Winter Tomato Salad ♥ (Quick Pickled Vegetables)


Back in February, we turned ourselves into "snowflakes" and headed for Florida. (Snowflakes? Yes, snowflakes. Snowbirds head south for the winter. Snowflakes head south for a few days.) On the way back north, roadside stands beckoned: the "last" strawberries and the "first" tomatoes, the signs said. Still, I was dubious about the claim of local tomatoes. "Where are the tomatoes from?" I asked gently. "Are they from here?" "No! No!" said the woman with a shake of her head. "The tomatoes are from Immokalee!" ... that would be a town about 300 miles further south. Ha! Imokalee might not meet the "100 mile" standard for local food but in February, Florida is Florida.
The tomatoes, however, were lackluster, not the juicy ripeness of sun-ripened garden tomatoes that will grace our tables come late summer. So I had no qualms about tossing a few into a Mason jar with a few other vegetables and little more than vinegar and a few spices. Good? No! Fabulous! I wondered whether supermarket-variety Roma tomatoes would work too. Good? No. Fabulous! A winter tomato salad? It's a wonderment.
RECIPE for WINTER TOMATO SALAD
Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 3 - 4 hours
Fills 1 quart canning jar, serves 8
Time to table: 3 - 4 hours
Fills 1 quart canning jar, serves 8
PICKLING LIQUID
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons sugar or honey or something sweet
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Mix in a small bowl, stir to dissolve sugar and salt.
VEGETABLES
2 - 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped in bite-size pieces
1 bell pepper, yellow or orange for color contrast if you like, chopped in bite-size pieces
1/4 English cucumber, cut in bite-size pieces
About 1/8 small sweet onion, slivered, optional
Fresh herbs, optional
In a one-quart canning jar, pack a layer of tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, onion and herbs, then repeat. Press slightly to make room for more. Pour pickling liquid over top, cover the jar and tip up and down to distribute throughout the jar. Refrigerate for 3 - 4 hours, tipping occasionally if you think of it.
Best the same day but still good the second day.
ALANNA's TIPS & KITCHEN NOTES


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A Veggie Venture is home of 'veggie evangelist' Alanna Kellogg and the
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2013
famous asparagus-to-zucchini Alphabet of Vegetables.
© Copyright Kitchen Parade 2013
No, thank YOU for a quick pick-me-up when I have the BLAHS and can think of NOTHING. Love your cheery, delicious, bursting-with-health notes and recipes ... BRAVO!
ReplyDeletePS I am publishing as "anonymous" as I dont know what the other tags mean and when I hit Google, a complex message in Spanish assails me ... sooo
I love this stuff!
ReplyDeleteSo what kind of herbs? Is that rosemary I see in the jar?
ReplyDelete--C.B.
It's a pickled version of my summer favorite Greek salad (minus the feta and olives)!
ReplyDeleteGreat receipe and looks good in the Jar. Also a great idea for a packed lunch rather than the same old salad. Certainly one I am going to try
ReplyDelete