Homemade Green Tomato Mincemeat Recipe

Two things happen in September in the food growing world…apples start coming into season and tomatoes stop ripening on their vines!  This homemade green tomato mincemeat is a great way to use up green tomatoes and fresh apples this fall. This old fashioned green tomato mincemeat recipe is my grandmother’s and one that my mom made every year. 

What can you do with green tomatoes?

Looking for things to do with green tomatoes besides frying them?  Don’t let them rot on the vine!  Here are a few delicious ways to use up unripened tomatoes

1. Pickle them. Since they are firm, green tomatoes hold up well in a vinegar brine.  
2. Jam them. Yes, there is such a thing as green tomato jam!   
3. Toss them into sauces and stews.  You don’t even have to peel them if you don’t want. 
4. Fill a pie with them. This homemade green tomato mincemeat is the perfect pie filling!
5. Make green tomato pasta sauce.  Looks different, still tastes yummy!

What is Mincemeat?

Mincemeat traditionally always contained meat (hence the name) although there are lots of vegetarian options out there nowadays.  Though recipes for mincemeat pie vary greatly, it is basically a semi-savory pie, made from ground meat (often beef or lamb) and stewed with fruits.  You can learn more about mincemeat on The Farmer’s Almanac if you are curious as to it’s origins. 

Love this homemade green tomato mincemeat recipe?  Try these homemade desserts, too!

• Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipe and Choosing Simplicity
• Easy Homemade Pound Cake Recipe
• Homemade Pretzels with Beer Cheese is a Delicious Oktoberfest Recipe!

This vegetarian mincemeat recipe uses green tomatoes rather than meat as the bulk of the filling.  This homemade mincemeat recipe is amazingly simple recipe but there is an awful lot of chopping involved! 

What can you do with homemade green tomato mincemeat?

So, now you have grandma’s green tomato mincemeat.  What can you do with it?  There are tons of ways to use mincemeat made from green tomatoes.  I will share a few recipes I found on Pinterest.  It is often a great replacement for jam in cookie recipes or applesauce in muffins!

• Green tomato mincemeat pie from Ahundredyearsago.com is a simple old fashioned dessert recipe. 
• Delicious green tomato mincemeat cake from The Spruce Eats is a sweet one-layer cake filled with homemade mincemeat.
• Green tomato mincemeat muffins from DinnerwithJulie.com are moist and fruity and wonderfully spiced.
• Simple green tomato mincemeat cookies from Grand View Farm are similar to old fashioned hermit cookies!

Homemade Green Tomato Mincemeat

I picked (and I am not kidding you!) about 8 pounds of green tomatoes that just weren’t ripening. This recipe for Green Tomato Mince Meat is from my grandmother who lived up in Vermont. Great place for growing apples…tough to get tomatoes to ripen because of the short summers! You can use this filling in pies, cookies, or as a unique flavor in oatmeal.

Do you have green tomatoes? This homemade green tomato mincemeat recipe is a delicious way to use up green tomatoes at the end of the harvest season!

Yield: 4 cups

Homemade Green Tomato Mincemeat Recipe

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Do you have green tomatoes? This homemade green tomato mincemeat recipe is a delicious way to use up green tomatoes at the end of the harvest season.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of green tomatoes
• 1/4 cup salt
• 4 apples, cored and chopped (skin on)
• 15 ounces (about 2 - 3 cups) raisins
• 1 large orange (seeded and chopped finely...leave rind on!)
• 1 cup sugar
• 16 ounces dark corn syrup
• 2 TBSP pumpkin pie spice

Instructions

1. Slice green tomatoes thinly and layer in a colander, salting the slices as you layer them. Let them sit at room temperature over the sink or a bowl anywhere from 3 hours to overnight.
2. Rinse the tomatoes with cold water and drain well. You can squeeze out some of the excess water by hand if you want.
3. Chop the apple and orange.
4. Chop the tomato slices
5. Put all ingredients in a large pot (4 quart or more!)
6. Cover and simmer 45 minutes
7. Uncover and boil for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring frequently. You want this to get thick!

Notes

You can store it in the fridge or freeze in 1 to 2 cup batches for later use. I believe a pie takes 2 cups but you might want to freeze back a few different sizes. This makes about 4 cups of mincemeat. Don't let the picture fool you...it does LOOK rather unappealing! BUT, the main flavors I taste are the raisins and the cinnamon/nutmeg of the pumpkin pie spice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1/4 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 241Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 2433mgCarbohydrates: 63gFiber: 3gSugar: 58gProtein: 2g

Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.