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.
If I wanted to process them in a hot water bath, with the lids tightened, how long would I need to process them?
10-15 minutes.
Can I make this without dill ? My wife dosent like di.
Thanks
ll
You can adjust it however you like, however it will have a different flavor.
I am making dill pickles right this second and started googling for something different to make. I’m going to try this!! Looks so pretty and the reviews are very nice. Thank you.
Can I make these in pint size jars? Do I need to change anything in recipe?
No, pint sized jars will be too small.
Could you pressure can this if concerned about safety? If so what would be the protocol to follow as far as pressure and time? And any other adjustments needed. Thank you.
Yes, you can do whatever you feel is best. I share the recipe the way that we make it in our family and we have never had any issues in the decades that we have been enjoying it. If you have any concerns, please make whatever adjusts you feel that it needs.
I have a question do I have to do the hot water bath to just try in a couple days? I would like to try with day care kids but wasnt sure if that was necessary just to try in a couple days.
Yes, the tomatoes and cucumbers do cook while in the hot water bath, so yo still need to do that step, but you can store them in the refrigerator for a few days and serve them.
I made this for the first time last year (2020) & it’s early March 2021 . It’s Great ! Made 12 quarts & only will have 3 left today . Will make 16 quarts next year , every time I have it this blend is like I am in summer 😃 . Thank You for the recipe .
That's awesome, William! I'm so happy you enjoyed this salad. Thank you for taking the time to write.
After processing the jars in simmering water, the vegetables seem to have floated to the top a little, leaving some space at the bottom of the jar. What do you think that I might have done wrong to cause this to happen?
Is the food safe to eat?
All of the jars have sealed properly .
It's totally normal, Christine. Most vegetables will shrink a bit when they are cooked. As long as the vegetables and the brine look and taste good, it should be just fine.
Can a person cut this in hand? Thanks
I'm not sure what you're asking, Angela. Can you cut the vegetables by hand with a knife? Yes, that is exactly how I do it.
Sorry i didn't spell check. Can you cut the recipe in half?. Or a smaller sized recipe
Yes, you can.
I only have pickling spice, fresh dill is all gone. Can i use this? Also can I add cabbage?
Yes, Lori, you can use what you have, but the flavor will be different.
Do you know why there's so little vinegar? Also could I use the vinegar sugar n water measurements from my dill pickle recipe? And use lime crisp on the veggies so they don't get as mushy. Ive been looking for a cucumber salad recipe for a long time but all the ones I find say they should be eaten in 4-6 weeks and kept in the fridge. So I'm super confused.
The amount of vinegar is less than most recipes because it would completely change the taste and texture of the salad. We have successfully been canning this recipe in our family for decades, we would store it for an entire winter and not once had any issues, except going through our stash too fast because it's always the first to be eaten from all the other recipes we preserve.
I love this recipe. Can I add cabbage? I also have no fresh dill left. Can I use pickling spice? Thanks so much 🙂
I have never tried adding cabbage, so I'm not sure if it will go well with this recipe, Lori.
Do the veggies lose their crispness or did I do something wrong? Last week I made 5 pints for taste testing. Tried them last night and while the flavor was nice the cucumbers and tomatoes were very mushy. Logically sitting in the marinade they would get soft, but maybe I missed a step to counter that?
The veggies do get a bit softer as they marinate, but they shouldn't be mushy.
I forgot the vinegar. With so little vinegar used in this recipe, was it for flavor or was it used as a preservative? The jars look so good, I would hate to have to throw it all out.
The vinegar is important for flavor, George. I am not sure it will taste the same, but you should still be able to eat it.
Getting ready to make this recipe and noticed George's comment. Vinegar is not only important for flavor but as a preservative especially if you are canning this. I'm going to try adding a little green pepper to the recipe.
Seems like not very much vinegar to water. Is 3/4 c vinegar to 20 c water the correct amount.
The recipe is correct. It's very different from most recipes, but we really enjoy it in our family and that is the exact recipe I am sharing here.
Also, can I use whole grape tomatoes ?