Tomatoes and cucumbers are the two most common types of vegetables for salads. But which one is more often used as a “winter snack” in salted or pickled form?
If you ask housewives this question, then most likely the answer will be the word “both”. Moreover, any of them will definitely have more than one recipe for pickling cucumbers and tomatoes.
For this reason, it makes sense to ask another question - what are the benefits of pickled cucumbers and tomatoes? And is it possible to salt them together?
- Pickles of this type are good because they completely retain all the beneficial substances inherent in these vegetables, and when added cold, they also retain 100% of vitamin C (as is known, it is partially destroyed under the influence of prolonged heat treatment).
- There are no restrictions for mixing tomatoes and cucumbers together - and you can pickle or pickle them for the winter in jars, tubs, barrels and any other container in any proportions and with the addition of any spices that add piquancy to the planting - with garlic, with vinegar, with pepper , with lemon juice, etc.
In this article we will present only a few of the most piquant recipes for such assorted dishes.
The benefits of cucumbers and tomatoes, their compatibility
As it recently turned out, a popular salad made from fresh vegetables is unfavorable for the human body. Tomato acts as an acid, and cucumber acts as an alkali. This interaction leads to the fact that one product is digested successfully, and the second simply rots. This serves to form gases and heaviness in the stomach and liver, as well as disrupt the acid-base balance in the body.
But pickling fresh cucumbers and tomatoes together is a storehouse of vitamins and nutrients in winter. During the fermentation period, lactic acid, the natural antioxidant lycopene, and the natural antibiotic quercetin are produced, and incompatible substances are neutralized.
Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers
The compatibility of these vegetables leads to:
- prevention of thyroid disease;
- improving the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
- cancer prevention;
- improving the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- prevention of diseases of the pancreas and prostate glands.
In general, it is a powerful antiseptic and immunomodulator during the period of inflammatory diseases.
This assortment is also a good source of vitamins B and C, which are necessary during the cold season. So, pickling tomatoes and cucumbers will be useful for any housewife.
“Reliable” recipe for storage in a warm apartment - with sterilization
How to store workpieces at room temperature without worry and worry? The answer is known: sterilization is the best safety net.
1 liter jars are the best choice for such heat treatment. Sealings will withstand long-term storage, even if you do not have a cool cellar or loggia without heating. Believe and check: sterilization is easy!
We need:
- Cucumbers – 350 g
- Tomatoes – 350 g
- Bell pepper - half a large one
- Horseradish root - 2 cm piece
- Garlic - 1 clove
- Dill - 1 umbrella
- Black pepper - 3 peas
- Currant - 1 leaf
- Cloves - 1 bud
For the marinade:
- Salt - 1 tbsp. spoon
- Sugar - 1 tbsp. spoon (heap is only a plus)
- Vinegar (9%) - 1 tbsp. spoon
Yield: one 1 liter jar
Cooking with a smile!
Place pre-washed and dried vegetables into the preparation. Leaves and spices go in the first echelon - to the bottom. The second number is a vertical row of cucumbers. The third and last one is tomatoes pierced with a fork. Fill the empty spaces with pieces of sweet pepper. In any cut, as you like.
Sprinkle salt and sugar directly onto the vegetables. Pour in boiling water: we will spend about half a liter of it. A spoonful of vinegar completes the composition.
Let's start sterilization. We do it correctly: place a towel in a wide pan with a thick bottom. Place the jars on the fabric. This way they will not slide and knock against each other. Be sure to cover the containers with clean lids, but do not roll them up. Pour water up to the hangers of the cans. Slightly warm so that there is no temperature difference. We wait until it boils, turn down the heat, and wait. For liter jars - sterilize for 7-10 minutes. Carefully remove the jars and seal them tightly.
Another way: it is often called cold. Cook the marinade (water + salt + sugar + vinegar) and let it cool to room temperature. Pour the brine over the vegetables. Cover the jars with lids and set them for sterilization. 5-7 minutes of boiling over low heat is enough for it. We roll up the containers.
Important! Cooling should not be rapid. Your best friends are a warm blanket and a thick blanket. But the result will be exactly what you need - long-term storage even in the hottest apartment.
Bookmark process
Fresh vegetables are pickled in a barrel, bucket or glass jar. For homemade preparations, a liter or three-liter jar is usually used. Glass does not react with products and does not emit harmful impurities or odors.
Putting in jars
Sterilization of jars
This is a mandatory process before adding vegetables. Otherwise, after preparation, the jar may explode or the products will quickly deteriorate. Sterilization is carried out in several ways:
- Clean the container with baking soda, rinse well and place in the oven. Preheat to 100 degrees and wait 20 minutes.
- Rinse the container well. Boil water in a saucepan and hold over steam for 15 minutes.
- Rinse the jar of soda. Add vegetables and pour boiling water. After 15 minutes, drain the water and refill with boiling water. Pour water into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add salt, sugar and spices, and then slowly pour in the vinegar (proportions are taken from the recipe). Let it simmer for a couple of minutes and pour over the vegetables.
- In the microwave. Everyone knows that any microwave kills all germs and bacteria. The dry jar is placed for 3-5 minutes on the normal heating mode.
Arrangement of spices and vegetables
The following layers are used in pickling cucumbers and tomatoes:
- Some of the spices according to the recipe.
- The butts are cut off from the cucumbers and placed vertically in a jar. Currant leaves, dill umbrellas, horseradish or other vegetables are placed between them.
- Pierce the tomatoes with a thick needle or toothpick and place on the cucumbers, leaving room for spices up to the edge.
- Fill the space with the remaining spices.
Filling with brine
When preparing pickles, cold and hot brine are used. In any case, it is poured to the edge of the can so that there is no air left in it. Any bubbles that appear on the surface are removed, the jar is closed with a sterile nylon or iron lid and turned upside down so that the liquid shrinks and the container is completely sealed.
Filling with brine
Important! The container is sealed with seaming devices only after sterilization. Otherwise it will explode.
Stacking cans
In some cases, repeated sterilization is performed. To do this, boiling water is poured into a pan or basin, a towel is placed on the bottom and jars are placed with the lid down. Remove from the water after 20 minutes and place on a spread blanket or large towel. The pieces are wrapped tightly and remain covered until completely cooled. After which the pickles are carefully turned over and put away for storage.
Assorted (tomatoes + cucumbers) in jelly
Another recipe for laying cucumbers and tomatoes is very unusual, and is used quite rarely by housewives. Its difference from the previous ones lies not in the set of ingredients, but in the method of laying and introducing gelatin into the brine.
It is best to prepare such an assortment from very large cucumbers and ripe tomatoes - in ordinary brine, any kind of spreading, and preserved in jelly even when cut into pieces (1 tomato - into 4 slices, 1 cucumber - into 5-6 slices).
When storing spices and vegetables in jars, gelatin is added after the jars are about half full. In addition, after filling a jar that is completely ready for preservation with boiled brine, only cover its neck with lids, and do not finally seal it immediately, but after about 15 minutes.
What’s so special about a ready-made assortment of this type? Firstly, it looks extremely unusual. Secondly, even the slices are preserved intact, and you don’t have to simply throw away overripe vegetables from a rich harvest at the end of summer. Thirdly, the jelly produces an original sweetish and lightly salted taste, which will surely appeal to both your household and any of your guests.
The most popular recipes for pickling cucumbers and assorted tomatoes
Before salting, prepare the vegetables. Cucumbers are soaked in water for at least 10 hours. This way they will become elastic and free of harmful impurities. Tomatoes and herbs are thoroughly washed before placing in a container. Preferably under running hot water.
It is necessary to sort assorted products according to the degree of ripening and size. Laying in jars is carried out in the same way. Do not mix overripe fruits with unripe ones or large ones with small ones.
Attention! Damaged or rotten vegetables are not suitable for pickling at all.
With bell pepper
Necessary products for 3 liters:
- 500 g tomatoes;
- 2 kg of cucumbers;
- three medium bell peppers;
- onion head;
- head of garlic;
- 3 bay leaves;
- half a hot capsicum.
Note! The recipe allows you to use not only fresh, but also overripe vegetables.
For the brine:
- 6 tbsp. l. vinegar (table 9%) and the same amount of sugar;
- 9 allspice peas and 12 regular peppers;
- 3 tbsp. l. coarse salt
Assorted with pepper
Or you can buy pickling seasoning at the store.
Step by step steps:
- Process foods before salting.
- Sterilize the container.
- Cut the ends off the cucumbers and put them in a jar. Large fruits are cut in half or quarters lengthwise before placing.
- Place spices, bell peppers and pierced tomatoes on top. Pour a full container of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes.
- Drain the settled water using the leaky lid into the pan. Add brine spices and boil.
- Refill the jar and screw on the lid.
- Wrap it up and put it in a dark place until it cools completely.
With lemon juice
Necessary products for 3 liters:
- 1 kg of tomatoes;
- 1 kg of cucumbers;
- dill bush;
- head of garlic;
- 3 laurel leaves;
- 10 black peppercorns;
- 5 carnation umbrellas.
Ingredients for the assortment
Marinade:
- 6 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- 3 tsp. salt;
- 3 tsp. lemon juice or acid.
Step by step steps:
- The cucumbers are soaked for an hour without pre-soaking, then washed with a brush along with the tomatoes and herbs.
- Sterilize containers and lids in any way.
- Place herbs and seasonings in a container.
- Cut off the ends of the cucumbers and place them vertically in a container.
- Make punctures in the tomatoes and place on the vegetables.
- Pour boiling water over food for 5 minutes. Drain into a saucepan and repeat steps.
- Drain the water again, add seasonings for the marinade and boil for a couple of minutes.
- Pour vegetables to the edges of the vessel and screw on a nylon or metal lid.
- Cover with a warm blanket and leave in a dark place until cool.
How to choose tomatoes and cucumbers for harvesting for the winter
In order to be able to enjoy delicious pickles and preserves in winter, you need to take care of this in the summer. For pickling, it is worth choosing the right cucumbers and tomatoes so that they are well preserved, have an exquisite taste, and one spoiled vegetable does not ruin all the work and products. Let's look at how to choose the right ingredients for preparing assorted dishes for the winter:
- When choosing cucumbers, you should pay special attention to three important factors: color, size of the vegetable, pimples. The ideal option is fruits of a dark shade, approximately 6-12 cm long and with dark pimples. Preference should be given to cucumbers that have thin skin (you can check this by slightly picking it with your fingernail), are not hollow inside and do not contain a lot of seeds.
- Cucumbers should be preserved, salted or pickled immediately after sampling, otherwise this may negatively affect their properties, which will lead to cloudiness of the preservation and spoil the taste of the preparation.
- Tomatoes for rolling for the winter should be selected small or medium in size, with elastic skin without damage. Red cream vegetables are an ideal option for preservation; they retain their best taste and shape.
- You should not choose cucumbers or tomatoes for harvesting for the winter that are clearly damaged, too soft, or those that raise suspicion about their quality.
In addition to preparing vegetables, an important role is played by the container where the preparations will be stored for the winter. So, to preserve tasty assorted food in jars for the winter, they should be washed well, dried and boiled or sterilized for a few minutes. This will help kill all microbes that are not visible to the eye, but can adversely affect the taste and quality of the product. The tub or barrel should be thoroughly washed and doused with boiling water.
Storage Features
The timing and quality of the product when opening the package depend on compliance with storage rules.
- You can open the jar after marinade within 3 to 7 days. But the longer the vegetables are left unopened, the better they are salted.
- The shelf life of pickles is about 2 years from the moment they are rolled.
- Pickles are afraid of light, so they are stored in a dark place.
Basement storage
- Place the jars in a cool place, but not in the cold or in the refrigerator. A shelving unit in the kitchen, pantry, cellar or basement is suitable.
- Cloudy brine or mold indicates that the assortment has fermented.
- If a cracked container is discovered during storage, it is better to consume the product. If the jar cracks during cooling, salting can be repeated.
- Do not shake the jars under any circumstances. Excessive pressure may form inside and it will burst.
Using simple recipes, even a beginner can learn how to pickle cucumbers and tomatoes. Vegetables are more compatible with each other when pickled than fresh. The assortment is not only tasty, but also rich in vitamins and nutrients that will nourish the body in winter.
Assorted cauliflower “Gardener’s Dream”
Required for 1 liter jar:
- Cucumbers – 3 pcs.
- Tomatoes – 5 pcs.
- Cauliflower – 200 gr.
- Bell pepper.
- Carrots – 3 pcs.
- Bulbs – 3 pcs. (small).
- Garlic – 3 cloves.
- Bay leaf – 2 leaves.
- Dill - umbrella.
- Clove - bud.
Marinade:
- Water – 1 liter.
- Salt – 2 small spoons.
- Sugar - a small spoon.
- Vinegar 9% - 3 large spoons.
Roll up:
- Cut the onions and carrots into slices. Divide the cabbage into inflorescences. Chop the Bulgarian vegetable into strips.
- Place bay leaves, onion rings, garlic in jars, throw in cloves.
- Lay in the vegetables and cover with an umbrella of dill on top.
- Boil water and make the first pour. Leave for 10 minutes, then drain the infusion.
- Cook the marinade based on the infusion, adding the spices listed in the recipe.
- Pour over the vegetables a second time and screw on the lids. Turn over and leave to cool for a day under a warm cover. Then take it to the cellar for long-term storage.
Preserving cucumber slices in tomato paste - the most delicious recipe
To be honest, this delight can also be called a salad, because the vegetables are crumbled into circles. Or you can make a green gourmet and chop the cucumbers into slices or cubes.
I decided to find this option so that I could use very few products, because suddenly you are making such a snack for the first time or just want to master the science of preservation.
The trick of this recipe is that the gherkins will be stewed in tomato sauce, that is, not in the traditional way. They will turn out slightly boiled, but very appetizing and naturally delicious.
1. First of all, you need to wash each cucumber well in running water, and do the same with the tomatoes. Place them on a clean towel and let the liquid drain. Then remove the stem from the tomatoes and the tips from the cucumbers.
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If the skin of the gherkins is thick, remove it with a knife. But, in principle, this is not necessary.
2. Chop the tomatoes into large pieces. If you have a blender in the house, then you can go this way, twist them in this device until a homogeneous paste is formed to make a puree.
3. Or place directly in pieces into a saucepan and put on fire to simmer for 6 minutes after boiling. So that they become soft and can be easily mashed.
4. And then take a colander and grind, you can use a sieve so that the achenes do not get into the tomato sauce.
5. And now the most interesting part begins - witchcraft. Combine the gherkins with the puree and place on the stove. Add the right amount of spices, such as a little ground black pepper. Pass the garlic through a garlic press. Bring this vegetable mixture to a boil and continue cooking for 10 minutes.
6. Now pour this treat into a sterile jar, put sugar on top and pour in vinegar and vegetable oil. Now put the jar back in the pan, put a rag or towel on the bottom, fill the jar with cool water up to the hangers and turn on low heat. The water should boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
7. After this procedure, remove the container and screw it with a seaming machine under the metal lid. Wrap it in a warm blanket and let it cool, after 24 hours you can take it away and lower it into the cellar.
How to salt cucumbers using dry salting?
Step-by-step guide to making an original snack:
- Soak the cucumbers in cold water for 2 hours, then wash them thoroughly and cut off the stems. Salting involves chopping the fruit depending on size.
- In a separate container, make a dry marinade by mixing all the spices, salt, finely chopped herbs in advance and garlic pressed through a press.
- Place the prepared ingredients in a clean jar or plastic container, alternating cucumbers with seasonings.
- Seal the container tightly and shake the contents several times to ensure everything is well mixed and soaked. You can also turn the jar or container from the bottom to the lid every minute for a quarter of an hour, allowing the juice to drain, spread and be absorbed.
- Place the container with the contents in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours, after which the spicy cucumbers are ready to eat.
This simple recipe for dry pickling cucumbers will add to your treasure chest of secrets of tasty and healthy food.
