How to prepare pickled tomatoes with apple cider vinegar for the winter, recipes, and shelf life of tomatoes

Various vegetables are used for long-term preservation, but it's hard to imagine a special dinner or family lunch without pickled tomatoes. These brightly colored fruits look beautiful in jars and are enjoyed both as a stand-alone appetizer and as a complement to meat and fish dishes. Recipes for tomatoes with apple flavor are especially popular for winter. Tomatoes pickled with this ingredient are virtually indestructible and much tastier than other vegetables. The preservative function is performed not by a chemical substance, but by a natural product.

Basic rules for preparing tomatoes with apple cider vinegar for the winter

To ensure tomatoes delight with their aroma and piquant flavor, you need to know which fruits are suitable and what the pickling process requires. For long-term storage, choose ripe tomatoes without dents or scratches. To ensure the brine penetrates the flesh more easily and prevent the skin from cracking during cooking, pierce the tomatoes in several places with a sharp object before pickling.

Bay and currant leaves, parsley, and celery root add a pleasant flavor to tomatoes. All of these ingredients can be used together, as they pair beautifully.

Vegetables should be preserved in sterile containers; 2- or 1-liter jars are best. Once opened, the snack is eaten quickly and doesn't have time to spoil.

When layering vegetables and seasonings, there should be no empty space; all ingredients should fit tightly. Preservatives such as vinegar or citric acid should be added to the boiling marinade last, immediately before sealing the jars with lids.

Tomatoes will keep for a long time if you pour hot liquid over them several times, and then sterilize the jars.

Necessary ingredients

Tomatoes with apple cider vinegar are not only aromatic and delicious, but also healthy, as each recipe uses only natural ingredients. To marinate tomatoes, you'll need:

• parsley and coriander;
• cloves and dill;
• sweet and hot peppers;
• garlic and basil.

Add one and a half tablespoons of sugar and 20 grams of salt to a liter of water, add 35 ml of apple cider vinegar, and boil the mixture to obtain a marinade, which is poured into jars of tomatoes and seasoning.

Many housewives add carrots to tomatoes. They slice the root vegetable into circles and cut the bell pepper into rings.

For a sweeter appetizer, use 4 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt per volume of water for the marinade, reducing the amount of vinegar by a few milliliters. Those who enjoy spicy tomatoes will appreciate the basil-infused appetizer.

Cooking steps

For canning, use small, round or oblong tomatoes with firm skin. Larger tomatoes are best used for juice or sauce. Pickling doesn't take much time, but it involves the following steps:

1. First, you need to wash the dishes with soda or a special product, and it is better to roll up the vegetables in liter jars.
2. The containers are sterilized over steam, the lids are dipped in boiling water.
3. Sweet peppers are seeded and chopped into strips.
4. Peel the onion and cut the garlic into small rings.
5. The greens are washed under the tap and placed on the bottom of the dish.
6. Fill the jar with tomatoes, place bell peppers between them and fill to the top with boiling water.

Once the tomatoes have steamed under the lid, which should take no more than a quarter of an hour, transfer the liquid to a ladle or saucepan. At this point, add salt, sugar, and spices to the marinade, and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes after it comes to a boil.

Fill the jars with the tomatoes with the hot mixture and add apple cider vinegar. Turn the jars upside down, screw on the lids, and wrap them in a blanket or thick towel. Store the cooled preserves in a cellar or basement.

A liter jar will hold 500 to 600 grams of tomatoes and one bell pepper. For the marinade, you'll need 0.5 liters of water, a tablespoon of salt, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and the same amount of apple cider vinegar.

How long do canned tomatoes last?

If the recipe and sterilization time are followed, the hermetically sealed tomato snack can be left in the apartment rather than taken to the cellar, but the temperature should not exceed 15°C, and the preserves should be stored away from windows, radiators, and the stove.

Pickled tomatoes should be stored only in the refrigerator or in a ventilated basement, where the temperature is no more than 6 degrees.

Tomatoes prepared this way can be consumed for up to 6 months, while sterilized snacks do not spoil for at least 2 years.

Further storage of pickled tomatoes

Tomatoes preserved with vinegar don't spoil for a long time. If you don't have a cellar or basement, you can store the jars on a glassed-in balcony or loggia, but if frost hits, you'll have to bring them indoors.

Pickled tomatoes keep well in the refrigerator. You can also leave opened cans there for a few days. If the brine in the tomatoes becomes cloudy, it's best not to eat them.