Equinox run and green tomato madness

Yesterday was the Equinox Marathon. Runner's World magazine ranked it among the top ten most beautiful marathons in the U.S. After being disappointed by the urban setting of the Honolulu Marathon, I was skeptical, but when I looked up the race course, I saw that it followed the ski trails behind campus, and then went up and down Ester Dome via the truly beautiful Ester Dome Road. Ester Dome, I must confess, is unbeatable in the Fall for its beauty. Not feeling up to spending Summer training for a marathon, I decided to do it as part of a relay team. The relay divides into three sections--the first is essentially flat, the second goes up Ester Dome, and the third goes down. I found a friend willing to run downhill, which I refuse to do, and then let my other friend pick which of the remaining legs she would like. She chose the uphill, so that left me running the ski trails behind campus. I had never been on them since they don't allow dogs, so it was nice to check them out. They were really pretty, with bright, yellow trees.

Anyway, after I got home, I finally faced facts that my tomatoes wouldn't ripen, picked them all, and made green tomato relish.

I had so many!


Knowing I'd have to leave room for peppers, onions, spices, vinegar, salt, and sugar in the pot, I diced as many tomatoes as I figured I could cram into my biggest non-reactive pot and still be able to stir it. I managed to cram in about 20 medium-sized ones.


Feeling very Alaskan, I simmered the mixture on the wood stove while the jars sterilized right next to it.


When I was done, I had two pint jars and three half-pint jars of green tomato, relishy-goodness. Smelling this stuff, I understand why a certain friend of mine often drinks pickle juice straight up.


Then I looked back at my original pile and saw that I had hardly made a dent!


Recipe posted tomorrow.

A few phone calls to several gastronomically gifted friends took care of the problem! I suspect quite a few green tomatoes are being cooked throughout Fairbanks today, and I've now contributed mine.