Dago Pickle

This is how my grandmother made pickled green tomatoes and hot peppers. It was one of those things you had when your were young and loved them since. I wanted to save this process and pass it on to other family members and friends that remember them and loved them as I do. Our family always called them "Dago Pickles", I know its not politically correct today but it was what we did and do called them.

Ingredients:

1- Bushel Green Tomatoes

1/4 Bushel Hot Peppers

2 lb Fresh Garlic

3- Horseradish Roots (Approx. 2 1/2 lb)

3 lb Kosher Salt or Pickling Salt 

The Following process can be up sized or down sized as needed, some people like them with cabbage also but I prefer it without cabbage.

First we started with a bushel of green tomatoes  and about 1/4 bushel of hot peppers which can be more or less on the peppers, it all depends on how you like hot peppers.

First we cleaned, removed the stems and any bad spots the tomatoes had. Then sliced them (we sliced ours about 3/8 of an inch thick (Thickness is also a preference also)

We used an electric slicer that made things a lot easier,

After slicing the tomatoes we cleaned and cut up the peppers. Removing the stems and seeds. Then cutting the into pieces 1 inch by 2 inch approx. (Another preference)

Dad cutting peppers.

Now we peeled the garlic and cut into pieces 

Then the horse radish was peeled and cut into strips

Now that we prepared the ingredients we now got our stone jar making sure it was cleaned thoroughly.

We used a No. 12, but you can use about any size just adjust you ingredients to match the size.

We then lined the bottom with about 1 1/2 inches of green tomato, add a couple handful of  hot peppers, a handful of garlic and a handful of horse radish. then top off with about 3 handfuls of salt (need to consider my dad has large hands).

Repeat the layers till your about 6 inches from the top or you use up the ingredients. After you have all the vegetables and salt in the jar you need to place a weight on the top of the mixture. We used a large plate and then placed a gallon of water on top to keep pressure on the mixture.

After placing the weight (my grandmother used a large stone wrapped in a clean cloth) cover the jar with a clean cloth and tie a string around the rim to keep the mixture from becoming contaminated.

Store in a dark cool place like a cellar or basement. In about 7-10 days you need to open and  turn the mixture using your hands. Taste the brine making sure if its salty enough, if not feel free to add salt if needed. reseal and let sit for about 4 more weeks then check again. By this time the brine should be set up nice and ready to put in regular jars. Just fill regular canning jars and sealing tight. No need to hot water bath for the brine will preserve the contents.
  Hope you all enjoy then as I do.

Ready To Eat!