Directions:
Evenly divide the tomatoes, pepper, spices and shallot between 2 wide mouth pint jars. Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil. Prep the lids/jars. Pour in the boiling vinegar mixture, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Poke down any tomatoes that has floated too close to the top. Close the jars and process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Allow to sit at least one week before eating.

My thoughts:

Just before the first frost was threatened, I picked all the green tomatoes I still had on the vine. In the past I've tried the old "ripen in a paper bag" trick but it didn't always work. Since I've become obsessed with canning, I thought I might try my hand at canning some pickled tomatoes. I'm honestly not sure if pickled tomatoes is a "thing" but I was already firing up my canning pot to make some jam so I figured making a couple of jars wouldn't hurt. I popped in a (really hot!) pepper some friends grew in their garden and a few of my favorite pickling spices and you know what? It totally turned out. The tomatoes stayed firm and had a great hot-pickle flavor. Easy-peasy. Added bonus: I felt great that I was able to eke out a tiny bit more from my garden.

Oh, yes, pickled green tomatoes are definitely a "thing". Have been for more than a century! Remember, the Victorians pickled every edible plant item they could - northern winters are looongg and they needed all the preserved veggies they could get.

Our favorite relish is a green tomato pickle I've been making for years (recipe in "The Yankee Cookbook", Wolcott, 1971). It's fabulous not just with baked beans as the book suggests, but also with roast pork or omelets.