Green Tomato Mincemeat

This was way to sweet for me. I had cut the recipe in half and used only a pound and a half of brown sugar. So, I made it again, adding only a cup of sugar, which would have been two pounds total. I emptied the canned mincemeat I made yesterday into the second batch after after it was done, and it came out just perfect. It was a lot of unnecessary work, but I’m glad I did it. Also, I cooked it in the oven for three hours, and I only had to stir it three times.

I cut down on the sugar by 30% and let the mixture simmer with the lid off in order to reduce the liquid. It turned out the way I remember it and thanks for replicating a recipe I had lost!

The best mincemeat ever! These were my changes: I seeded the tomatoes before dicing, changed allspice to nutmeg, added 1 more tablespoon of cinnamon and 1 1/2 more teaspoons of nutmeg. I used 1 cup of coconut oil. I also added 1/3 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup of very fine diced candied ginger. I started cooking the mixture on the stove top, but reduced it in the oven in roasting pans. Fabulous!

I only made a quarter of a “batch” because I only had that many tomatoes. It smells so good as it is cooking and I am sure that this is the recipe that my Mother used for pies at Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays. Thank you so much for this recipe……

Mmmm taste good , It makes 12 quarts

I had never heard of mincemeat let alone green tomato mincemeat. A friend was talking about how he saved a jar of his Mom’s green tomato mincemeat for a long time. Hating to eat the last one. Having lots of green tomatoes this year I thought I’d go looking for a recipe. I didn’t know what to expect but am pleasantly surprised. Hopefully this is like his Mom’s was. Now to find a quicker way to peel green tomatoes.

I have made two batches of this recipe, the first with the beef suet had a grainy, rather waxy residual taste. For the second batch, I substituted a little Canola oil for the suet. This one is absolutely one of my favorite recipes. It made a wonderful pie but we also keep a jar in the frig and eat it on crackers or toast like jam.

What a great recipe to use up both green tomatoes and apples, which are both ready in the garden at the same time! I halved the recipe, like a previous poster said, I think the entire recipe would need a super-sized stock pot. I used butter instead of suet (just too lazy to find suet) and added 1/2 a pound of currants for fun. Also, I simmered it for about 4 hours instead of 3 to get the liquid off – I suppose the simmer time depends a bit on how juicy the apples and tomatoes are. I plan on freezing it for a couple of months until xmas, since I have never canned anything before and I’m not set up for that. I wasn’t sure if I should chop up and include the lemon peel or not, so I zested it. One mistake I made was to just chop up the orange without splitting it in to sections first to get rid of that clear “skin”. As the orange cooks up it disintegrates and leaves the skin behind, which isn’t so appetizing, so I just picked it out. The flavour of the mincemeat is great. I was never a huge fan of it before, but this stuff is tasty, and it’s nice to get some xmas baking done early and get the tomatoes put away.

This recipe is absolutely fantastic! I am British but do not live in Britain anymore so buying this is not an option. I have always wanted to make mincemeat but have never seen a recipe I liked, I read all the reviews first and decided to try it. This will be kept and made often in my house from now on, thanks for sharing this one :0)

I made this recipe today. I have not put it into any baked goods yet, but when I do, I think I will be inclined to mix it with store-bought mincemeat. The smell is lovely, but it did not cook up like I expected. The texture is more like “real” mincemeat, which is how my family refers to mincemeat with meat in it. I found the recipe difficult to figure out, as per my earlier posting. Weight for the tomatoes and apples would have been much more helpful. I had no idea how many to use. In the end, I went with what my soup pot could hold. I used 3 kilos of tomatoes and 3 kilos of apples. I cut everything else in half except the raisins. I used all the raisins. When I saw how full it was at that point, I cannot imagine what size pot one would need for twice as many apples and tomatoes. I also added about 1/2 lb currants and 1 lb each of red cherries and green cherries. We’ll see how it bakes up in tarts or muffins. If I have any further tips after I do that, I will post again.

I have not made this yet but would like to know if the apples or lemons should be peeled. I’ve never made mincemeat and want to try to surprise my English hubs next fall. I am trying to sort some new canning recipes out now. Thanks!

Very tasty and a good way to use green tomatoes. Here are my variations: 1) Scaled to 9 servings seems to make a good 10″ pie 2) Omitted beef suet; don’t particularly care for the flavor it adds. 3) Used candied orange peel instead of citrus peel 4) Added ~1 to 2 Tbsp quick cooking tapioca to thicken pie 5) Tastes better if made the day prior to consumption.

Wow! I made this yesterday omitting the suet and candied fruit, since neither was readily available. Instead, I added a bit of fresh ginger and some orange peel granules I found at our coop. Then today, I tried it out on a pie. I was concerned it was a bit runny, so I added 2 T of tapioca, a diced apple and a handful of raisins. I have made pies all of my life, and I truly think this is my favorite. Thanks for posting the recipe. I only made a quarter recipe since I wasn’t sure how it would come out, but I’ll definitely be making a bigger batch next weekend.

This is great stuff. I adjusted the recipe to the amount of my tomatoes for a total yield of 13 pints. Chose to use butter rather than suet. I made this 6 weeks ago and have made two pies with it in the last week (testing for the holidays). For a more traditional flavor, added a shot of brandy to the second pie. Again, this is great stuff. Thanks!

My tomato plants got caught by the frost, and I was left with “tons”. I used the calculator to cut it in half and got 14 pint jars. I used the suet, and added a lb. of currants.I was very, very pleased with the flavour and plan on giving some away for Xmas gifts. I have a meat grinder, and put everything through the meat chopper using a 3/8″ blade. It was perfect. I boiled it the 3 hrs. and then processed in a boiling water bath. Don’t be afraid to try it!

This is a great recipe for using up the last of your tomatoes that won’t ripen by the end of the gardening season. It is great as a pie filling but we like it as a pancake, waffle,or ice cream topping too. ******You don’t HAVE to add the suet to this recipe and it is still great.****** I am not opposed to adding suet,it is just my personal choice and it keeps the recipe vegan friendly.

This is just like my mother’s recipe which I lost! Thank you for posting so I can make mince again. I use butter instead of suet. I use half cinnamon and half pumpkin pie spice for the spices. I like to double the raisins. I also zest the lemons and oranges before peeling instead of using the candied citron. A food processor makes fast work of this recipe. I have also added spiced rum in the last 15 minutes of cooking which adds a nice depth to the flavour. Great way to use up green tomatoes! FYI I use metric measurements and a digital scale since the submitter uses weight and volume measurements it is easier. I weigh my green tomatoes first and then adjustment servings from that weight. There are 1000 grams in a kg so it is easy to figure out.

My original recipe called for the tomatoes to be drained, covered with boiling water and 2-3 Tbsp pickling salt. I haven’t made your recipe yet, but think the above ideas would cut down on the cooking time – makes a nice thick mincemeat.

Great recipe!!! Will use it again as well as pass it on to others. Thanks, April!!!

What a great recipe! I had an abundance of green tomatoes and didn’t want to fry all of them or let them go to waste. I love mincemeat pie and will love giving jars of mincemeat for Christmas. I scaled it back to 40 servings, and used all of the ingredients called for. I sampled it before I canned and am anxious to make a pie come Thanksgiving or Christmas. It may need a little thickening before putting in a pie as filling.

This is really great! I scaled the recipe back to 4 servings to make and see if we liked. I didn’t have any oranges so I put in more lemon. I used it to bake a pie and it was awesome. I plan to make more and freeze it instead of canning. I did cook uncovered for the last hour because it was really juicy.