Zucchini, Tomato, Pepper, and Onion Salad for Winter

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make a zucchini, tomato, and pepper salad for winter? Gather the ingredients. In harvest season this is a budget-friendly salad, especially with vegetables from your own garden. It's best to use young zucchini, which still have tender skin and barely any seedy core. If yours are older, peel them and scoop out the seeds. Wash the zucchini and cut it into small cubes.

2. Step 2:

   

   Wash, peel, and grate the carrots on the medium side of a grater. It's optional, but it lends the salad a pleasant sweetness.

3. Step 3:

   

   Peel the onion and dice it with a knife.

4. Step 4:

   

   Wash the bell peppers and cut out the stem and seed core. Cut the flesh into strips or cubes, whichever you prefer.

5. Step 5:

   

   Wash the tomatoes, cut out the stem ends, and dice the flesh small. If the tomato skins seem too thick, you can remove them: pour boiling water over the tomatoes, then plunge them into cold water and peel.

6. Step 6:

   

   Peel the garlic cloves and chop them finely with a knife.

7. Step 7:

   

   Put the carrots, onions, zucchini, and bell pepper in a heavy-bottomed pot. Set it on the heat. Add a couple of tablespoons of water, stir, and simmer over medium heat for 20 minutes.

8. Step 8:

   

   Then add the tomatoes and garlic. Stir in the sugar and salt and simmer another 10 minutes, stirring now and then so the vegetables don't scorch on the bottom.

9. Step 9:

   

   Pour in the vegetable oil. Add the bay leaf, peppercorns, and allspice. Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Pour in the vinegar and stir. Keep it on the heat a couple more minutes, then turn it off.

10. Step 10:

    

    Have your sterilized jars ready. Smaller jars are best, so the salad gets eaten soon after opening rather than sitting around. Wash the jars with a baking-soda solution and sterilize them any way you trust — over a water bath, in the microwave, or in the oven. Wash and boil the lids, then dry them.

11. Step 11:

    

    Pack the salad into the sterilized jars, seal with sterilized lids, and let them cool under a blanket at room temperature. Store them in a cool pantry for the winter. Enjoy!