Pickled tomatoes and cucumbers | Open kettle canning recipe
These pickled cucumbers and tomatoes are like a time machine to the kitchens of old-school Eastern Europe. Our pickled tomatoes stay crisp and cucumbers crunching, thanks to this open kettle canning recipe that was passed down to us through generations.
Equipment
- large pot
- wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- potholders, oven mitts, trivets for hot dishes clean, non-slippery
- measuring cup
Ingredients
Tomatoes and Cucumbers
- Use as many tomatoes and cucumbers as you can fit into your jar(s); the exact quantity will vary depending on the size of the vegetables.
- For this recipe, we used 4 small Roma tomatoes and 6 small dill cucumbers per one 1-liter (32 oz) Mason jar.
Pickling brine recipe
- 1 ½ cup Water per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 tbsp. pickling salt per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 ½ tbsp sugar per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 ½ tbsp 7% Pickling vinegar per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 2 garlic cloves per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 dill head per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 1 bay leaf per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 6 whole black peppercorns per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar
- 2 slices of horseradish root per 1-liter (32 oz.) jar (optional but highly recommended)
Instructions
- Prepare the Vegetables: Start by washing the cucumbers, then let them soak in ice cold water for 2 to 5 hours. After draining, trim the tail ends of the cucumbers. Thoroughly wash the tomatoes.
- Prepare the Mason Jars: Clean and sterilize your jars thoroughly. Refer to the jar sterilization instructions "Prepare Mason Jars for Canning Pickled Vegetables" below.
- Pack the Jars: Once the jars are sterilized and cooled, tightly pack the tomatoes and cucumbers into the jars, minimizing empty spaces. Leave some space at the top to add dill heads. Alternatively place them at the bottom of the jars. Halve or quarter garlic cloves, adding 2 cloves to a 32 oz. jar or 1 clove to a 16 oz. jar. Add peppercorns, bay leaves, and optionally sliced horseradish root. To prevent tomato cracking, place them closer to the jar's bottom.
- Add Water: Measure out 1 ½ cups of cold clean water for each 1-liter (32 oz.) jar you're using. In a suitable pot, bring the measured water to a rolling boil and let it boil for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and promptly pour the hot water into the vegetable-filled jars. It's best to do this while keeping your jars in a kitchen sink. Let the vegetables steep in the hot water for 10 minutes.
- Repeat Water Treatment: Pour the water back into the pot and bring it to a boil once more. If a few peppercorns or horseradish pieces find their way into the boiling water, don't worry. Pour the hot water back into the jars over the tomatoes and cucumbers and let them steep for an additional 8 minutes.
- Sterilize the Lids: In a separate pot, boil water to sterilize the jar lids. Avoid boiling the lids; turn off the heat just before placing them in the water.
- Make the Pickling Brine: Pour the water from the vegetables back into the pot again and add the pre-measured salt and sugar (1 tbsp. salt + 1 ½ tbsp. sugar per 1-liter jar, multiplied by the number of jars). Bring it to a boil, dissolve the sugar and salt, then add the pickling vinegar (1 ½ tbsp. vinegar per 1-liter jar, multiplied by the number of jars). Turn off the heat; this is your pickling brine.
- Fill the Mason Jars: Carefully pour the prepared brine into the jars containing the vegetables.
- Prepare the Lids: Immerse jar lids into a freshly boiled water for a minute. Cover the jars with the lids and tighten them securely. Tip: You can begin preparing the lids just a moment before you're ready to pour the brine into the jars.
- Finishing Touches: Flip the jars upside down and wrap them with warm towels. Allow them to rest for 2 days or until they cool down. Your pickled tomatoes and cucumbers are now ready for pantry storage. Enjoy!
Notes
We used one 1-liter (32 oz.) Mason jar to fit the tomatoes and cucumbers specified in this recipe.
Pickling brine ingredients
Creating a good pickling brine requires precision.- The amount of brine required is determined by the number of Mason jars used, not by the weight of the cucumbers and tomatoes.
- The size of the vegetables you choose will dictate how many Mason jars you'll need.