The Canadian Harvest in Alberta and The Canadian Prairies
Believe it. Two-thirds of the substance in the above recipe is green tomato.
Most of us no longer live in the country. Most of us are no longer farmers. The harvest season on the prairies has changed. School was out for the harvest. Everyone worked on the farm to get the produce and grains in for the winter. Thrashers moved from farm to farm threshing the grains which means loosening the edible part of the grain from its scaly, or inedible chaff. It is a step in grain preparation right after the golden grasses were harvested which separates the loosened chaff from the grain. When my mom was young, threshing was done by a threshing machines that was hand-fed and horse-powered. They were very small by today’s standards and it was a slow and laborious process. Feeding thrashers was a big deal in the harvest season. They would be out at sunrise and in for breakfast of steak and eggs and fresh bread mid morning. Some would eat a huge steak, 6 eggs and half a loaf of bread mom recalls. The work was grueling physical labour, and an intrinsic part of the rural lifestyle during harvest season. When they finished the work at one farm, they would take their thresher, and move on to the next.
That is why we give thanks. Thanks for the weather to hold for the harvest. Thanks for the farmers still farming our prairies. Thanks for the nutrient rich, delicious and nutritious produce that our Canadian prairie farmers grow. As an urban gardener, I am also thankful for my own harvest and my favourite food on the planet: the tomato. As I grow as many as I can in our short zone three growing season, that means I have a considerable amount of green tomatoes to harvest each year. This is the year of my “ah-ha” moment for the unripened green tomato. Every other year, I was deeply upset that so many gorgeous heirloom tomatoes would not be enjoyed as there wasn’t the time for all to ripen on the vine. Instead of relish and ketchup this year, I sliced them and tasted them. Nope for raw. Yup for cooked. A big yup.
The light bulb went on with my fried green tomato recipe. Then I created a Savoury Green Tomato Meat Pie that you are going to love. Yummers. I still have more that I am now hoping do not ripen so that I can make a sweet Tomato Pie. Oh, my! Either way, it is a win win! Above is the basket of gorgeous heirloom tomatoes I harvested to rescue from the frost. Below is the last basket of vine ripened tomatoes from my 2013 tomato harvest. The Green Zebras are so vibrant in flavour.
Green Tomato Mincemeat? I have never heard of it, have you? Certainly, it is not a Traditional Canadian Prairie recipe, yet mincemeat made with suet is a Traditional Canadian Prairie recipe. (Anyone know where I can get some suet. I need a local supplier.) I want to make both mincemeat recipes and have a Tasting to compare the flavour and texture of each recipe. One batch of this green tomato mincemeat recipe calls for 8 cups of green tomatoes. I made a double batch. It was not my intent. I burned the first batch just when the mincemeat was alllmooost done. I stepped out to do something for what seemed like 2 minutes. This recipe needs to be very carefully attended at all times, but particularly near the end.
Above is 8 cups of green heirloom babes in all their succulent glory and below with the addition of tart apples and a combination of candied fruit.
Combined with brown and white sugars, apple cider and home pressed Nectar of the Gods Apple Juice, the seasonal spices perfume the air and I swear I could hear a faint, but jolly, “Ho! Ho! Ho!” in the distance.
I could actually imagine that this concoction would turn into mincemeat. It was already delicious. Below is the beautiful one-batch pot that didn’t make it to the preserving jars.
Light is vastly different each season and during each time of day. This was a warm autumn afternoon. The joy of the harvest was in the air. The mixture was vibrant and warm toned. The breeze was nippy, but the sun was golden and warm.
Below is the new double batch, thank you very much Elaine! Breathless with excitement over the first Green Tomato concoction I witnessed magically turn into a dark brown deeply flavourful rich ooey-gooey green tomato mincemeat, almost like magic, I was devastated when it burned. And that was the end of my green tomatoes. How ironic! I madly tweeted to find more. Elaine picked up some gorgeous ones at the market and saved my day. I never thought I would pay for green tomatoes! 
The light has changed two days later when I reconvened to reconcoct this curious green tomato mincemeat recipe. It is a colder greyer day and the mood of the colour the light reflects from the lack of mid-day sun is reflected in the more somber and serious appearance of this new double batch of green tomato mincemeat. I confess that without making it before, I did create my own recipe from what I know about making traditional mincemeat, the flavours, textures and portions of what I thought would work best for my palate. 
I did chop the ingredients smaller this round and used my stock pot for the double batch.
There are a lot of juices in the batch that don’t cover the ingredients, but are near the surface. It will take a few hours to cook this down as these juices and the ones that will ease out of the apples and tomatoes need to evaporate to distil the flavour and create a thick mincemeat.
Three hours later, maybe five, here we are. I actually didn’t time the cooking period. This is about where I shut it down for the night so that I could really focus on the end process.
The next morning I continued to simmer the batch until it was as thick as I felt mincemeat should be, stirring all of the time for the last 20 minutes to avoid any sticking to the pot or scorching of the sugars.
Do you see me wagging my tail? I was just amazed by the appearance, flavour and texture of this beautiful green tomato preserve. Green tomato mincemeat. Who knew? Obviously, many people, but not any in my neighbourhood. This is a fantastic recipe and will make great little hostess gifts over the holidays. Wiggle-waggle!
I estimated three quarts, maybe four. The batch produced 4 quarts with a little extra. I simply packed the steaming hot green tomato mincemeat into sterilized jars and sealed them. Left the jars on the counter until room temperature, then stored in my second fridge. 
What a gorgeous day for celebrating the bounty of the season. I revel on my little stool beside my bench in the back yard enjoying the colours of the autumn season, the vibrancy of summer long gone.
The texture of the green tomato mincemeat does amaze. I could sketch a study called: Green Tomato Mincemeat, I am so mesmerized by it. 
Of course I made mincemeat tarts! I will publish another post about them, but had to know whether green tomato mincemeat was delicious in a tart. The resounding response? Yes! I will add that a little bourbon, brandy, rum, or another spirit adds to the celebration of the Christmas season soon to be upon us… as does a sprinkle of fresh orange zest just before serving.
The harvest season is about preparing for winter and the holidays. I could not resist as I consistently think of Christmas during my harvest preparations. Bring on the magic of the next season to come! Winter!If you have made green tomato mincemeat, I want to know. How does your recipe differ than mine? What else do you love making with your green tomatoes?The Canadian Food Experience Project began June 7 2013. As participants share stories across the vastness of our Canadian landscape through our regional food experiences, we hope to bring global clarity to our Canadian culinary identity through the cadence of our collective Canadian voice. The topic our sixth challenge is The Canadian Harvest in (each region) so my topic is: The Canadian Harvest in Alberta and The Canadian Prairies. Please join us! It is never too late to participate.
Green Tomato Mincemeat
Ingredients
- 8 cups (2000 ml) cored, quartered green tomatoes
- 4 cups (1000 ml) cored, finely chopped apples
- 2 cups (500 ml) raisins
- 1 cup (250 ml) dried currants
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) mixed candied fruit
- 1/4 cup (50 ml) candied orange peel
- 1/4 cup (50 ml) candied ginger
- 2 tsp (10 ml) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (5 ml) allspice
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp (2 ml) mace
- 1 cup (250 ml) lightly packed brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (250 ml) apple juice
- 1/3 cup (75 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) brandy, optional
Instructions
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In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine all ingredients except brandy; stir constantly
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Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat, boiling gently, stirring frequently for 1 1/2 hours until mixture thickens
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Stir in brandy, if using, and remove from heat
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Meanwhile, place 6 clean 500 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C)
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Set screw bands aside; heat SNAP LID® sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C)
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Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use
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Ladle hot mincemeat into a hot jar to within 1/2 inch (1 cm) of top of jar (headspace)
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Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more mincemeat
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Wipe jar rim removing any food residue; centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim, screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight
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Return filled jar to rack in canner; repeat for remaining mincemeat
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When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water
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Cover and bring to full rolling boil before counting processing time
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When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface
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Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands
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After cooling check jar seals: sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed
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Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars
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Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired
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Label and store jars in a cool, dark place
Processing Time:
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At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m) process filled jars 15 minutes
Recipe Notes
Just before using each jar of preserves, add the zest of one fresh orange into each 500 ml amount
Add a tablespoon or two of brandy to the preserves just before baking into a pie, a tart or drizzling over ice cream for another festive touch
For best quality, use home canned foods within one year
The Canadian Mincemeat Tart is traditionally topped with a five corner pastry star to represent the North Star that led the Wisemen to the stable where baby Jesus was born. The fragrant spice mixture in the recipe is reminiscent of the gifts to Baby Jesus.
Many years ago now I made mincemeat of the suet kind. I can see them making this mincemeat on the prairie farms where everything is utilized.
Me too!
I’ve never made the suet kind either but I have dug up the recipe and will give it a try to do a tasting!
V
Was looking for a recipe similar to the one I had made the last two years almost identical I doubled the recipe and added one cup of molasses instead of two cups of brown sugar I put in my roaster in the oven so I don’t have to worry about stirring as often. Just tasted the mixture very delicious.
Ticked it worked for you. Molasses is definitely not for me in this recipe, but love it in my ginger cookies. Glad it worked and you love it.
Cheers!
Valerie
What temperature did you set your oven?
Sorry Ray – thought you were askimg me – hahaha!!!
What temp was your oven at?
I didn’t use my oven. I am confused by your question, Celeste.
Sorry?
Valerie
I have made green tomato mince for years but this tear could not fine green tomatoes . Can you make mince meat with ground Hamburg & would you have a recipe? Thanks.
No, Phyllis
I haven’t any recipe like that and hamburger meat would definitely not work in this recipe.
Cheers,
Valerie
My Mom used to make green tomato mincemeat (southern Ontario) 40 years ago. Sadly, the idea of green tomatoes in any form did not appeal to this teenager at the time and I can’t remember if enjoyed it. It looks delicious!
Tricia,
Do you still have your moms recipe? If you like mincemeat, you must try a batch!
So amazed I had never heard of it before and it will be a family staple from now on!
🙂
V
Hi Valerie, by coincidence this week I’m visiting Mom in Ontario (I live in Nova Scotia) and can look up her recipe. She used similar ingredients, green tomatoes, apples, brown sugar, raisins, peel, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice. Vinegar and lemon juice. And suet or butter. Mom’s notes also indicate to watch for burning, stir all the time.
Wonderful! Would love to see her recipe!
V
I have used a slow cooker, overnight, to concentrate Apple sauce for Apple Butter, I bet it would work for this, or any sauce, .Kethcup?
It’s worth a try, Marg. Good idea. I wouldn’t do it overnight the first time, though. Try it first, and check now and then.
After that, sleep if it works next time!
(big grin) Valerie
It seems that Ontario was the place for green tomatoe mincemeat. I have a batch on the stove right now using the recipe my mom used in the 70’s, which she got from Mrs. Snelgrove, Sydenham Ontation, in 1958. The recipe is probably much older than that. This recipe has a higher proportion of apples (50:50 with the tomatoes), does not have the candied fruit an uses rum instead of brandy. It also included walnuts. Delicious! ! I suppose there are as many recipes as there are people who make it (or mde it).
How did it turn out, Richard?
Love these kinds of stories!
Happy Holidays!
Hugs,
Valerie
This is the best use of green tomatoes I’ve ever seen. I saw some green tomatoes at the farm today. I may have to run back and buy them after reading this!
El
So you haven’t heard of Green Tomato Mincemeat, either? Such fun to try something so outrageously strange that makes such good sense and tastes so delicious!
🙂
V
I have never made mincemeat let alone green tomato mincemeat. I love that this doesn’t have suet in it! I lost my entire tomato crop before I could salvage the green ones, but I’ll be saving this recipe for next year. Wonder how it would taste made with tomatillos??? 🙂
Ha!Ha! Actually better than either of us might think, I am sure – after making this recipe, Charmian! Too bad about your tomatoes! I would be inconsolable!
V
I made similar sounding recipe last summer and served my dish as a chutney with my Christmas tourtière. I love your recipe and your tarts look delicious.
Sarah,
I am sure green tomatoes would make a great chutney. And what fun to serve it with my savoury green tomato meat pie! Do you have a link to that recipe for us?
V
This looks absolutely delicious, Val. Wow! I agree it would be great with tourtiere. Will be trying this with my green tomatoes next season.
I cannot wait to post the meat pie recipe, too – maybe next year I will combine a couple of cups of diced green tomatoes with the vegetables in the meat mixture, too.
The mincemeat is definitely a winning recipe!
🙂
V
Can’t wait to try it , It sounds healthier than the one made with suet.
Brought some with me for you to try today, but won’t be making it over, mom. Still at the hairdressers.Xo
This looks absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to try it. 🙂 oxox
I was thinking of you when I made it knowing how you enjoy mincemeat! This is a little lighter and less dense that the mincemeat made with suet. I love it!
Xo
V
I found out this year that green tomatoes make wonderful salsa, but this seems a little more adventurous. I can almost smell that simmering pot through the screen! The mincemeat tarts look wonderful too.
I just learned about green tomato salsa. On my list for next year. Sometimes it feels like I live under a rock. I could have even thought of it myself, as I was definitely in the green tomato groove this year.
🙂
V
This looks and sounds amazing, Valerie. I’m currently appraising my remaining bounty of green tomatoes in the basement to see if I have enough to pull this off. I actually grew up with green tomato mincemeat that my maternal grandmother made … and she was raised on a farm near Grande Prairie. I’m sure the origin of her recipe included traditional suet, but living in the Okanagan, it was typically made with green tomatoes. I distinctly remember the conversation as a child with her because I was a bit squeamish that this dark brown gunk filling was actually some indescribable meat only to be informed that it contained green tomatoes which I found equally perplexing as I couldn’t see them nor understand why anyone would eat a green tomato (this is long before my discovery of green ketchup this year 🙂 ). However, I became addicted to those little tarts and was fond of scooping them out of the freezer and eating them frozen through the holidays. To this day, the mincemeat tart remains one of the iconic flavours of a Canadian Christmas for me and I’m only too happy to eat the last mincemeat tart on the dessert tray that everyone else has studiously rejected like I first did as a child.
Question: do you think you can pressure can this preserve, or does it require a hot water bath like jellies and jams?
HI, Dale,
What a beautiful story… offering up such insight with your personal story adds so much to this conversation.
Definitely the water bath.
🙂
V
Hello and please give yourself a huge hug. I am a child of the 40’s and 50’s…………..Currently 66 and a half years old.
I grew up in the far north, the far south USA and all points in between………including the islands in the south of the USA. My dear departed mother was a child of the Great Depression and utilized many money saving ideas from those days as well as from the 2nd world war restrictions.
I love Mincemeat pie, tarts and any other use for this specialty product and I was probably in my 30’s before I learned that mincemeat was not always made from Green tomatoes. A caregiver for my Mom and my Grandmother managed to “tidy up” and threw out books and books and books of handwritten recipes from both these wonderful ladies’ lives.
You have saved my life and now that my daughter is learning to garden, I can replicate my Mom’s delicious mincemeat treats.
Just and aside that may make you chuckle……….My late father decided to start a vegetable garden for the family…………that was, at that time just he and my Mom and as he loved tomatoes, he planted.tomatoes. He did not know, however, that you got more than one tomato per plant and as his family lived in the far north of the country he never saw his mother grow this splendid fruit/vegetable. So, I am sure you can imagine why my Mom found as many recipes for Green Tomatoes as God provided and made up a few of her own
Again, I thank you for this recipe
Gail
Dear Gail!
What a lovely message!
Thank you!
This is why we food bloggers do what we do. I love to share recipes and to learn about various cultures – including my own vast Canadian culture – through what we cook for our families every day.
It isn’t that often that someone will send a message or even leave a comment – so these little gifts of connecting to my readers are so sincerely cherishes. I love to learn, too and the story about your dad planting tomatoes is hilarious!
I, too, cared for my dad before his recent death this past January. (just turned 59 last week!!!) so I know what a sacrifice and blessing it is to be there for your parent when they are dying. For dad, it was 17 months, and definitely a gift while life was on hold. Our relationship evolved into one I never thought possible and I miss him and cherish him daily.
Big hug.
Valerie
Hi my name is Gloria. I live in Surrey BC. I have had a long and tiring day but I couldn’t let it end before I thanked you for posting the green tomato mincemeat recipe. It is absolutely wonderful!. There is a little farm market down the road from me and for several years now I have noticed they have green tomatoes in the late summer. Mincemeat has always been one of those mystery foods to me because I could never quite guess what was in it. Your recipe is exactly how I wanted it to taste. I put all of the ingredients in my biggest pot and brought it to a boil. Then I began to worry that I was going to burn it like you did on the first try. I had so many things I had to do today I knew I wouldn’t have time to tend to it. I carefully ladled it into my crock pot and turned it on high, covered it and just left it. About six and a half hours later I came back. I opened the lid and the first thing I noticed was that it appeared that most of the tomato seeds were all floating on top. Before I stirred it I decided to skim them off with a big spoon. I probably lost about 1/2 a cup of liquid in the process. Next I gave it a stir and realized it looked done. I ladled it into the jars which gave me four jars plus a bit just like you said. I just finished eating a bowl of frozen vanilla yogurt with warm mincemeat on top. What a treat. It was like mincemeat pie a la mode minus the crust. I can’t wait to make mincemeat tarts for a bake sale this coming holiday season. (and of course serve them to my family and friends too 🙂
Hello,
I’ve made green tomato mince meat for years. I use butter instead of suet, and I put my mince meat into containers and put it in the freezer. Keeps well for up to two years. I also peel all my tomatoes and apples. I used to live in Toronto, Ontario and had never heard of it. Since moving to Saskatchewan 22 years ago, that’s all the people around here make.
I have your recipe cooking on the stove now! Didn’t have any candied ginger, so used ginger marmalade. Works great! My regular recipe doesn’t call for ginger or cider vinegar, just the regular white. And more booze, about 1 1/2 cups of dark rum and brandy mixed. This is the second batch of green tomato mince I’ve made this summer. I know I’ll be making pastry tomorrow for tarts!
Judy Smider
Thanks for chiming in, Judy!
I find it fascinating to hear how others have made this recipe, over time. I am sure, if we put both versions side by side, they would be different, but delicious. That is why I adore tastings…. you can find which you like the best!
🙂
Valerie
Ladies,
It was fun to read your postings. Like most of you mince meat was a big part of the fall harvest. I grew up on a small dairy farm in Maine. We gathered all things in season that included apples and green tomatoes. The kitchen stove was a cast iron Atlantic wood stove. The mince meat contained all the things that have been listed but the simmer was done on the back off the stove over night. The enameled pot never boiled just sitting off the burners, it only bubbled at the top from time to time. he next morning the aroma was wonderful and the time for getting it processed. We put up around thirty quarts for he winter and everything went to the cellar for storage along with all the other fall treasures. From time to time I still make some of the things from my childhood; many of them few of my friends have ever heard off. It`s so nice to hear others still are keeping he way we lived alive and well. I fear he future will loose all those wonderful smells and stories to what can come from the grocery store shelf.
Al, share some of the other foods you used to make! I would love to hear about it and share old recipes!
🙂
Valerie
Good morning Valerie,
In years it was not long ago but , compared to life styles today, it was another life time ago. It was a time when foraging on he farm men good eats in the winter. Those good eats were dandelion greens. Once the snow left and the grass greened in the pasture they were some of the first things to begin to show. I would be sent out with a table knife, shopping bag, and a lunch. My grandmother would ell me to stay ill the bag was full. When I got back the worked began. The roots needed to be trimmed, the greens washed three times and then soaked in salt and water. After the dandelions were cleaned and dried in the refrigerator hey would go till the next day o be canned . The canning was done in a big pressure cooker on the farm cook stove. After the canning jars were washed and cleaned The greens would be packed along with salt and water and processed under pressure. It was a long time ago but I think it was fifteen pounds for thirty minutes. That is only a guess. hen the jars would cool and I`d listen for the lids to snap as hey sealed shut. Trip after tip I`d make to he pasture till about a hundred quarts were in the cellar. This was the start of the winter food supply only weeks after the frost was gone from the long winter that had just ended.
Valerie I wish I could give you an exact recipe but after so many years all I can do is explain a process. Even at that I hope this bring backs memories to others. The old hated dandelion was a wonderful side dish for a winters meal. You knew spring was not that far away. Al
My family has been making green tomato mincemeat for at least 4 generations and I love it. Has anybody ever tried it with summer squash? I worry that success may be dependant upon the acidity in the tomatoes, but it seems like ths might be a good use for all those overgrown summer squash varieties!
Now that is an interesting concept. I don’t see it working due to the lack of acidity and difference in texture, but something delicious would definitely come of it! Curious to hear from others on this, as well!
🙂
Valerie
My parents grew tomatoes in a greenhouse in northern BC. Their trick for fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes at New Years was to harvest the ripe ones, then then pull up the whole plant and hang them by the roots on a row of nails in the basement, which was cool and mainly dark. As with vines still rooted in the earth, harvest as they ripen!
What a brilliant tip!
Thank you so much! never heard it before and it makes perfect sense and I cannot wait to try it!
🙂
Valerie
I have been making green tomato Mincemeat for over 40 years! My children didn’t know there was any other way to make it until they moved away and tried to find it in the store. Two of them became vegetarians, so of course will eat no other kind except Mum’s Mincemeat. I am a Nova Scotian by birth (now live in Ontario) . I found the recipe in a cookbook called ” Out of Old Nova Scotia Kitchens”. The other recipe that I use every year from that same book (also uses green tomatoes & onions) is Chow Chow , which is like a relish (particularly good with all pork products),
Wendy!
Lovely to “meet” you and thank you for chiming in! Take a look at my chow chow recipe! I found everyone eats it on everything in Nova Scotia and my dad really loved this recipe. Oddly, it is not so popular in the prairies, but I love it, too!
🙂
Valerie
I love green tomato chow chow. I make it using my grandmother”s recipe which is well over 100 years old. Everyone is so curious when they first see it, but after the first bite they can’t get enough! Now to try this mincemeat. I’d never heard of it until this year:)
Can’t wait to hear how it goes for you, Wendy or Twyla?
It is a hit for all so far and we really love it here!
Thank you for taking the time to chime in. Those over 100 year old recipes are precious!
Hugs,
Valerie
Here are instructions for canning dandelions (4 lbs of greens per quart! Yikes!)
http://proverbsthirtyonewoman.blogspot.ca/2013/04/how-to-preserve-dandelion-greens-and.html#.VePi-n1VaP9
—
Thanks! You know, I have never liked the taste of these greens in salads, as so many do. I wonder what they would taste like canned? Don’t think I will try it, but really appreciate the link, and wonder what others think who have preserved them? I cam across some preserved spruce tips the other day, and though I love them fresh in very small amounts, I found them off putting preserved. Let’s say, for an acquired taste.
🙂
Valerie
I’m the 4th generation in my family to make mincemeat… I didn’t know there was other kinds than green tomato. The best way to use your mincemeat is mincemeat parcels….its like a pastry perogie filled with mincemeat so good. Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without mincemeat Tarts and parcels. You just roll out your pastry cut it in a circle (we just use a cup as a cookie cutter) and then put a tablespoon on mincemeat on one side of the circle and then fold out and then pinch the edge to shape it into a crescent moon/perogie shape, poke with a fork for steam to escape and bake, yum!!
What a great idea, Michelle! I too am the 4th (at least) generation in my family to make mincemeat, and didn’t know there was any other way than with meat (suet)! So odd, eh? Same country, but completely different traditional experiences due to our regional influences. Love that about Canada.
And really appreciate your idea about the turnovers! I can see they would be a huge hit! Love the tarts warm with ice cream. Memories!
🙂
V
I am making this right now in the slow cooker! I sub’d apricots for currants otherwise made as written. Smells and samples like CHRISTMAS! Can hardly wait for morning to jar and eat! (don’t know if it is just me but I do have a hard time with the grey font colour 🙁 )
I am making this right now in the slow cooker. Smells and tastes just like Christmas! Sub’d dried apricots for currants. Can hardly wait to make tarts! (I am finding it really hard to read the grey scale font though)
Hi Karen… so I need to know how this turned out!! And do you mean the entire font in all of my posts is hard for you to read, or just the recipe? Is it the colour or the size? Thanks for letting me know.
Valerie
Thank you so much for this. I do have similar recipes in a cookbook and I have made this before but this is just a much easier recipe to rad than mine!! This recipe is PERFECT for those of us who are vegan!! I have a question , though. I really have problems with the whole canning thing and wondered if this could be vacuum sealed after it cools down and then frozen?
thank you so much!
HI Karen
You can absolutely freeze in vacuum bags – or even in Ziplock Freezer bags. Let me know how it goes!
🙂
Valerie
Valerie,
The recipe for the mincemeat and all the comments walked me back many years. I grew up on a dairy farm in Maine with fall mincemeat making being a great event every fall. With short growing seasons in Maine each fall we had a lot of green tomatoes to turn into mincemeat. One of the great differences for us was the fact it was done on our kitchen wood stove. When something had simmering called for it meant the pot would be pushed to the back of the stove and sat there all night. Cooking on a wood stove is something few still recall and or the tricks that were used. This was a great event for us, since we would produce about fifty quarts each fall. The smell of the wood stove and the order of all of the spiced fruit is something I`ll never forget. Al Jewell
Dear Al,
Thank you so much for painting that lovely picture. I am one that recalls the wooden stove as my grandmother had one. Now, I was young and didn’t stoke it or learn the tricks of cooking with it too much, but I was there and it was part of our lives when we visited her and I cherish that memory. Don’t touch the stove – and it was HOT. Pies needed to be turned half way as the fire was on one side. There was that metal instrument used to hook into the plates on the top of the stove to remove them and move the fire under the burners. Wonder what those were called? Oh, what a life that was. Harder, healthier and full of wonder. Whatever did you do with 50 quarts of mincemeat?
Happy New Year!
Valerie
Dear Valerie,
What did you do with fifty quarts of mincemeat? That was such a simple question but it opens a very wide and active childhood. I grew up in an extended family with three families in the same farmhouse. That does not count the relatives that would come to spend a holiday or want to come and pick wild barriers, crab apples, or make soap with ‘lard and lye water that was filtered through the wood ashes left over from the wood stove or furnace.
Valerie, I could go on with so much more but I`d just run on and on. I grew up almost out of time. It was very close to the way farms were like in the Late eighteen hundreds. As the winter goes on if you get bored send me a note and I`ll share more with you. Al
Al,
Your stories would never ever bore me. Truly. This is a life that few recall and have anyone to share such stories with anymore, but almost all of us have grandparents or great-grandparents and back and back that live this very life. I loved every minute of the time I spent living through “the olden days” and hearing the stories of those that got a little more of it than I.
Hugs,
Valerie
Valerie,
Growing up the way I did was so out of time; because I`m not as old as I should be, living the way we all did on the farm. My birthday was 12/5/47. We all lived on my grandparents farm, that the town just grew around. We had twenty one milk cows, five hundred laying hens, three hundred capons, two draft horses, and a mule that pulled the milk wagon. The milk wagon, my grandfather delivered milk with the wagon pulled by Nancy the mule. She was purchased at the fair from the kiddy ride. She had a saddle sore and the ride owner couldn`t use her any more. Over the years she became a fixture in town as well as across the state. My grandfather was a pure democrat and Nancy made about every rally that existed. I even rode her around the state fair grounds with a vote for Ed Musky sign on her.
The milk room was in the seller of the farm house. It was a spring room where well water ran in to cool the milk, plucked chickens, eggs, and butter. These would all be sold from the milk wagon to our customers. They were almost all the people that lived at our end of town. The milk that was left over granddad just gave to the families with a lot of kids that could not afford it. HE WOULD JUST WALK UP AND PLACE IT BY THE DOOR. When I was a teen he passed away and the church was full, it was not because he had a lot of money but because of who he was. My grandfather was not a saint but just a good man.
I got off topic a little ; that is not uncommon for me. Since I`m jumping around some I guess I should tell you that I`m a retired school teacher. That in itself is another story. I think that should be pushed way off into late spring. Al
Al, you were blessed in ways that fewer of us have been with each generation as time passes.
With the arrival of each child, came a major household improvement to ease the extra work of children. My parents started out with a 2-room “place”; when I was born, a kitchen was added. It came with a very spiff wood stove that was my mom’s pride and joy. But 2 years later, when my brother came along, there arrived an electric stove, that required no chopping and splitting. I don’t have any memories of that wood stove, but many people in the village of my childhood had wood stoves, as did grandparents and aunties and uncles we visited.
The thing about 50 quarts of anything, is that quite aside from large families, and sharing with rellies, women used to take a couple of jars of this or that with them when they went visiting … and they’d come home with something in exchange: jars or bottles of something else (jams, jellies, pickles, relishes), or with a sackful of rhubarb in season if they had no patch of their own … or perhaps an armload of lilacs, or a bag of iris roots. The possibilities were endless, the variety was astounding, and life was made rich with the mutual giving that also provided a practical excuse for taking time out of days that were chockful of backbreaking work, from before dawn till after sundown.
I feel a bit bad that I didn’t seal up whomping batches of marmalades and such so my daughter would have the experience … but we have at the market here anything and everything, at all times of the year — and here, *storage* space is at a premium! Life is different, the pace is different. And there are experiences each new generation gets to have that the ones before didn’t. But I have fond memories of farmhouses fragrant with woodstoves, a hand pump in the kitchen with a coffee-can strung with a wire handle for priming, hung on the spout, and The Clock ticking placidly, peaceably on the shelf. A household had but one, in those days …
— f
What a gorgeous read. Thank you. You have reminded me of that giving that did take place. I had completely forgotten. I still do make a casserole and take it to a new neighbour. Even though I usually never see them again until the next one moves in. It makes me feel Canadian and “neighbourly” and like a good daughter. 🙂 But the giving has stopped, hasn’t it? Because we don’t make and grow anything close to what we used to make and grow – or sew. What do we do now? I think I am typing on it.
BIG HUG,
Valerie
We just had dear friends drop in – both of our families have moved after spending many years in a remote community in far northern Canada. They brought us a bounty from their new home: beautiful salmon, halibut and prawns they’d caught; raspberries from their garden, wild blackberries they’d harvested and wonderful hazelnuts from their trees. Their visit was a very welcome surprise, but I was unprepared and had little to offer in return. I finally did remember the crabapple jelly we’d made and gave them a jar. Perhaps it’s a holdover from living in a small northern community, but the giving is definitely ‘alive and well’ in our circle. I just love the sense of community it creates, even though we’re now miles apart. Thank you for encouraging the wonderful stories I’ve been reading here.
Thank you, Linda,
for chiming in with your reflection!
Sounds divine!
🙂
Valerie
Slipped into a second hand copy of Canadian Country Preserves& Wines (Garrett, 1974) that I acquired from a box marked “Free” at the bottom of a driveway in Ottawa, was this handwritten recipe for tomato mincemeat. The recipe was written on the back of a Royal Bank of Canada envelope with a 1982 postmark. However, judging by the penmanship I expect this is a much older recipe. I plan on trying it this fall and appreciate your instructional method as this was all the instruction given. I expect this version has a bit more spice than the one you made.
4 c tomatoes
6c apples
3c raisins
1-2c currants
4c brown sugar
1 1/3c vinegar
2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp mace
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsp salt
1 whole lemon ground up
1/2 lb suet or 3/4c butter
Makes 5 quarts
Thank you so very much for sharing this vintage recipe, Lauren! Keep me informed. Dying to hear how it goes and tastes. Interestingly, this recipe is fabulous, as you can see from the comments, so I look forward to comparing and seeing how you express the taste of the recipe you have shared. I had to laugh, though. I am not sure what generation you are from, but I expect it would be a younger one. I am 61 this coming August. Definitely YOUNG at heart and feel like I did when I was 30 (except SO much wiser, haha!). My point is, that any 1974 recipe I have is still current and relevant as that was my second year of university and somehow, seems just like yesterday.
Hugs
Valerie
I’m in my mid 30s and since I wasn’t born in 1974, consider it an older recipe :-). However given my inclination to historic recipes, cookbooks, and methods probably have an “old” palate. Thank you for the wonderful photos, recipes, and stories. Your posts are a pleasure to read.
How long do you water bathe the jars of you live higher than 1000 feet?
Hi Lynn
I have no idea.
Bernardin’s website is specific up to 1000 feet (When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of hot water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process – boil filled jars – 25 minutes.)
After that, scroll down here, and they say to email them and they’ll answer all questions like this within a reasonable time.
https://www.bernardin.ca/recipes/en/green-tomato-mincemeat.htm?Lang=EN-US
Hope this helps!
Cheers,
Valerie
Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe! I grew up using Out of Old Nova Scotia for years and this is my favourite recipe for mincemeat. The first time I saw a recipe that added suet I was shocked. Have you tried the Blueberry Grunt? Another favourite and traditional food from down east. Thanks again, you made my day.
Well that makes two of us! You made my day, Tamara! Yes, I have tried Blueberry Grunt when I was out there a couple of years ago. Very similar to prairie puddings. Would love your family recipe, though? Care to share?
🙂
Valerie
I have made this recipe 4 times and I cannot get it as dark as yours. I don’t use any type of alcohol in it. Mine comes out very light in colour. What am I doing wrong? It tastes good as is, but I would really like the darker more traditional colour.
I really don’t know, Harriet. Mine turns out very dark every time. I recall being surprised the first time at how lovely and dark it became, but it does really darken nearer the end. The only suggestion I would have is to continue the cook-stir a little longer, if that is possible.
🙂
Valerie
Hope this helps. You could use a bit of molasses to replace some of the sugar. Or add a cup of black coffee. My mom loudly proclaimed that she never had to use molasses but did add a cup of black coffee which you can’t taste in the finished product.
In this Nova Scotia village where we live, the women made mincemeat using the ground and boiled meat from deer/venison. Personally, I found the texture unpleasant – like having little pieces of flannel in my mouth. My mother-in-law used green tomatoes and butter, so I do too. And lots of spice and OJ.
Thanks, Faye!
Mine worked as I wrote, but what a delight to read how women used to make it in Nova Scotia and about your mom’s proud ability!
Hugs,
Valerie
I am over an hour into the simmering …it is nice and dark, but the tomatoe chunks are far too big still. The recipe says to quarter them, but they appear to be chopped smaller in the photo..now I am wishing I went with my gut and chopped them up. The smell is amazing.
They will break down, Barb. Let me know how it goes.
🙂
Valerie
Your mince tarts look wonderful. What kind of cutter did you use to achieve that cute fluted edge, if you don’t mind me asking? I’d love to make some of those for a Holiday party.
I loved reading all the lovely stories that everyone shared about Green Tomato Mincemeat and all the other lovely memories. thank you for posting.
My great grandmother was from Germany and the Green Tomato Mincemeat I grew up on was hers. Very much like everyone else’s. It was always a favorite holiday flavor that brings childhood back. Lucky enough to have her written recipe, unlike so many she just kept in her head and have passed on with her, I continue to make it. I will be making a new batch this year. Several years ago, my brother, who lives in my grandmothers house was cleaning out the root cellar and tucked away on a forgotten shelf he found one precious jar of my gr grandmothers mincemeat, canned by her in the 1960’s. She passed away in 1968 at 83 years old. We had continued to have a mincemeat pie every Christmas since her passing. Taking one precious jar from the cellar every Christmas until all were gone, then we started making it ourselves with her recipe. We thought we had used up all of her stash.What a find! Some family members thought we were crazy, but that Christmas, after carefully inspecting the jar for a good seal and the mincemeat itself looking healthy and normal. we made the last pie that would ever be made by great grandma. IT was HEAVEN! We learned that she really “minced” hers, much finer than we had and instead of lacking in flavor after so long, the flavors were intensified. We ate a mince meat pie that was essentially 40 years old and it tasted wonderful! jBetter than any I could rememeber. She knew what she was doing! perfectly made, perfectly preserved. Perhaps a bit reckless for us to even attempt to consume it. But, was worth every spicy, sweet, memorable, precious bite. After more than 40 years it felt likd she was with us again that Christmas. For us food is a connection, something tangable to cement a time we lived that is gone. Food is Memory, food is love.
Dear Caroline,
What a lovely reflection. And you made me laugh. Believe it or not, I have had a similar experience – though not as poetic, poignant, or meaningful as yours. I love that you were able to once again have that almost direct connection with your grandmother and taste that food made by her own hand – and note the difference from your own. Incredibly moving. My mom and dad moved from Red Deer Alberta to Edmonton in 1978. In 2010 we were all gathered at home over the Thanksgiving holiday. The pumpkin pie had been had, and there was another meal the following day – with left overs and an apricot pie mom was oogling over. She served it to all of us after the meal, and was particularly curious about our reactions. We always loved her pies. She didn’t have to force enthusiasm from us. She made great pies. However, this one was a littly mushy. Delicious apricot flavour, but the pastry wasn’t quite as crisp and flakey as usual. We all praised her pie, but did tell her that the pastry wasn’t quite up to her usual standard and she just laughed and laughed. “Well, that’s OK, then, she said. I found it at the bottom of the freezer dated 1972 and you know I wrap everything so well when I freeze it, I knew if would be good.” No one thought it was very funny at that moment… we thought she’d lost her mind a little to subject us all to possible food poisoning. But, as it was, all was well, the pie was mighty tasty, mom could never through anything out and 38 years later, we ate that pie. True story, just like yours.
Great big hug,
Valerie
I have a similar story to add: In 2014, my husband and I went to Ontario where we celebrated our son’s graduation from medical school and helped him pack to move to Toronto to begin a residency in orthopedics. In the process of cleaning out his freezer, we came upon a moose roast from a creature that my husband shot 12 years earlier. We always butchered our own meat and knew how to freeze it properly, so we decided to cook the roast for dinner. We served it that night to our d-i-l who was from TO and hadn’t tasted wild meat. She liked it a lot and is now a fan. To be fair, we did trim a small edge that showed some freezer burn, but even my husband and I were pleasantly surprised – it really was delicious. We are truly grateful to have lived for 35 years in a part of our wonderful country where we had access to such fabulous food.
Hi Linda,
It is true, some of our most vibrant memories are made through the food shared with those we love.
Hugs
Valerie
I went looking for baking instructions for mini mincemeat tarts and found your recipe. I got a kick out of seeing the instruction to use Green Tomato Mincemeat with the link as I had Green Tomato Mincemeat sitting on my counter. So I had to read about your mincemeat recipe and all the comments about it,
Here’s the Green Tomato Mincemeat recipe that my family has been making for as long as I can remember (we’re from Gabriola Island and Vancouver Island in BC). I have no idea how long my grandmother had been making it but I know it was a very long time (she was born in 1890) of Scottish parents newly emigrated to Canada.
Fortunately, this recipe was written down; she had a Green Tomato Relish recipe (fabulous with beef or venison) that she carried in her head and one year she discovered that she’d forgotten it!
Green Tomato Mincemeat
9 pounds green tomatoes 1 cup vinegar
16 very large apples (about 8#) 2 tbsp. salt
½ pound chopped suet* 1 tbsp. cinnamon
2 pounds seedless raisins 1 tbsp. ground cloves
2 pounds currants 1 tbsp. ground ginger
5 pounds brown sugar 1 tbsp. nutmeg
Put tomatoes through chopper, cover with cold water, boil 20 minutes, drain thoroughly, put rest of fruit through chopper, add fruit, vinegar and salt to tomatoes, cook gently for two hours, add spices during the last few minutes of cooking time. Seal in jars. Process 30 minutes in a boiling water bath.
*We have used butter instead of suet and haven’t been able to tell the difference.
When my grandmother went into hospital for the last time we had to clean up her house so it could be sold. My husband and I got to sort out the basement so we had to empty the contents of the canning cupboard. Buried in the furthest darkest corner was a quart of green tomato mincemeat; it was at least 15 years old at that point. My (brave? foolish?) husband opened it up and sampled it – said it was the best mincemeat he’d ever tasted. From then on we deliberately didn’t start using a batch of mincemeat until it was at least three years old!
Dear Lorraine,
What a beautiful story! There is so much more mixed into the food we eat than the ingredients. Like you, it is the love and stories of family that fill my heart as I prepare the traditional recipes from those that have passed before me to share with my family every year. Stories like the one you just shared I value more than you know. And that recipe! What a gift. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Happy Happy Holidays to you! (And I have a jar of mincemeat over three years old in my fridge that I wasn’t a bit worried about!)
Hi Valerie,
What an incredible recipe! I can hardly wait to start using it! Jalouise is first on my list. I did use green pears instead of apples just like I did in the Tomato Jam, I had over abundance of them lol. The smells and aromas took me back to my Mom’s kitchen when I was little, a great tribute to her as she passed away almost two years ago. So thank you for that!
Keep cooking these great Canadian Recipes!
Hi Valerie,
We just got back from a week overseas and I was looking for something to do with all the green tomatoes still left in our garden and being threatened by frost. I was glad to find this excellent recipe and now, your fantastic site!
My mom used to make mincemeat, but always used suet, which is something I just couldn’t get my head around, and knowing so many vegetarians, felt it might make it bit too niche, so to speak.
I followed your recipe, going a bit freestyle with the amount of apples and a bit more heavy handed with both the spice and the brandy (I used Calvados, an apple brandy). I also used my immersion blender a tiny bit to break up a few pieces in order to thicken the sauce.
The result is fantastic! I have friends clamouring for jars. Thanks again for a great recipe.
Thank you for taking the time to chime in, Andrea!
Like you, I love this recipe! Bought some suet a couple of years ago to make both recipes (our traditional family recipe, and this one) to do a side by side tasting, and haven’t done it yet because this recipe is just that good!
Sincerely,
Valerie
I’m going to have to give your recipe a try; it looks so tasty! When I was a little girl (I’m 53 now), my family lived in Farmington, Utah, where my mom (a Washington state wheat farmer’s daughter) got a Mormon Pioneer recipe for Green Tomato Mincemeat Filled Sugar Cookies from an elderly neighbor. It’s one of my favorite autumn treats, and it’s my favorite way to use up the green tomatoes that haven’t ripened before the frost. In case anyone’s interested, here’s the recipe:
Mincemeat
Chop up 8 quarts of green tomatoes, drain, and replace the drained liquid with the same amount of hot water. Boil 1/2 hour. Drain, and replace drained liquid with the same amount of hot water, again. Boil 1/2 hour, again, and drain.
Add 2 pounds raisins (can use golden raisins or a mixture), 1-2 cups ground suet (get it at the meat counter-can substitute with shortening, lard, or butter, or a combination), 9 cups sugar (can use brown), and 1 tablespoon salt. Cook until thick, then add 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon, 2 tablespoons ground nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons ground cloves.
Seal in one-pint glass jars for 20 minutes in a hot water canning bath. Makes 8-10 pints (It would be a good idea to get the processing time evaluated by a state extension office, for optimal safe canning, but it’s always worked for me.).
Sugar Cookies
Cream 1/2 cup shortening, 1/2 cup butter, and 1 cup sugar. Add 2 beaten eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla. Combine 3 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, alternating with 1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1/4 cup milk.
Chill dough for one hour. Roll out. Cut into circles with mason jar lid ring. Using one quart of mincemeat, put a heaping teaspoon of mincemeat onto a circle, cover it with another circle, and press the edges together. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes on a lightly greased cookie sheet or on a cookie sheet lined with a silicone baking liner. Yield: 2 1/2 dozen mincemeat filled sugar cookies.
What a lovely sharing! Thank you! Do you recall the name or any specific information more than what you’ve shared regarding the origin of the recipe! Sharing a favourite recipe like this is one of my most cherished gifts.
HUGS TO YOU!
Valerie
I lost my original green tomato mincemeat so I used google to search for something similar-I’m so happy I lost my recipe! This is the BEST mincemeat I’ve ever had. Thank you so very much!
Thank you, Meg!
So lovely to hear you love it as much as we do! And, thank you for making the time to let my readers know, too!!!
🙂
Valerie
Hi Valerie, I am a transplant from Germany and now live in WV. I have always avoided any opportunity to try mincemeat being very wary of the unrecognizable “meat” hiding in the gooy stuff. Also I never liked the idea of eating green tomatoes. Here in WV people rave about the deliciousness of fried green tomatoes. Not me. I like mine ripe and sliced on a veggie burger or cut into a beautiful salad. (I did make green tomato relish one year, but we never used it) LOL. However today I just picked the last of my green tomatoes and now that I know the ingredients I’m eager to gather the rest of what I need to make this delicious “mince-no-meat” recipe.
Thank You, Monika
Lovely to meet you, Monika.
This is the first year since I have lived in this home… 18 years – that I have not planted tomatoes. Due to Covid, I was not comfortable trekking out the greenhouses. So happy to hear you are “going for it” and giving this recipe a go! Let me know what you think. I think I will never make another! My last batch lasted three years. Yes, it keeps that long, sealed well, in the fridge. I have a second fridge for storage.
Big hug
Valerie
have you tried making a green tomato cake?
it is super delicious.
A great cake with a cup of tea.
Would love the recipe, Loretta!
🙂
Valerie
Valerie, thanks so much for this fantastic recipe, which I have made three years running now and has been a popular request around the holidays. I am in Ottawa and send jars to friends and family from BC to Toronto! I could eat it from the jar, on ice cream, or too many tarts!
This year I am sans green tomatoes and I think I might just try an experiment using a lot more apple. I also have some quince from our own shrub that I might toss in too. What could go wrong, right? LOL.
So sorry I am so late responding, Andrea! Not my usual practice. Have you made it already? I would do a Facebook post or a mail-out asking for green tomatoes. Many that grow tomatoes have SO many this time of year and no clue what to do with them all. I also didn’t grow them this year but found a friend offering them on Facebook, so lucky me. I think you do need the acidity and consistency of the tomato which is quite different than the apple – to get the texture and flavour of this mincemeat. Interestingly, I could not find ANYWHERE candied orange peel this year. Only mixed citrus. So, used it and added some orange zest. Just not the same. I was surprised. I did nothing else different and it was lighter and sweeter. Isn’t that odd? I know as I had some of my last batch to compare with directly. I always do, and they are always the same, but this time. Could be the tomatoes, too. I grow specific kinds and maybe these made that difference. Still delicious. Hope yours works! Thank you so much for letting me know you love the recipe!
🙂
Valerie
Tastes just like I remember from when I was a child. I wanted to make it the first year I grew tomatoes and had a bunch of green ones. I called all my Aunts and Uncles and no one had the recipe. So glad I found this website, I’ve been making it every year since! All my Aunts and Uncles agree it tastes like what we remember… Christmas, family, and love! Thank you for sharing… many of my friends and neighbours had never had mincemeat until I gave them some tarts and they all wanted the recipe!!! You never see this anymore, Thank you for bringing this back to all of us and I hope this brings it back into popular culture.
Wonderful, Melissa!
Thrilled to hear this and thank you so much for sharing your memory.
That’s why we do what we do!
Hugs,
Valerie
Your recipe look’s wonderful. I would like to try it, but I’m wondering if there is truly vinegar in the recipe. Could it just be apple cider? Thank you.
I have only made it the way I explained. You could use apple cider vinegar, but the taste would be different, for sure… but I don’t believe that you could not substitute the cider for the vinegar,
Warmly
Valerie
I was looking for a recipe to use all of the green tomatoes that I had this year, and found this one. I made it this afternoon with some apples that I foraged in a neighbour’s field. The house smells like Christmas! I ate some for dessert tonight on ice cream, and what a lovely treat! I made just one batch, and will need to go shopping to make more. Judging by the pile of green tomatoes I have, I may be making it until Christmas actually arrives. I really enjoyed reading all of the previous posts, with recipe variations…so interesting. Thank you for posting this!
Thank YOU for chiming in, Kim!
I also have a Mincemeat Ice Cream recipe – and you could use this mincemeat in the recipe instead of the one provided in the recipe. I LOVE mincemeat ice cream, too!
Warmly,
Valerie
I’m wondering about the water bath canning. Every other recipe I’ve seen says to pressure cook the mince meat. Is water bath a safe option for this? Thank you so much. My moms recipe also has green tomatoes. Her family harkened from Saskatchewan.
If you do it properly, it is safe.
🙂
Valerie
When you say to core the green tomatoes for mincemeat, does that mean you remove seeds and all??
Hi Vivian
You can see in the photos I don’t remove all the Seeds. I remove the top end and a bit through the top – or core – and then dice.
Hopefully that helps.
It isn’t hard to make but takes time.
It’s fine to leave it almost done to finish the next day. Don’t rush the end.
Looking forward to hearing how it goes for you! We love it!
Warmly,
Valerie
Wow! Thanks! I’m glad I left this until I got your answer. That saves a lot of work
Hi,
Thank you for this recipe! I made a 2 1/2 x batch of this as I had quite a few green tomatoes this year. I chose to add Brandy and Dark Rum as I had both in the cupboard. I also made the candied ginger and candied citrus from scratch the day before. This is the best tasting mincemeat I have ever had. Thank you for sharing. Your mincemeat pastries look so beautiful! Would you share your pastry recipe and methods? Thank you in advance.
Thank you for chiming in, Lana!
I love this recipe, as well – and it makes a lot!
Cheers!
Valerie