green tomatoes from the garden, and store it for later.
Traditional Canadian Prairie mincemeat recipe calls for the use of beef suet, among a few other ingredients, but this one’s an excellent vegetarian version of the recipe that is packed with the deliciousness of green tomatoes and a handful of other carefully chosen spices and ingredients.
The flavors of the juicy green tomatoes mingle perfectly with the tart apples, and the robust flavors from the spices turn into this delightful concoction that is mincemeat.
The condiment is then ready to be canned or transferred into jars and stored for whenever you’re ready to try out a pie or a tart.
And since the mincemeat keeps well, I love making it every fall when I can get my hands on it.
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What's So Great About the Recipe?
The versatility of the recipe is a big win in my books- this recipe truly is a delicious way to use green tomatoes.
And that's not all- you can store the jar of your green tomato relish of sorts and use it to make your mincemeat pie and lots of other traditional recipes.
Ingredients For the Green Tomato Mincemeat Recipe
Ready to make green tomato mincemeat on your own? Here's what you'll need.
Green tomatoes and apples: Fresh, ripe green tomatoes and apples form the essence of this green tomato mincemeat.
Walnuts: Walnuts are not typically added to a mincemeat, but I love how adding them really adds so much texture and deliciousness.
Whole spices: I used a bunch of whole spices including cinnamon, black pepper and nutmeg to bring delicious spicy undertones of flavor to the green tomato mince. You can also add a few pieces of clove if you want to.
Orange zest: Orange peel, candied ginger and candied peel are all great choices, and can liven up the mincemeat mixture
Raisins: Raisins add lots of texture and sweetness to the mincemeat. You can also throw in some dried currants if you want to.
Dried ginger: Dried ginger brings a nice earthiness to the mincemeat mixture. You can use minced fresh ginger if you have it at hand.
Sugar: You can use regular sugar or a mix of brown and white sugars for the recipe.
Butter: You'll also be adding a little pat of butter to add some richness to the mincemeat mixture.
Apple cider vinegar: You'll also need a splash of apple cider vinegar to bring some acidity into the mixture, and balance out the sweetness of the rest of the ingredients.
Traditionally, the recipe for green tomato mincemeat calls for the use of brandy, but I chose to skip it and keep it simple.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make the Green Tomato Mincemeat
Chop up the apples and tomatoes.
Transfer them to a heavy bottomed pot with some raisins and sugar, cook on medium heat and bring to a boil.
Next, add the spices and let the mixture simmer on low heat for approximately 3 hours, stirring regularly.
Cook the mince meat uncovered until the mixture thickens. Add the butter towards the end and remove from heat.
Allow the mincemeat to cool down before transferring in jars or serving.
Substitutions & Variations
- Swap the sugar in the recipe for light brown sugar for an extra depth of flavor and deliciousness.
- If you don’t have the separate ground spices that the recipe calls for, you can make do with some allspice mix instead.
- Don’t have the raisins that the recipe calls for? You can make do with dried currants instead as well.
💭Top Tip
It is a great idea to top your can or jar of the green tomato mincemeat with an extra sprinkle of orange zest, candied citron or lemon rind before you put on the lid.
Equipment
How to Store Green Tomato Mincemeat
The best way to store the green tomato mincemeat is to can it. If you’re not too sure about canning as a method of preservation, you can always choose to freeze the mixture. Just remember to use freezer safe containers for best results, and always label the jar.
If you’re planning to use up the mincemeat within a week, simply transfer it to a food safe container and refrigerate it.
How to Can Green Tomato Mincemeat
The simplest way to can your mincemeat is to transfer the hot mixture into hot sterilized jars and then quickly close the lid.
You can then place these canning jars in a hot water bath or a water canner and boil over high heat until it comes to a full rolling boil for about 20 minutes.
Once you have canned the mincemeat, remember to move the filled jars to a dark and cool place to preserve it best.
The mincemeat can also be frozen for later use. Just transfer it into clean, sterilized jars or freezer safe containers, leaving a bit of headspace to allow for expansion, and then freeze it.
You can also use freezer bags if you want to.
Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe
- For some extra zing of flavor, add some more of the orange zest. You can also add some candied orange peel if you love the fruity taste it brings into the picture.
- You can also add some apple juice into the mix if you love how they lend a tart and sweet flavor to the dish
- Candied ginger and mixed candied fruit also make for excellent additions to this mincemeat
- Date syrup and date sugar can be a great swap for the sugar in the recipe. They can also really take the flavors of the mincemeat up a notch.
- You can also add some unsulphured molasses into the mix.
- Dates and prunes can also be added to the mincemeat mixture. Remember that if you’re using them, you may need to cut down on the amount of sugar you’re using, or it’ll make the mixture incredibly sweet.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Apart from being used as a delicious pie or a tart filling, there are several other ways to put the mincemeat to use. You can enjoy it as a relish with any of your favorite foods, even fried foods.
Another great way to put it to use is to whip up some delicious mincemeat muffins using it.
And best of all, you can use it as a topping over your scoop of vanilla ice cream! I think it would be an excellent topping over my favorite baked yogurt too!
Just remember to close the jar lid quickly after you’re done to preserve the freshness of the mincemeat.
FAQs
It all depends on your personal preference. If you really want to, you can core the tomatoes, chop them up and then use them for the recipe.
You sure can! Just make sure you choose the right storage containers to prevent any freezer burn, and use up the mincemeat within a year.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Green Tomato Mincemeat
Ingredients
- 1 cup green apple chopped
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 cup green tomatoes chopped
- ¼ cup walnuts chopped
- ¼ teaspoon dried nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried ginger
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Chop up the green tomatoes and apples.
- Transfer them to a heavy bottomed pot with some raisins and sugar.
- Next, add the spices and let the mixture simmer on low heat for approximately 3 hours.
- Cook the mincemeat uncovered until the mixture thickens. Add the butter towards the end and take it off heat.
- Allow the mincemeat to cool down before transferring in jars or serving.
