While this is not a traditional pickling recipe, it does use pickling salt and vinegar as preservatives.

1. Sprinkle salt over green tomatoes and let sit for 1 hour.

2. Rinse well in cold water and drain. Cover tomatoes with boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain.

3. Combine tomatoes and remaining ingredients in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil. Ladle into sterilized jars, leaving 1" headspace. Wipe rims. Cap and seal. Process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 25 minutes.

• MAKES 10 PINTS

• INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons pickling salt

• 2 quarts green tomatoes, cored and chopped

• water to cover

• 4 tablespoons dried orange peel

• 2/3 cup peeled, seeded, and chopped orange

• 2 ½ quarts peeled, cored, and chopped apples

• 1 pound golden yellow raisins

• 1 ½ cups chopped suet

• 3 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar

• ½ cup cider vinegar juice of 1 lemon

• 2 teaspoons cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1 teaspoon ginger

• 1 teaspoon cloves

Fruit or Vegetable?

Have you ever wondered why the tomato is classified as a fruit? When we cook, we generally use fruits when we want a sweet dish. But tomatoes are more savory and are often used with vegetables. Technically, tomatoes are in the fruit family because they contain the seeds of the plants; vegetables do not.