Thinly slice green tomatoes. Place in a large bowl, toss with 1/4 cup salt, and refrigerate overnight: tomatoes will release a lot of water.

Cut eggplant into one inch-sized cubes, place into a bowl, toss with 1/4 cup salt, and let sit for about one hour.

When time is up, fill a pot with water and bring to a boil. Rinse eggplant and add to the pot. Blanch for five minutes. Remove from water and, once cool, squeeze any excess liquid out. Eggplant will have shrunk considerably.

Rinse your sliced tomatoes well, as they will be very salty. Drain, place in a large, clean bowl, and add the eggplant.

Quarter the onion and slice it thinly. Add to the bowl.

Rinse and thinly slice the red bell pepper and celery. Size is chef’s choice, just remember that everything has to sit comfortably on a slice of bread. Add them to the bowl along with the olives and garlic.

Toss everything with balsamic vinegar, oil, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and salt (for a lighter color pickle, use white balsamic or a clearer vinegar). Adjust seasonings to taste.

Place tomato mixture in six pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Use the back of a wooden spoon or plastic utensil to pack down mixture and release air bubbles. Top with oil and tap jars to release any additional bubbles. Moisten a paper towel or clean kitchen cloth with white vinegar and wipe lids to remove any excess oil. Apply lids and rims.

Refrigerate and let sit for a day before eating to let the flavors really soak in. Pair with a great bread or put on top of a salad and enjoy! Tomatoes will keep in the fridge for a few weeks, if they last that long.