When winter is outside and the amount of fresh vegetables in the diet is minimized, canned vegetable preparations come to the rescue. The most popular among them are pickled cucumbers, which have a spicy taste and a pleasant aroma of summer herbs. In our article, we will consider the rules for preparing vegetables for pickling, get acquainted with the best recipes for pickled cucumbers and tips for storing them during the winter.
How to prepare cucumbers for pickling
In order for the pickled cucumbers to be elastic and crispy, you need to choose the right fresh vegetables and prepare them.
Did you know? The ancestors of the cucumber are wild vines, which grew on the territory of Southeast Asia.
This process does not require much effort, it is enough to follow these simple recommendations:
- for canning, it is better to use vegetables of small or medium size;
- the peel of the fruit should be with tubercles, not have dents or damage;
- cucumbers should be solid, uniform green;
- for pickling, you need to take only sweet fruits that do not have a bitter aftertaste;
- before preservation in vegetables, the tails are removed on both sides;
- cucumbers should be thoroughly washed and soaked in a bowl of cold water for several hours, so that they are strong and well saturated with moisture.
Recipes for delicious pickled cucumbers for the winter
There are many different ways to pickle cucumbers. These recipes use a variety of ingredients that add a certain flavor to the appetizer. But there is a classic set of products that is present in almost every recipe. Thanks to these ingredients, the cucumbers are crispy and tasty, you lick your fingers.
These products include:
- horseradish (leaves and root) - makes vegetables crispy;
- leaves of black and red currants, cherries - give the marinade a pleasant taste;
- dill and garlic - make marinade and vegetables especially fragrant and add spicy notes to their taste;
- black pepper (in granules and allspice) - adds sharpness to the workpiece.
Did you know? On the island of Cyprus, fresh and cucumber is brewed with very tasty and sweet jam.
A simple recipe with vinegar per 1 liter
60 minutes and 20-30 days of pickling
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Wash 1 leaf of cherry, currant and apple tree. Wash a small stalk of dill and a small piece of horseradish and cut into large pieces. Peel 1 medium garlic prong.
- In sterilized jars, put all the greens, garlic, a few granules of black pepper and a small bay leaf.
- Fill the container with cucumbers - they need to be laid out as tightly as possible to each other.
- Pour 500 ml of boiling water into a container with cucumbers. Cover it with a linen napkin and leave for 20 minutes.
- Drain the resulting brine blank from the can into a separate container. Add 17–20 g of sugar and 17–20 g of salt there, stir and bring the marinade to a boil on the stove.
- After boiling, add 18 ml of vinegar (1.5 tsp) to the stewpan and remove the mixture from the stove.
- Fill the container with cucumbers with cooked hot brine. Roll up the can.
Important! Pickled cucumbers prepared according to this recipe are well stored both in the cellar and at room temperature.
No sterilization with onions
14–17 hours and 20–30 days of pickling
black pepper peas
2-3 pcs.
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Peeled 40 g of onions and a small horseradish root cut into small pieces.
- Put cucumbers, onions, a small stalk of dill, leaves of cherry and currant (2-3 pcs.) In layers in a clean glass jar. Sprinkle all the ingredients with pieces of horseradish, 2-3 grains of mustard and the same amount of black pepper granules. Add a couple of small bay leaves.
- For marinade, dissolve 12-14 g of salt and 30 g of sugar in a saucepan with 400 ml of water. Put the container on the stove and bring to a boil. Add 100 ml of vinegar to the stewpan with brine and remove from heat.
- Fill the jar with ingredients with hot marinade, lightly cover it with a linen napkin on top and leave for 12-15 hours.
- Drain the brine from the container with the cucumbers back into the saucepan and boil again.
- Fill the jar with the workpiece with hot brine again and roll it up. Salted cucumbers with onions prepared in this way can only be stored in the cellar or in the refrigerator so that they do not deteriorate.
Did you know? International Cucumber Day is celebrated annually around the world on July 27.
With garlic
80 minutes and 20-30 days of pickling
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Wash 4-5 cherry leaves and a large dill umbrella (cut into large pieces).
- Cut the small head of onion peeled from the husk into small rings together with 5-6 middle garlic cloves.
- Put onion and herbs in a glass jar. Add the same 5-6 granules of allspice and half the rings of garlic.
- Put cucumbers tightly in a container, sprinkling them with the remaining garlic.
- Pour 600 ml of boiling water with cucumbers and leave the vegetables to infuse for 20 minutes.
- Pour the resulting preform for brine from a jar into a stewpan, bring it to a boil again and refill vegetables. Leave on for another 20 minutes.
- Once again, pour the marinade from the container with vegetables into the stewpan. Add to the brine 1 tbsp. l salt and 2 tbsp. sugar, mix well and bring the mixture to a boil on the stove.
- In a jar of cucumbers add 2 tbsp. vinegar and gently fill it to the top with hot marinade, roll up.
Important! The degree of severity of such canned cucumber blanks can be controlled by reducing or increasing the amount of hot pepper and spices.
With mustard
Ingredients
60 minutes and 10–20 days of pickling
black pepper peas
6-7 pcs.
vinegar essence
0.5 tsp
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Wash small leaves of cherry and currant (1-2 pcs.), 2 stalks of dill and half a small leaf of horseradish. Peel 2 garlic cloves.
- At the bottom of the can, put greens, 6-7 granules of black pepper and garlic.
- Fill the jar with cucumbers so that they are located close to each other.
- Pour in cucumbers 500-600 ml of boiling water, cover and leave to infuse for 20 minutes.
- Drain the liquid from the container with vegetables into a saucepan, add 2 parts of salt, 1 part of store mustard and 2.5 parts of sugar. Boil the resulting mixture on a stove.
- Add 0.5 parts of vinegar to cucumbers. Pour a jar of vegetables with hot marinade and roll up.
Important! When buying mustard for marinade, you should always check the expiration date of the product and choose the freshest.
With citric acid
2 hours and 20-30 days of pickling
ground black pepper
1 tsp
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Wash a small stalk of dill, 2 leaves of cherry and 1 small leaf of horseradish. Peel a couple of small cloves of garlic.
- Put a layer of greens and garlic on the bottom of the glass jar. Fill the container with cucumbers to the very neck.
- Pour boiling water over the cucumbers in the jar. Cover and let it brew for 20 minutes.
- To prepare the marinade, boil 0.5 l of water in a saucepan, add 35 g of sugar, 15 g of salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. Then pour 7–8 g of citric acid into a saucepan with liquid.
- Drain the liquid from the container with vegetables and fill it with cooked hot brine. Cover and wait for the workpiece to cool slightly.
- Drain the marinade from the jar into the stewpan and bring it to a boil again.
- Once again, fill the jar with hot marinade, close the lid and roll up. The advantage of this method of cooking pickled cucumbers is that they do not contain vinegar, so this preparation can be given even to children.
With tomatoes
60 minutes and 20-30 days of pickling
black pepper peas
2-3 pcs.
vinegar essence
1 tsp
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Wash 250 g of fresh tomatoes and chop their skin with a toothpick in several places so that it does not burst.
- Prepare and wash the stalk of dill, 2 leaves of currant and cherry.
- Peel 1 medium clove of garlic and a small onion. Cut them into large pieces.
- At the bottom of the sterilized container, put greens, garlic, 2-3 black pepper granules and a small bay leaf.
- Next, place a layer of cucumbers, placing the fruits tightly to each other.
- Put onion slices on cucumbers.
- Lay a layer of tomatoes on the onion. So that all the components in the container fit as tightly as possible, it can be shaken periodically.
- Cook the marinade. In a stewpan with 350-400 ml of water add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tbsp. (without slide) sugar, bring the mixture to a boil.
- Pour a jar of vegetables with cooked hot brine. To release excess air from the container, place it in a large pot with warm water.
- Put the container on the stove and wait for the water to boil. After that, keep a jar of vegetables in a pan for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove the container with cucumbers and tomatoes from the pan, add 1 hour of vinegar essence and roll up.
Did you know? There are varieties of cucumbers in which the fruits are colored yellow and red.
Spicy sweet
60 minutes and 20-30 days of pickling
bitter peppers
0.2 pcs
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Wash half a leaf of horseradish, a small sprig of dill, 2 sheets of currants and the same amount of cherry leaves.
- Peel a small piece of bitter capsicum (2-3 cm) and 1 clove of garlic, cut the pepper into thin rings.
- Put all prepared greens, hot pepper rings and garlic at the bottom of the glass container.
- Next, lay the cucumbers tightly, filling them with the entire jar to the very neck.
- Make a marinade. To do this, dissolve 0.5 tbsp in 400 ml of boiling water. Pour the prepared hot brine into the container with cucumbers.
- Add 100 ml of 9% vinegar to the vegetables and cover the container with a lid.
- Sterilize the jar in boiling water for 15 minutes. Then roll up.
Sweet and sour
40 minutes and 20-30 days of pickling
ground black pepper
1 tsp
vinegar essence
1 tbsp. l
Nutrition value per 100 g
- In a glass container, lay the washed stalk of dill, 2 small leaves of cherry and currant.
- Put cucumbers on greens so that the jar is filled to the top.
- Pour 500 ml of boiling water into a container with vegetables and leave for 10 minutes.
- Drain the marinade blank from the can back into the saucepan, add 1 tbsp. salt and 70 g of sugar, boil the mixture.
- Sprinkle cucumbers with a pinch of ground black pepper and pour hot brine again. Add 1 tbsp. vinegar essence and roll up. The workpiece prepared in this way should be stored in a cool room.
Sweet salted
50 minutes and 20-30 days of pickling
vinegar essence
1 tbsp. l
Nutrition value per 100 g
- Wash a small sprig of dill, 2 currants and half a leaf of horseradish. Peel a couple of small cloves of garlic.
- At the bottom of a clean jar put garlic and all the greens.
- Fill the container with cucumbers, ramming them tightly.
- Cucumbers in a glass container pour 500 ml of boiling water. Cover with a lid and leave for 20 minutes.
- Drain the liquid from the jar into the stewpan, add to it 70 g of sugar and 1 tbsp. salt. Boil the mixture for 5-6 minutes.
- Add 1 part of vinegar essence to the jar with all components, pour the vegetables with hot marinade again. Cork up the container.
Features of storage of pickled cucumbers
So that the winter blanks do not deteriorate, and the banks do not explode, they must be stored correctly. For the preparation of marinade, vinegar is usually used, which acts as a good preservative, so pickled cucumbers can be stored both in the cellar and basement, and at room temperature.
General recommendations for preservation storage are described below:
- if you can pickled cucumbers in jars that have not been sterilized, then it is better to store them in a cool place;
- Do not put conservation near heat sources - cans may explode;
- blanks are not placed in sunlight - it can ruin the marinade;
- you can’t keep the jars of cucumbers in the cold - if the brine in the tank freezes, then it will crack.
Useful Tips
If you strictly observe the indicated proportions of the ingredients and follow the described instructions for preparing pickled cucumbers, you can get a tasty and fragrant preparation for the winter.
So that preservation is well stored until the very end of spring, and the vegetables retain a good taste, you need to follow these general recommendations:
- it is not always convenient to store pickled cucumbers in three-liter jars, therefore it is better to use 1 liter containers;
- before use, wash jars for baking soda billets;
- use coarse salt for the preparation of marinade;
- take spring or filtered clean water for pickling;
- during the preparation of pickled cucumbers, clearly observe the temperature of the vegetables;
- turn the rolled up cans down with the lid so that it fits better to the container.
Pickled cucumbers can be eaten in various ways:
- as an independent snack;
- use for salads;
- as a complement to meat dishes and vegetable puree;
- as an ingredient for the preparation of pickle.
Pickled cucumbers have long been an integral dish in our winter diet. By adding new ingredients to the standard set of products, you can get new flavors of the taste of a well-known homemade product. And after reading all of the above recipes for preservation, you can find the option that is ideal for you.
