Canning Green Tomato Salad with Peppers, Carrots & Onions
Canned green tomato salad made with peppers, carrots, onions and parsley. A traditional Ukrainian green tomato preserve for those stubborn end-of-season tomatoes… and a break from making yet another pickle.
🔪 Prep:
40 min
⏳Rest:
10 min
🫙9
pint (500 ml) jars
💰Cost per jar:
$1.46 USD / $1.83 CAD
What do you do with green tomatoes besides making pickles or relish? Plenty! This canned green tomato salad is a traditional Ukrainian canning recipe that combines green tomatoes with peppers, carrots, onions and parsley in a tangy marinade. It’s a delicious way to use up the tomatoes left in your garden before frost, or take advantage of a good price at the farmers’ market. Instead of throwing those firm green tomatoes away, you can turn them into 9 jars of something tasty for your pantry.
Why You’ll Love This Canned Green Tomato Salad
- Another answer to “What do I do with green tomatoes?” If you’ve already made pickles and relish, or are adamant that you don’t want to do either of these, our old-fashioned Ukrainian canned green tomato salad gives you something different to put in the pantry.
- A good use for inexpensive produce. Found green tomatoes at a farmers’ market for a fraction of the price of ripe ones? This recipe gives you a way to make that bargain last beyond the season.
- No need to waste the last garden tomatoes. When frost is approaching and your tomato plants are still loaded with firm green fruit, you have another option besides leaving them behind.
- A proper vegetable salad. Green tomatoes, bell peppers, carrots, onions and parsley fill the jar with colour and make a savoury side for a variety of main dishes.
The Story Behind This 1962 Ukrainian Green Tomato Salad
After Mom passed away, she left us a bunch of things. Among them was an old Ukrainian canning book published in 1962 by the Ukrainian Research Institute for National Home Preservation.
Yes, believe it or not, Ukraine had an organization dedicated to home food preservation back then. The book reminded us of the work done today by organizations such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation in the US. We were also struck by how the book approached canning. The recipes included processing tables, with water-bath canning instructions rather than simply telling readers to fill jars and hope for the best. The 50-minute processing time we have for this recipe comes from the table in that original book.
Anyway, this canning book is full of recipes from another time. Some haven’t aged particularly well. But the canned green tomato salad recipe caught our eye.
So we made a batch.
The combination of green tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions and parsley was different from the green tomato pickles and relishes we’re used to in North America. Once we opened a jar and tried it, we understood why the recipe had earned a place in the book. It’s tangy, savoury, full of vegetables and genuinely good. It holds up well today, and we’re glad somebody wrote it down.
We’re happy to have found it and even happier to share it with you as a tribute to the wonderful woman who saved the book and passed it to us.
Ukrainian Canned Green Tomato Salad: Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Green Tomatoes
This canning recipe calls for firm green tomatoes that are free of blemishes and soft spots.
Substitutions: Any firm, unripe garden tomato will work, including those just starting to change colour. Avoid soft, fully ripe red tomatoes or tomatoes that are damaged.
Bell Peppers
We prefer red or yellow bell peppers. They add sweetness and colour, making the finished salad look much more appealing in the jar and on the plate.
Substitutions: Green bell peppers work, too, though red or yellow peppers make the salad more attractive. Choose peppers without damaged or spoiled spots.
Carrots
Cut the carrots into thin strips rather than thick sticks or chunks. Carrots are dense, so the thinner cut helps the marinade penetrate the pieces more readily.
Yellow Onion
We use regular yellow onions rather than sweet onions. Yellow onions tend to have a slightly lower pH than some sweet varieties, and small differences in acidity matter in a vegetable preserve like this.
Substitutions: Stick with regular yellow onions rather than swapping in sweet onions.
Cloves
Whole cloves are a key ingredient in this salad’s distinctive flavour. They add a warm, aromatic note that complements the tangy marinade. One clove per jar is plenty; leaving it out will noticeably change the taste.
Substitutions: Don’t substitute or leave out cloves! One clove per jar is plenty; leaving it out will noticeably change the taste.
Vinegar
We use 7% vinegar for this recipe. If you’re buying vinegar specifically for canning, check the acidity on the label rather than relying on the name alone.
Substitutions: Don’t substitute 7% vinegar for a lower acidity vinegar!
Sunflower Oil
We use sunflower oil because it’s the traditional choice in Ukrainian cooking and the oil called for in the original recipe.
Substitutions: Grapeseed oil is a good alternative if you want the vegetable flavours to come through. Olive oil will give the finished salad a different flavour, but it can be delicious if you enjoy its distinctive taste.
How Much Does Canned Green Tomato Salad Cost?
Green tomatoes can be a particularly useful buy at the end of the growing season. If you find them at a good price, this recipe turns 2 kg of tomatoes, plus other vegetables, into filled jars for your pantry.
The estimates below are illustrative rather than verified current market prices. Actual costs depend on where you shop, the season and whether you buy your produce at a grocery store, farmers’ market or farm stand.
| INGREDIENT | USD | CAD |
| Green tomatoes (4 lb / 1.8 kg) | $3.00–$5.00 | $5.00 |
| Bell peppers (2 lb / 900 g) | $2.00 | $1.98 |
| Carrots (1 lb / 454 g) | $0.75 | $0.60 |
| Onions (1 lb / 454 g) | $0.75 | $0.50 |
| Salt (3.2 oz / 91 g) | $0.10 | $0.10 |
| Sunflower oil (1¾ cups / 445 ml) | $2.50–$3.00 | $5.93 |
| White vinegar (1¾ cups / 445 ml) | $0.40–$0.55 | $0.41 |
| Black peppercorns (9 pieces) | $0.05 | $0.09 |
| Cloves (9 pieces) | $0.05 | $0.09 |
| Bay leaves (9 pieces) | $0.10 | $0.23 |
| Parsley (Just under ½ bunch) | $0.75 | $1.50 |
| Total batch | $10.45–$13.10 | $16.43 |
Cost per Jar: ~$1.16–1.46 USD / ~$1.83 CAD
*These estimates cover the recipe ingredients only. They do not include jars, lids, energy, or the value of your time. If you grow your own vegetables or buy green tomatoes cheaply at the end of the season, your cost may be lower.
Common Mistakes When Canning This Green Tomato Salad
❌ Cutting the vegetables into uneven pieces: Keep the tomato wedges and pepper strips reasonably consistent so the salad looks appealing in the jar.
❌ Leaving the carrots in thick pieces: Grate them or cut them into thin julienne. Thick sticks pick up less of the marinade and pack unevenly.
❌ Using a different vinegar strength: The recipe specifies 7% vinegar. Don’t casually substitute another concentration.
❌ Using ripe tomatoes: Tomatoes that have fully ripened, even firm ones, turn soft in the jar. Use firm green tomatoes, or ones that have only just started to change colour.
❌ Dividing the liquid unevenly: The vinegar is in the liquid at the bottom of the bowl. Stir it before each spoonful, because the oil and vinegar separate, and go round the jars in turns so each one gets the same share.
❌ Leaving oil on the rims: Oil can keep a lid from sealing. Wipe each rim with a cloth dampened with vinegar after topping up, before fitting the lid.
❌ Getting the headspace wrong: Finish at 1 cm (½ in). Too little can cause liquid to escape during processing, and too much can leave a weak seal.
❌ Changing the proportions or jar size: Scale all the ingredients together, and don’t reduce the vinegar or salt. The 50-minute time was set for pint jars.
Canned Green Tomato Salad with Peppers, Carrots & Onions
Canning Methods
Processing table
Jar size: pint or Pint (16oz / ~500 mL)
Pack style: Raw / Cold
Applies to: Water bath canner/ Atmospheric steam canner
| Altitude | Processing time |
| 0–1,000 ft | 50 min |
| 1,001–6,000 ft | 55 min |
| Above 6,000 ft | 60 min |
Not sure which elevation band is yours? Our Canning Altitude Calculator will give you the answer in a couple of seconds.
After sealing (all methods)
- Do not touch, adjust bands, or press lids for 12–24 hours.
- After cooling, check seals: press the center of each lid. If it doesn’t flex, the seal is good. Any jar that didn’t seal goes in the fridge → use within 3 weeks.
- Remove bands for storage (they trap moisture and can mask a broken seal over time). Label with contents and date.
- Store in a cool, dark place. Peak quality for 12–18 months.
Check your processing time/ canning pressure if you’re above 1,000 feet↗️
How to Make Green Tomato Salad for Canning – Step-by-Step Photo Gallery
How to Serve Canned Green Tomato Salad
Open a jar of this canned green tomato salad when you need a vegetable side without another round of chopping.
- Alongside roasted or grilled meats: A tangy vegetable salad can provide contrast to rich, savoury dishes.
- With potatoes: Serve it alongside roasted potatoes or other simple potato dishes.
- As part of a cold lunch: Pair it with bread, cheese and cold cuts.
- As part of a regional spread: Serve it as part of a spread of Ukrainian or Eastern European-inspired dishes.
The salad already combines several vegetables, so it can be an easy addition to a meal when the rest of dinner is simple.
FAQ: Canned Green Tomato Salad Recipe
This is one of the easiest recipes to scale up or scale down. When scaling up or down, make sure to scale all the ingredients proportionally.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
No. The two are very different canning recipes. Relishes are often chopped more finely and prepared as condiments. This recipe uses larger tomato wedges and strips of other vegetables, giving it a different texture and presentation.
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Yes! Tomatoes that have just started to change colour are fine to use. Make sure not to use tomatoes that have ripened, even if they are firm to touch.
Yes, green bell peppers work in this recipe. We prefer red or yellow peppers because they make the finished salad more colourful and attractive, but green peppers are fine if that’s what you have. Choose firm peppers without damaged or spoiled spots.
Yes, you can. But do remember that olive oil has a stronger flavor, and it turns cloudy and semi-solid in the fridge after opening. That is harmless and clears at room temperature.
No. This recipe was developed with 7% vinegar, and the acid is what makes the jars safe to store. A 5% vinegar provides less acid, and the recipe hasn’t been adjusted for it. Don’t dilute the vinegar, reduce it, or add water. If you can only find 5% vinegar, choose a recipe from our list of tested tomato canning recipes that is built for it.
No. The vegetables go into the jars raw. Mix them with the oil, vinegar and salt, let them rest for 10 minutes, then pack and process. The canner does the cooking.
This recipe comes from a 1962 Ukrainian canning book published by the Ukrainian Research Institute for National Home Preservation. The original book includes water-bath canning instructions and processing tables. So, from that point of view this is a tested recipe. However, this recipe has not been independently validated according to current North American home-canning standards. If you’re looking specifically for recipes tested under current North American guidelines, look for recipes from sources such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation or your university Extension service. We have compiled a list of 30 best tested tomato canning recipes that you can refer to for a list of tested recipes.
Related Recipes
Forget frying! This recipe for pickled green tomatoes will give you a tasty snack to enjoy.
30+ Tested Tomato Canning Recipes
A broader resource for readers looking for ways to preserve their tomato harvest, including green tomatoes
Join the pantry
Fresh recipes when the season calls for them. Preservation guides you can trust – every method, traditional to modern. Ideas for turning your pantry into weeknight dinners. Seasonal alerts that help you preserve more for less. Honest reviews of the tools that matter.
Tried this preserve? We’d love to hear how it turned out!