Yesteryear Pie

Monday was a work day and a day that everyone, here, spent worrying about the commute home due to a snow storm rolling in. Temps dropped drastically! So, I stayed indoors today, Tuesday, preparing for thanksgiving travel and making pies for our family celebration!

Now, it's Tuesday evening and I wanted to share a recipe for a 'Yesteryear' type of pie!

Yesteryear Mince or 'Mincemeat' pies were traditionally done at the end of the harvest season using lots of leftover garden items, including raisins, apples and candied fruit, and sometimes dried meats. I usually make a mince pie from a prepared mix that I buy from the store, but this year I had planned to make my first ever, late harvest season pie with my own ingredients. I got my chance today! I still had a tomato plant on the patio with a few ripe tomatoes and lots of green ones. Last night I picked all the tomatoes, since there was going to be a hard freeze anyway. A friend had given me a recipe for a mince pie that uses green tomatoes! Here's how it turned out:

Green Tomato Mincemeat (Old fashioned recipe)

3 quarts chopped green tomatoes

1 1/2 quarts peeled, chapped tart apples

2 cups raisins

1 cup currants (I did not you use these in my recipe)

1/2 cup diced candied citron, lemon or orange peel (I used lemon peel)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups brown sugar, firmly packed (I did not use this much)

3/4 cup vinegar

1/4 cup lemon juice

Combine all ingredients in a large heavy pan. Cook mixture slowly until it is tender and thick, about one hours or more. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. This usually makes about 5-6 quarts of mincemeat. Can in jars using the boiling water bath method and store for future use.