This Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad has layers or tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a perfectly sweet and salty brine. It's one of my favorite pickled salads.
For some reason, canning always makes me feel so domestic. I'm a huge fan of Little House on the Prairie, and any time I make jam, pickles, tomato sauce, freeze berries or do any sort of food preservation, I feel like I'm channeling my inner Caroline Ingalls, taking care of my family by preparing us all with lots of stocked up food in our pantry. There is something so satisfying about seeing colorful jars of canned food.
I also watched my Mom can our summer produce all summer long, from the many varieties of Marinated Tomatoes and Pickles, Marinated peppers, Adzhika, Tomato Juice, different assortments of Slavic salads and all kinds of jams. We enjoyed the contents of those jars all year long. This was my all time favorite recipe that my Mom made every summer.
The Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad is so simple, yet the taste is like none that I have tried anywhere else. First of all, it looks beautiful. The layers of onions, cucumbers and tomatoes are so colorful. The flavor isn't too "pickley" or "vinegary". Actually, there is such a small amount of vinegar, that you can't really taste it at all in the finished product. It's the perfect balance of sweet and salty. My husband, who is NOT the biggest fan of pickled food, loves this salad, for this very reason. Since the tomatoes and cucumbers are cut up into pieces, it's especially convenient, because you don't have to fit them into the jar a certain way. You don't have to choose the perfect small vegetables, because you can cut up the tomatoes and cucumbers that normally wouldn't fit. Also, since the tomatoes and cucumbers are canned together, they give a very unique flavor to each other. These pickles have an extra delicious flavor because of the tomato juice that is in the marinade.
It's a perfect quick side dish to any meal. Open up a jar, and you're all set. I hope you enjoy this recipe that has been loved in our family for many years.
Ingredients: (You can most certainly halve the recipe if you want to make a small portion)
5 lbs tomatoes
5 lbs pickling cucumbers
2 lbs onions
2 heads of garlic
1 large bunch fresh dill
20 cups water
8 Tablespoons granulated sugar
9 Tablespoons fine sea salt
¾ cup distilled white vinegar
10 Tablespoons sunflower oil, 1 Tablespoon per jar
Instructions:
Wash the cucumbers and tomatoes.
If your cucumbers are a little soft, you can crisp them up by letting them soak in really cold water for 15-30 minutes. This is actually a really cool trick for any time your cucumbers need a little extra pep. They got nice and crunchy just by standing in the cold for a bit. 
Slice the cucumbers into approximately ½ inch circles. Slice the onions, about ¼ inch slices and quarter the tomatoes. Peel the garlic.
Wash and dry your canning jars. Place a few sprigs of fresh dill on the bottom of each jar, and then add 2-4 garlic cloves. 
Layer the onions, cucumbers and tomatoes in 2 layers in each jar. 
I got 10 (1 quart) jars, using 8 wide mouth quart jars and 2 half gallon wide mouth jars.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring the water, salt and sugar to a boil, mixing until all the sugar and salt dissolve. Off the heat, pour in the vinegar.
Ladle the hot marinade mixture over the vegetables in the jar, all the way to the top. 
Add about a tablespoon of sunflower oil to the top of each jar. I add a little bit less than a Tablespoon to the quart jars and a little more than a Tablespoon to the half gallon jars.
Place the jar lids in boiling water and let the lids stay in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes also, off the heat.
In a large pot, place a towel or dishcloth on the bottom and fill it with water. Bring the water to a boil. Place the filled jars in the boiling water, on top of the towel, cover them loosely with the lids and cook, at a simmer, for 10-15 minutes.
Take the jars out of the water and close the lids tightly. Repeat with all the jars.
The tomato and cucumber salad is ready to eat in 1-2 days, since the vegetables are cut, the marinade penetrates them really quickly. Store opened jars in the refrigerator, the rest are shelf stable at room temperature.
It's absolutely delicious! It looks beautiful right out of the jar. 
Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad
This Marinated Tomato and Cucumber Salad has layers or tomatoes, cucumbers and onions in a perfectly sweet and salty brine. It's a delicious and crunchy pickled salad.
- Total Time: 2940 minutes
- Yield: 10 quarts 1x
- Category: Side Dish
Ingredients
- 5 lbs tomatoes
- 5 lbs pickling cucumbers
- 2 lbs onions
- 2 heads of garlic
- 1 large bunch fresh dill
- 20 cups water
- 8 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 9 Tablespoons fine sea salt
- ¾ cup distilled white vinegar
- 10 Tablespoons sunflower oil (1 Tablespoon per jar)
Instructions
- Wash the cucumbers and tomatoes. If your cucumbers are a little soft, you can crisp them up by letting them soak in really cold water for 15-30 minutes.
- Slice the cucumbers into approximately ½ inch circles. Slice the onions, about ¼ inch slices and quarter the tomatoes. Peel the garlic.
- Wash and dry your canning jars.
- Place a few sprigs of fresh dill on the bottom of each jar, and then add 2-4 garlic cloves.
- Layer the onions, cucumbers and tomatoes in 2 layers in each jar. I got 10 (1 quarjars, using 8 wide mouth quart jars and 2 half gallon wide mouth jars.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot, bring the water, salt and sugar to a boil, mixing until all the sugar and salt dissolve. Off the heat, pour in the vinegar.
- Ladle the hot marinade mixture over the vegetables in the jar, all the way to the top.
- Add about a tablespoon of sunflower oil to the top of each jar. I add a little bit less than a Tablespoon to the quart jars and a little more than a Tablespoon to the half gallon jars.
- Place the jar lids in boiling water and let the lids stay in the boiling water for 10-15 minutes also, off the heat.
- 1In a large pot, place a towel or dishcloth on the bottom and fill it with water. Bring the water to a boil. Place the filled jars in the boiling water, on top of the towel, cover them loosely with the lids and cook, at a simmer, for 10-15 minutes.
- Take the jars out of the water and close the lids tightly. Repeat with all the jars.
- The tomato and cucumber salad is ready to eat in 1-2 days, since the vegetables are cut, the marinade penetrates them really quickly. Store opened jars in the refrigerator, the rest are shelf stable at room temperature.
I just love this cucumber tomato recipe. My husband is not a big fan of cucumbers so I was wondering if I could put in a few banana peppers in the jars to give the salad a little 'kick'?
I have never made this with peppers, Therese, so I am not sure. I think the cucumbers give the tomatoes and the marinade some of their flavor, so if you omit the cucumbers, it will have a different flavor. I have also never used grape tomatoes for this recipe, only whole tomatoes, so I can't say if they will work well for this recipe or not.
I put together 2 jars exactly 2 days ago and it's so pretty I reluctantly opened to taste test before making more. I will definitely be
making this over and over. It's a great way to use my garden harvest and I'll change up the vegetables depending
I'm so happy to hear that, Linda! I agree with you - the jars are so pretty, I almost want to display them, but we go through them so fast in our family, there is never enough.
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Hello.. looking forward to trying this recipe. I have alot if cherry tomatoes can they be used as well
I hope you enjoy this recipe, Charlene. It's one of our family favorites.
I don’t know, there’s not enough vinegar to safely acidity the contents to prevent botulism. Also, it’s always recommended to cover jars with at least an inch of water above the lid. Did you base this recipe from a trusted source? The balance of vinegar and water are way off for it to be safe.
This is a family recipe that we've been making for decades and have never had any botulism. I hope you find a wonderful recipe with enough vinegar to make you feel safe.
What can I sub for the fresh dill weed? Dried dill seed or dill weed~??
I wouldn't recommend using dry dill weed in this recipe. I think the dill creates a very special flavor for the marinade, but you can certainly omit it. The tomatoes and cucumbers will have a different flavor, though.
Do you peel the tomatoes before layering in the jars?
I do not, but you can, if you want to, Kathy.
Thank you, Olga. Do you have more canning recipes? With my garden, there are so many vegetables to harvest and I can't eat them or give them away fast enough. I need help preserving them. I enjoyed watching your video about your favorite kitchen appliances.
I have a few:
Pickles
Marinated Peppers
Lecho
Adzhika
Roasted Tomato Sauce
I hope to share more in the future. Since I don't have a garden of my own, I don't currently can vegetables as much, because we simply don't have an overabundance of produce.
I was wondering if I could just make this salad with tomatoes and onions and only a few cucumbers.? My husband does not like cucumbers, but loves the taste of the tomatoes and onions?
Than you.
You can, but it will have a completely different flavor. I would highly recommend trying it with the cucumbers - they are so different that what is typically sold in stores and will give the marinade a really terrific flavor.
Was so excited to find a new recipe, especially since I have more cukes to use up! I’ll likely add both basil and dill too!
I hope you enjoy them, Kelly:).
It looks delicious. Would like to try. But want to know if I can replace the sugar with erythritol or monk fruit or any other sweeteners.
I have never tried using other sweeteners besides sugar, so I can't guarantee that they will work well in this recipe.
I wondered that too. I think I won't use any sweetener and anyone who wants it can add it later. My mother always marinated them just in vinegar so thinking I could just treat them like a pickled salad 😊
You can certainly adjust any recipe and make it to your preference, but in this case, it will alter the flavor significantly if you omit the sugar.
I peeled and sliced my cucumber and soaked in salt to drain the water before I saw this receipe. I was wondering if I can just follow everything else and use my cucumbers and the marinade to can it.
Have you ever done that before or do you think it will be different? I know the cucumbers will not be crunchy which is ok since I did slice very thin. I usually make my pickles thicker but these were burpless cucumber not for pickling.
Thanks for help.
I have never salted and drained cucumbers for this recipe, but they should still be ok to use in this recipe. It is best to keep the cucumber slices thicker, but that's ok.
I am trying this recipe this week and I can’t wait. My question is, will you hear the pop for the seal so you will know it sealed properly? I am new to canning!
Sometimes you will hear the pop, but sometimes you don't, it just seals quietly. You can also check if it's sealed by pressing the middle of the lid. It should be firm and not spring back.
So you do not cover the whole jar with water to seal the jar? Tighten after the boil? I’m confused .. what seals the jar
I fill up the stock pot almost to the top of the jars, just before the lids. This leaves the lids uncovered, but all the contents of the jar are completely surrounded with the water.
If you would prefer, you can cover it completely. I tighten the seal after boiling it in water. That is how I always do canning. If you use a different method, that is fine too.
Your recipe looks wonderful and I cannot wait to make it. Silly question but when you open the jar and take out the veg. How does the oil affect them? Thank you.
Hi Laura,
I hope you enjoy them:).
The oil doesn't affect them much. There is a small amount in there, you barely feel it.
Can I use dill as spice rather than fresh dill?
It will have a different flavor, but you can.
Hi! I am so glad I found you! Today, I used your recipe for the very first time. I have to say, BRAVO TO YOU! Yummmmm! With the amount of veggies I was able to make 12 pints and 4 quarts of salad! I’ve never used sunflower oil before....THANK YOU! It’s absolutely delicious! 👍🏻👍🏻❤️❤️
Hi Stephanie! Welcome:).
So glad you enjoyed this recipe - it's one of my favorites of all time.
Thank you for taking the time to write.