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Cucumber and Tomato Assortment for Winter in a Liter Jar
Instructions
I scrub the jars with baking soda, wash them thoroughly and sterilise them over steam or in the oven at 120 °C for 15 minutes. Sterilising the containers is essential for long-term storage.
I rinse all the greens under cold water and pat them dry — horseradish, dill, parsley, and currant or cherry leaves. The greens give the preserve its distinctive "summer" aroma.
I always soak the cucumbers in cold water for 2 hours — this restores their firmness, especially if they were bought and have wilted a little. I wash them and trim the ends from the stem side — this is where any bitterness leaves.
I choose small, firm tomatoes, ideally the "Slivka" (Plum) or "Damskie Palchiki" (Lady Fingers) varieties — they have thick skin that splits less often. I prick each tomato near the stem in 2–3 places with a toothpick — this lets the marinade soak in without the skin tearing when the temperature changes.
I cut the bell pepper into 1 cm strips. I take red pepper for a beautiful bright colour.
On the bottom of the jar I put the peppercorns, dill umbrellas, bell pepper, garlic, horseradish and a piece of hot pepper. On top I pack the cucumbers tightly (standing upright) and the tomatoes (filling the gaps above).
I pour boiling water right up to the brim, cover with a sterile lid and leave for 15 minutes. I drain the water into a saucepan, bring it back to the boil and pour it over the vegetables again for 15 minutes, making sure to wrap the jar in a towel — this creates a pasteurising effect.
The third pour is the marinade. To the drained water I add 50 ml of water (to make up for evaporation), the salt and the sugar. I boil it until everything has fully dissolved. I pour the 9% vinegar straight into the jar, followed by the hot marinade. I seal it with a metal lid, turn it upside down and wrap it in a blanket for 12 hours — this is the final pasteurisation.
After 12 hours of cooling, I move the jar to a cool, dark place for storage (a cellar or pantry) — kept this way, the preserve lasts up to a year.
Tips
- 1
Choose fruits of the same size — the preserve then looks prettier in the jar. Cucumbers of 8–10 cm and tomatoes about the size of an egg.
- 2
Tomatoes of the "Slivka" (Plum) or "Damskie Palchiki" (Lady Fingers) varieties, with their firm skin, split less often — an ideal choice for canning.
- 3
Wrapping the jar helps the vegetables heat through better and works as extra sterilisation. Pickled tomatoes for winter are made on a similar principle.
- 4
Store in a cool, dark place at a temperature of 5–15 °C — kept this way, the preserve will retain its taste and quality for up to a year.
Video
FAQ
Why soak the cucumbers before pickling? +
Soaking restores the cucumbers' firmness and crunch, especially if they were bought and have sat for a few days. Cucumbers are 95% water and lose some of it in storage — during soaking they "drink" it back. Soaking also removes any possible bitterness. Cucumbers fresh from the garden need just 1 hour in water, shop-bought ones a full 2 hours. There is no point soaking too long (more than 4 hours) either — the cucumbers will start to turn sour. Change the water once or twice during soaking for a better result.
Can I skip sterilising the jars? +
The triple pour of boiling water replaces full sterilisation in a pot — it is a "lazy" method, and no less reliable. It is important to keep the containers clean (wash them with soda and scald them with boiling water) and to use the right proportions of vinegar and salt. Without any sterilisation at all (even the pouring), store the jars only in the fridge for 1–2 weeks — longer is dangerous because of the risk of botulism. To guarantee long-term storage (up to a year), always use either sterilisation in a pot or the triple pour.
Why do the tomatoes split when boiling water is poured over them? +
The main causes are: using soft tomato varieties with thin skin (you need firm ones such as "Slivka", "Damskie Palchiki" or "Rio Grande"); not pricking them near the stem in 2–3 places (an absolute must!); the tomatoes being cold from the fridge (they should be at room temperature); or pouring the boiling water too quickly (pour it down the side of the jar, not onto the tomatoes themselves). Pricking near the stem is the most important step: steam escapes through these holes, so the skin does not tear from the pressure inside.
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