Tomatoes with carrot tops for winter

You can achieve a stunning result without using any spices by preparing tomatoes with carrot tops for winter. You won’t need pepper, garlic, or vinegar; instead, citric acid will create the sour environment. A few slices of young carrot and its green tops will give the tomatoes a light honey aroma, making the taste sweeter.

Yield: 2 jars of 1 liter each.

Preparation time: 60 minutes + 12 hours for the jars to sit in warmth under a blanket.

Caloric content: 14 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

• medium-sized tomatoes - 1 kg;
• filtered water - 1 l;
• young carrot tops - from 3 root vegetables;
• young carrot - 1/2 pc;
• rock salt - 1 tbsp;
• white sugar - 0.5 tbsp;
• citric acid - 1 tsp.

When starting the preservation process, one should immediately think about sterilizing the jars and metal lids (both screw-on and crimped types are suitable).

Preparation

1. Wash all the ingredients; it’s not necessary to dry them. Lay the bottom of the jars with carrot tops, curling it into a ring.

2. To prevent the skin of the tomatoes from bursting upon contact with boiling water, pierce the flesh around the base of the stem with a toothpick and make a couple more holes on the other side.

3. Pack the fruits tightly against each other into the jars with the tops. Boil the water.

4. Pour boiling water, cover the jars with lids and a towel. Leave the tomatoes in this state for warming up.

5. After half an hour, the water will cool, and it needs to be drained into a pot where the brine will be made (you can hold the tomatoes with your palm since the jars and water are no longer hot). Place on the stove. Dissolve the salt, sugar, and citric acid directly in the pot. Wait for a steady boil.

6. Pour the brine over the tomatoes. Immediately screw on the lids. Check the sealing reliability by turning the jar upside down. If nothing leaks from under the lid, transfer the sealed jar under a warm blanket or quilt - this will be additional sterilization for the seal. Keep the jars in warmth for at least 12 hours.

You can store tomatoes with carrot tops for winter even in a regular kitchen cabinet of an urban apartment. It’s recommended to open the preparation after 4-5 months; then, the carrot leaves will have had time to impart all their aroma to the tomatoes.