Fresh cucumbers are very tasty and healthy. But as soon as it starts to get colder, local vegetables are no longer available to us. Now in winter there is a large selection of various fresh and salted vegetables, but how can they be compared with our preparations for the winter. Firstly, store-bought cucumbers are expensive, and secondly, they contain a large amount of industrial preservatives. Therefore, the best option for us is to prepare them for the winter ourselves. Pickled or pickled cucumbers are the most important preparation for the winter. Crispy, strong, aromatic - you can’t live without them. And you can eat it with pleasure and add it to salads. Recipes for preparing cucumbers are very simple and tasty; pickling them can be combined with tomatoes; you can make various salads from cucumbers.
Secrets of successful salting:
- One of the secrets is to choose our cucumbers correctly. These should be pickling varieties: they look pimply, prickly and lumpy. We select small and medium-sized cucumbers, 10-12 cm long. Cucumbers from the garden should be collected on the day of pickling or the day before it.
- Water quality is also of great importance. You need to use spring or filtered tap water, or purchase ready-made drinking water.
- To make the cucumbers successful, use simple rock salt for pickling.
- Spices and spices are also important for pickling. For this, black peppercorns, mustard seeds, dill seeds and umbrellas, any part of horseradish, cherry and currant leaves are used (the leaves should be young). Sometimes basil leaves, cumin, garlic, oak leaves or a piece of oak bark are added (oak bark makes cucumbers crispier).
- A liter jar of cucumbers requires 500 ml of water (approximately). The larger the cucumbers, the more water is needed for cooking. And vice versa, the smaller the cucumbers, the fewer voids, and the less water is consumed.
Let's look at some wonderful recipes for preparing our cucumbers for the winter:
Pickled cucumbers for the winter. Recipe for delicious crispy cucumbers in liter jars
Ingredients:
- medium-sized cucumbers – 2-4 kg,
- horseradish leaves – 2-4 pcs.,
- garlic – 3-6 cloves,
- hot capsicum – 1 piece (to taste),
- horseradish root 5-7 cm long,
- celery, leaves - a little,
- cherry leaves – 5-7 pcs.,
- allspice – 5-7 peas,
- bay leaf – 3-6 pcs,
Brine:
- Salt 2 tablespoons - per 1 liter of water,
- sugar 1 tbsp - per 1 liter of water,
How to pickle cucumbers:
Wash cucumbers and greens thoroughly. You can even wash the cucumbers with a soft brush, put them in a saucepan or basin, and fill them with cold water for 2 hours. Change the water, fill the cucumbers with clean water and leave again for two hours. During this time, the cucumbers are soaked in water and turn out crispy and elastic.
At the bottom of a pre-prepared jar we put several sprigs of dill, cherry leaves, a horseradish leaf, a currant leaf, celery, 1 clove of garlic (you can’t put too much of it, it can make the cucumbers soft), bay leaf, a small circle of hot capsicum, black and allspice peas peppers
Fill the jar tightly with cucumbers.
Pour boiling water over the cucumbers.
Cover the cucumbers with lids and leave them like that for 10-15 minutes.
Drain the water.
Pour boiling water over the cucumbers again and leave them in the water for 10-15 minutes. Then drain the liquid.
Place a pan of water on the fire. Add salt (2 tablespoons per liter of liquid), sugar (1 tablespoon per equal volume) and citric acid (1 teaspoon per 1 liter).
Fill the cucumbers with hot brine and close the jars with a seamer.
We turn over and wrap our jars.
Opening such a jar in winter, we will enjoy the wonderful taste of salty crispy cucumbers.
Bon appetit!
Cucumbers for the winter in a sweet marinade. Recipe for pickled sweet crispy cucumbers with citric acid
Thanks to the marinade, these cucumbers have a pleasant sweetish taste.
Ingredients:
- fresh small cucumbers,
- mustard beans – 1-2 teaspoons,
- horseradish leaves – 2-3 pcs,
- garlic – 3-5 cloves,
- hot capsicum – 1 piece,
- black currant leaves – 7-10 pcs.,
- cherry leaves – 5-7 pcs.,
- allspice – 5-7 peas,
- black peppercorns – 7-10 pcs.,
- bay leaf – 3-6 pcs,
- dry dill and fresh umbrellas with seeds - 3-5 pieces each,
- vinegar 70% - a few drops under the lid when rolling up the jars.
Brine:
- Salt 40 g - per 1 liter of water,
- sugar 150 g - per 1 liter of water,
- citric acid 1 teaspoon – per 1 liter of water.
How to pickle cucumbers:
Prepare cucumbers and herbs. Wash everything thoroughly. Place the cucumbers in a saucepan or basin and cover with cold water for 2 hours. You can change the water several times. The cucumbers will be saturated with water, and when pickled, the cucumbers will turn out strong and crispy.
In clean jars we place several sprigs of dill, cherry leaves, horseradish leaves, currant leaves, celery, hot capsicum - a small ring, bay leaf, mustard seeds, black and allspice peas.
Fill with boiling water and cover with lids. Leave it like this for 10-15 minutes. We repeat the procedure twice.
Then pour the water into the pan. We put it on the fire. Add salt 40 g, sugar 150 g, citric acid - 1 teaspoon.
Pour marinade over cucumbers. We roll up and turn over the cans, wrap them in a blanket. These cucumbers can be stored at room temperature.
Bon appetit!
Cucumbers for the winter with lemon, Prague style. Recipe for cooking in liter jars
These cucumbers are marinated with lemon. Otherwise, the ingredients for pickling are the usual - dill, horseradish, allspice and black peppercorns, bay leaf, sugar, salt, garlic. The taste of cucumbers is slightly sour, which gives them a piquant flavor. You can add various ingredients to your taste without strictly adhering to a specific composition. Such cucumbers fit perfectly into any salads, and can be present on the table as an independent dish.
Ingredients:
- medium-sized cucumbers – 2-4 kg,
- mustard beans - 1-2 tbsp. spoons,
- horseradish leaves – 2-3 pcs,
- garlic – 1-2 heads,
- bay leaf - a few leaves,
- black currant leaves – 7-10 pcs.,
- cherry leaves – 5-7 pcs.,
- allspice – 5-7 peas,
- black peppercorns – 7-10 pcs.,
- dry dill and fresh umbrellas with seeds - 3-5 pieces each,
- lemon, cut into rings - a few pieces, to taste,
- vinegar 70% - a few drops under the lid when rolling up the jars.
Brine:
- Salt 40 g - per 1 liter of water,
- sugar 150 g - per 1 liter of water,
- citric acid 1 teaspoon – per 1 liter of water.
How to pickle cucumbers:
Preparing cucumbers and herbs for pickling is the same as in previous recipes.
Wash everything thoroughly. Place the cucumbers in a saucepan or basin and cover with cold water for several hours. You can change the water several times. This will give our cucumbers strength and elasticity.
Cut the lemon into rings and add it to the jars with our cucumbers, also add dill umbrellas, cherry leaves, part of a horseradish leaf, currant leaf, bay leaf, mustard seeds, black and allspice peas, garlic.
Fill the jars with cucumbers with boiling water twice, and the third time fill them with sweet brine. We roll up and turn over the cans, wrap them in a blanket.
The cucumbers are crispy, aromatic and have an original taste. This is the kind of delicacy we will taste in winter, if we don’t eat it earlier! 🙂
Bon appetit!
Crispy canned cucumbers for the winter in 3-liter jars
This recipe makes very tasty, crispy cucumbers for the winter.
We will preserve cucumbers in 3-liter jars.
Such a jar will contain about 2 kg of cucumbers, about 1.5 liters of brine.
Ingredients:
- medium-sized cucumbers – 2-4 kg (for one or two jars),
- horseradish leaves – 3-4 pcs.,
- garlic – 1-2 heads,
- black currant leaves – 5-10 pcs.,
- cherry leaves – 7-15 pcs.,
- allspice – 5-10 peas,
- black peppercorns – 7-14 pcs.,
- bay leaf – 3-6 pcs,
- dry dill and fresh umbrellas with seeds - 3-5 pieces each,
- vinegar 70% - a few drops under the lid when rolling up the jars.
Brine for 1 liter of water:
- Sugar – 2 tbsp. spoons (without a slide),
- salt – 1 tbsp. spoon (with a slide),
- vinegar 9% – 1 tbsp. spoon (or citric acid 0.5 teaspoon),
- aspirin – 1 tablet, put before rolling.
How to preserve cucumbers:
Wash the cucumbers thoroughly and trim off the ends.
At the bottom of the jars we place horseradish, currant and cherry leaves, garlic, bay leaves, allspice and black peas. Then we place our cucumbers tightly.
Fill the cucumbers with boiling water twice, then drain the water after they have stood in it for 10-15 minutes. If the cucumbers are bitter, then the bitterness will go away.
For the third time, fill the cucumbers with brine and put an aspirin tablet in the jar.
We roll up our jars, turn them over, and put them under the blanket.
Here is a wonderful simple recipe for pickling our cucumbers.
Bon appetit!
Recipe for pickled canned cucumbers for the winter
The cucumbers according to this recipe are very tasty, crispy, and taste like barrel cucumbers. We will preserve the cucumbers in a 3-liter jar.
Ingredients (for a 3 liter jar):
- cucumbers – 2 kg,
- salt – 3 tbsp. spoons,
- garlic – 4-5 cloves,
- hot pepper - to taste, about half a small pod,
- horseradish root – 7-10 cm,
- dill umbrellas with green seeds – 4-5 pcs.,
- dry dill seeds – 1 teaspoon,
- dill, parsley, celery - if desired,
- black currant leaves - 3-5 pcs.,
- cherry leaves – 5-7 pcs.,
- mint leaves, if desired - 1-2 pcs,
- vinegar 70% – 1 tbsp. spoon.
How to pickle cucumbers:
Prepare the cucumbers as usual, wash them thoroughly and trim the ends.
We prepare the jars and lids and sterilize them.
At the bottom of the jars we place horseradish, currant and cherry leaves, garlic, bay leaves, allspice and black peas, hot pepper and the rest of our ingredients. Then we place our cucumbers tightly.
Fill the cucumbers with boiling brine without vinegar (for a 3-liter jar - approximately 1.5 liters) - only salt is added to the brine. We leave our cucumbers to ferment for 3 days. The lids must be slightly open. Periodically remove the foam.
After 3 days, shake our jar to shake the brine and pour it into the pan. Put the pan on the fire. As soon as our brine boils, pour it into a jar and pour vinegar under a sterilized lid. We roll up our cucumbers, turn the jar over, and wrap it in a blanket.
The cucumbers turn out incredible! Bon appetit!
Recipes for cucumbers for the winter are very diverse. Cucumbers can be preserved whole or sliced, in salads, and even made into cucumber jam. But almost every recipe for rolling cucumbers can be described either as a recipe for pickling cucumbers (sourdough) or as a recipe for pickled cucumbers.
Preserving cucumbers without vinegar is called pickling or sourdough. How to pickle cucumbers? Before you pickle cucumbers, keep in mind that pickling cucumbers takes time - pickling cucumbers takes place within 3-10 days. Cold pickling of cucumbers means soaking cucumbers in cooled brine. And for quick salting, the brine for cucumbers is preheated. Pickling cucumbers with vodka preserves their color. Dry salting of cucumbers is very interesting - in this case, cucumbers sprinkled with salt release juice, no water is used. Pickling cucumbers in the classic version means pickling cucumbers in a barrel, preferably an oak one. The recipe for barrel cucumbers is simple, but it is the wooden barrel that gives the cucumbers a special taste - pickled cucumbers cannot be confused with anything else! Pickled cucumbers are often stored without additional heat treatment in a cool, dry place. But canning cucumbers is also possible - after salting, they are placed in jars, filled with hot brine and rolled up. Pickling cucumbers with mustard gives an interesting taste and guarantees that cucumber preparations will not “explode.”
Pickling cucumbers - twisting cucumbers with the addition of vinegar. How to pickle cucumbers? The marinade for cucumbers is brought to a boil, then the cucumbers previously placed in jars are poured over them and sterilized. You can also pickle cucumbers with citric acid.
Pickled crispy cucumbers, delicious pickled cucumbers with mustard are indispensable on the winter holiday table. A cucumber salad for the winter will also come to the aid of the housewife. Canning cucumber salads, pickling cucumbers for the winter, pickling cucumbers in jars, canning cucumbers - the recipes for all these preparations are varied and allow us to diversify our menu.
From the recipes on our website you will learn detailed answers to questions: how to roll cucumbers, how to pickle cucumbers in jars, how to pickle cucumbers correctly, how to make a canned cucumber salad, how to roll cucumbers in tomato sauce. And also how to make crispy canned cucumbers, how to wrap pickled cucumbers for the winter, how to prepare pickled crispy cucumbers and pickled cucumbers for the winter, and even how to wrap canned cucumbers with ketchup and canned cucumbers with mustard. After all, we have hundreds of different recipes for prepared cucumbers, recipes for canned cucumbers, including a recipe for sour cucumbers, a recipe for pickled cucumbers, a recipe for delicious pickled cucumbers, barrel cucumbers, a recipe for pickled cucumbers...
Pickled cucumbers are one of the most common preparations for the winter. The success of such cucumbers among housewives is explained by the fact that they are tasty and practical to store (they do not require special conditions, such as, for example, for salted and fermented preparations). In addition, pickled cucumbers are an integral part of many winter salads, for example, the classic Olivier. At the same time, there are a great many recipes for pickled cucumbers for the winter; the most successful ones are passed down in families for generations. We tried to select the most successful harvesting methods. So, today we have winter pickled cucumbers.
Inexperienced housewives mostly look for a recipe for crispy cucumbers for the winter on the Internet, forgetting that for this rather capricious product, the main indicator of the quality of the twists is the exact adherence to the heat treatment technology and adherence to proportions. As a result, there are quite a few recipes online that violate the technology, and the products prepared in this way become cloudy, swell, and the lids “fly off.” You cannot eat such products - the products smell unpleasant, and the contents have to be thrown away. Therefore, you need to remember two rules: cucumbers can be rolled only with double filling or using sterilization.
Everything else is extremely risky, especially if such a product is stored at home, in an apartment, and not in the cold.
We offer a step-by-step recipe for marinated cucumbers, which was found in the Soviet book “Preparations for the Winter,” which shows GOST food layouts. It uses a classic marinade, and it is extremely important to try to comply with the specified spice standards, otherwise the required “bouquet” will be violated. This especially applies to the pronounced tastes of cinnamon and garlic.
This recipe does not involve sterilizing the jars, so it is important to wash with soda and rinse the jars thoroughly before working.
The classic preparation is designed for a three-liter jar. For smaller volumes, you need to recalculate the proportions.
- For a 3-liter container we prepare:
- bay leaves - 2-3 pcs.;
- a fifth of often small capsicum;
- cloves - 9 buds;
- cinnamon - 2 g;
- peppercorns - 20 pcs.;
- garlic - three cloves;
- a little fresh parsley, horseradish leaves, fresh or dried dill;
vinegar essence 70 percent - 6-9 g (depending on taste).
- So, let's get to work:
- Place chopped herbs and other ingredients at the bottom of the jar.
- Trim the ends of the cucumbers, put them in a jar - the bottom layer is vertical. Further, as tightly as possible, without compacting, in horizontal layers.
- Prepare the filling as follows: 50 g of salt and sugar per 1 liter of water. One three-liter container contains approximately 1.5 liters of finished marinade.
- Trying to direct the stream to the center, pour in the brine.
- Cover with boiled lids.
- Heat water in a wide and tall container (saucepan or steam table) to 80 degrees, after placing a piece of cloth or supply at the bottom. Place the filled jars, wait until they boil, reduce the heat, and pasteurize for about 20 minutes. If the jar is two-liter, then the pasteurization time will be 15 minutes.
- When the time is up, open the lid, pour in vinegar, and roll up the jar. Turn over.
Important: Do not wrap! If possible, place in a cool place and cool quickly, then the cucumbers will be crispy.
Crispy cucumbers without sterilization
In hot summer conditions, many people wonder how to pickle cucumbers in jars so as to avoid sterilization and, if possible, get a crispy and strong pickled cucumber? We offer one of the recipes that can be used for pickling cucumbers with storage in an ordinary apartment, but without sterilization.
The secret of successful cucumbers
Whatever recipe you choose, the cucumbers should be tough, young, with pimples on the smooth and thin skin.
If the cucumbers are initially bitter, it’s better not to buy them or roll them up - you’ll ruin the whole thing. Just taste before you buy.
Water matters. It is ideal to use spring or well water, but if this is not possible, filter the tap water or expose it to the air to release the chlorine it contains.
It is better to soak cucumbers in very cold or ice water.
For this recipe, the layout is for a liter jar. It contains about half a liter of marinade. For a three-liter jar, everything increases accordingly by three.
Let's prepare:
- marinade - 2 tbsp for 1 liter of water. spoons of sugar and one and a half tbsp. spoons of salt (all without a large slide). Boil everything;
- cucumbers - one and a half kilograms;
- regular and allspice peppercorns - to taste;
- garlic - a couple of cloves;
- some chopped herbs: dill, horseradish, currant and cherry leaves;
- a piece of hot pepper;
- table vinegar - at the rate of two tbsp. spoons per jar. If you have 70 percent vinegar essence, then you need to dilute it at the rate of 1 to 7.
Some housewives like to add onion rings and slices of bell pepper.
Workpiece progress:
- Soak the greens in ice water, changing it as often as possible.
- Prepare lids and jars.
- Place spices and garlic at the bottom.
- Place cucumbers.
- Pour boiling water into a jar and let the liquid cool slightly.
- Drain the brine, boil it again and pour it in again.
- Open the lid slightly, add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar to the jar, and roll up.
- Turn the twists over and cover with a blanket on top - thus extending the pasteurization time.
- Transfer the cooled pieces to the pantry for storage.
Some housewives initially pour boiling water over the cucumbers, which is then drained and, adding salt and sugar, the resulting boiled brine is poured over the cucumbers a second time. Fundamentally, there is no difference, so you can immediately pour the brine, preparing a little more of it just in case - if the cucumbers take a little into themselves during the first pour.
Preserving sweet and sour cucumbers in Bulgarian style
This is an amazingly tasty and win-win recipe that always works. And although you will have to tinker a little with sterilization, the method remains one of the simplest and fastest.
Let's start with the fact that cucumbers are spicy, sourish-sweet. In order for them to acquire these properties, we recommend taking small, dense greens with pimples.
Many people associate the name “Bulgarian style” with products supplied from Bulgaria during Soviet times. There was such a Bulgarian trademark “Globus”, which many remember with nostalgia. In fact, “Globus” is a vegetable product from Hungary; it is still produced today, having survived the collapse of the socialist camp. And the famous Bulgarian lecho, cabbage rolls, and tomatoes were produced by Bulgarprodukt.
Be that as it may, this option is as “authentic” as possible, and how delicious it is!
Progress
It is better to pickle cucumbers in liter jars, they are convenient to pack. This is done like this:
- Place 2 bay leaves, a few peppercorns, and onions cut into half rings into the bottom of the jar. Please note - this recipe contains no more traditional cucumber spices!
- Boil the marinade - it will take about one and a half liters for three jars. Make a little more marinade so you don’t have to add water, since there’s not a lot of salt in this recipe! Ingredients of the marinade: per liter of water 1 tbsp. a small heaped spoon of salt, 3 tbsp. spoons of sugar. Add 100 g of 9% vinegar to the boiled brine. Immediately pour into jars with cucumbers.
- Place the jars in hot water for pasteurization. From the moment the water boils, wait until the cucumbers begin to change color to olive.
- Take out the jars and screw on the lids.
- Turn the jars upside down. There is no need to wrap them up too much - cover them with a blanket and leave them until the morning.
With onions and carrots
Bulgarian cucumbers with onions and carrots are prepared in almost the same way. Peppercorns and bay leaves are laid out at the bottom of the jar, but the cucumbers are layered with layers of onions cut into half rings and carrots, shredded into bars. Marinade and procedure, including sterilization, as in the previous recipe.
A simple and delicious recipe with tomatoes
This recipe is sometimes called assorted vegetables, because every housewife can add any vegetables to it. Initially, the product contains cucumbers and tomatoes, but you can cut bell peppers into slices, onions (in half rings), and carrots into cubes. The recipe is simple if you know how to pickle regular cucumbers.
So, for a two-liter sterilized jar you need to prepare:
- cucumbers and tomatoes;
- garlic - 3 cloves;
- onion - 1 pc.;
- bay leaf - a couple;
- dill with inflorescences or seeds;
- mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon;
- bell pepper - optional;
- carrots - to taste;
- horseradish - a piece of root or leaf.
Marinade - 2 tbsp for 1 liter of water. spoons of sugar and 2 tbsp. spoons of salt (the hill should be small). Boil the marinade for a couple of minutes, pour the vinegar not into the marinade, but into a jar before rolling.
Progress:
- Prepare the cucumbers in the usual way as described above.
- Sterilize jars and lids.
- Place cucumbers, other vegetables and spices on the bottom, and tomatoes on top without packing.
- Pour boiling water over the contents and leave for 20 minutes for the vegetables to warm up.
- Drain the water and pour in the boiling marinade. Add 4 tbsp on top. spoons of 9 percent vinegar. We are talking about 2-liter jars; pour half as much vinegar into liter jars!
- Roll up the jars, wrap them for a couple of hours, or until they cool completely.
Recipe for spicy pickled cucumbers
The regular double-fill recipe is more spicy due to hot peppers and mustard seeds.
Cucumbers are prepared like this:
- Pour half a teaspoon of mustard seeds, a bay leaf, a ring of hot pepper, and a couple of cloves of garlic into a liter jar.
- Place prepared cucumbers on top.
- Pour boiling water over it for 20 minutes.
- Pour water into a saucepan and boil.
- Add sugar and salt 2 tbsp each to boiled water. spoons per 1 liter of water.
- Add 2 tbsp to jars. spoons of 9 percent vinegar, pour brine on top.
- Roll up the lids, turn them over, and wrap until cool.
Cucumbers for the winter without vinegar with citric acid
Is it possible to cook cucumbers without vinegar if your health does not allow you to eat pickled foods? Below is a recipe for pickled cucumbers with citric acid. For those for whom marinade is contraindicated and lemon is not the best solution, it is better to eat salted or fermented foods, that is, prepared during the process of natural lactic acid fermentation. But for those who don’t like the smell of vinegar, the recipe with citric acid is just right.
These proportions are designed to prepare five 1.5-liter jars of cucumbers:
- 5 kg of cucumbers;
- garlic - 2 heads;
- dill umbrellas - 5-6 pcs.;
- onion - 300 g;
- horseradish - leaf or root (10 g).
Progress:
- Sterilize the jars and boil the lids.
- Place vegetables, spices, pour boiling water over everything. Let stand for 15 minutes, drain.
- Boil the drained water again and pour it into the jars, leave for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the marinade: for 3 liters of water, 8 teaspoons of salt, 16 teaspoons of sugar. This marinade should be enough for dense packing of vegetables in the jar. If there is not enough, add some water to the jar.
- Drain the water and add marinade a third time. Before rolling, add half a teaspoon of citric acid (given for a 1.5 liter jar!).
- Roll up the jars, turn them over, and wrap them until they cool.
How to pickle cucumbers in jars with beets
This is an unusual recipe for cucumbers with an unexpected color and interesting aroma. It is important to take young cucumbers and fresh young beets so that they have a lot of juice. It is better to preserve in liter jars.
Required:
- a kilo of cucumbers per jar;
- 1 small beetroot;
- dill sprigs or inflorescence;
- garlic - a couple of cloves;
- cherry and currant leaves;
- peppercorns and allspice;
- sugar - 1 teaspoon;
- coarse salt - 1 tbsp. spoon;
- 9 percent vinegar - 1 tbsp. spoon.
Place all the spices in clean jars, then the beets, which can be cut into bars or slices. Then cucumbers. Fill the voids between the walls with beet slices.
Next, as usual, pour boiling water over the contents, let it sit for about 10 minutes, add sugar and salt to the drained water, don’t forget to add vinegar at the last moment and immediately add everything into jars. Roll it up, turn it over and under the blanket. It is better to keep such preparations in a cold place, a cellar.
Quick recipe
Is it possible to make pickled cucumbers in a bag? This question is asked by those who have heard about quick pickling of cucumbers using the so-called dry method. This recipe has been really popular lately, but it has nothing to do with classic pickling, because it does not contain any acid necessary for pickling. This simple and instant method, literally in a few hours, allows you to get an early ripening lightly salted cucumber.
This is done like this:
- put a kilogram of cucumbers with the ends cut off in any bag;
- add chopped garlic cloves;
- pour in 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt, herbs and spices to taste (dill, basil, currant or cherry leaves, horseradish);
- we send all the green ingredients there,
- tie the bag, shake everything vigorously so that the seasonings are well distributed;
- The pickling will be ready in a couple of hours.
This method is good because it is fast, but the cucumbers turn out a little wrinkled and soft - the salt draws moisture out of them.
An integral attribute of any feast are salted crispy cucumbers. There are a huge variety of recipes for pickling green vegetables for the winter. Particularly popular: spicy, with gooseberries, mustard seeds, etc. Unfortunately, with all the variety of ways to get pickles with a unique taste, aroma and, most importantly, crunch, not every housewife will succeed.
How to roll cucumbers to make them crispy? Despite its apparent simplicity, this procedure has many subtleties and “pitfalls” that many neglect. The crunch and elasticity of the popular Russian snack largely depends on the correct selection of vegetables. Let's look at the tricks of preparing this dish in more detail.
How to choose cucumbers for rolling?
The fruit must be freshly picked, strong and juicy. Sluggish and soft varieties after processing will not give the expected crunch. Some varieties will not tolerate long-term storage.
Agronomists divide all varieties suitable for growing into the following types:
- salad;
- pickling;
- universal.
Guess that the first ones are intended exclusively for fresh consumption. Their thick peel does not allow marinade to pass through easily. In the case of universal ones, it is clear that they are suitable for any purpose - both pickling and adding to salads. And only the pickling variety will give you the long-awaited crunch and unsurpassed taste. “Nezhinsky” was recognized as the best seaming species.
Characteristic differences
It is convenient to distinguish fruits from each other by appearance. The salad variety has an elongated shape and light spikes (the universal and pickling varieties have dark spikes). In cucumbers, ideal for pickling, the skin can be peeled off without applying force - just light pressure from your nail. The best candidates for canning are smooth, oblong fruits without deformations, damage, or uncharacteristic spots.
When discussing how to properly make cucumbers crispy for the winter, you need to sort them by size:
- Pickles are the smallest, up to 3-5 centimeters.
- Gherkins are medium-sized, reaching 9 centimeters in length.
- Zelentsy are large (9-14 centimeters).
Each group has developed its own ways to roll up crispy and sweet cucumbers. In the classic version, vegetables ranging in size from 7 to 12 centimeters are considered ideal for consumption in winter.
When starting pickling, you need to decide on a container for storing the product. If you plan to pickle without twisting, you will have to stock up on 3-liter glass jars and 10-liter enameled buckets.
Modern housewives use jars of different sizes from half a liter to 3 liters for pickling cucumbers.
Should you use plastic utensils? Barrels and containers made of universal material will come to the rescue if you don’t have a standard type of container on hand. Plastic barrels are a worthy alternative to oak barrels. They are not that expensive and do not spoil the taste of the main product.
An ordinary recipe for crispy cucumbers
The described recipe for how to roll up crispy cucumbers for the winter cannot be called ordinary. It was not copied from a culinary reference book or borrowed from a master class by a fashion restaurant chef. Its author is a simple village grandmother who grows cucumbers in her own garden and responsibly rolls them for a large family.
Preparing Ingredients
The most delicious cucumbers are grown with your own hands on your own plot. Market ones will also do. To arrange vegetables in jars as compactly as possible, the bulk of them should be of medium size and only 25-30% small ones to fill the upper part of the container.
Green fruits are soaked in a basin for 30-45 minutes and rinsed several times under running water.
How to roll cucumbers to make them crispy? Choose the right greens! According to the recipe you will need (per 1 jar):
- Cherry leaves - 5 pieces.
- Dill umbrella - 2 pieces.
- Garlic - 4 large cloves.
- Horseradish leaf - 1 piece.
- Horseradish root - 2-3 shavings.
The main ingredient responsible for that crunch is oak leaves. It is unlikely that you will be able to buy them on the market, so you will have to look for them yourself. It is this green component that will give cucumbers a unique crunch and prevent them from going limp during long-term storage.
Preparing the brine
The taste of the finished product largely depends on the quality of the brine. Place a bunch of cherry branches, dill stems and horseradish leaves into a saucepan with cold water. When the water boils, add 2 tablespoons of salt and half as much sugar (per liter of water). Finish with 25 grams of ground red pepper. The brine should boil for a quarter of an hour. Place a pot of clean water nearby and bring to a boil.
Filling cans
To roll crispy cucumbers into a 3-liter jar, it is not necessary to sterilize it. It is enough to treat with hot water, paying special attention to the neck. When the containers are dry, the bouquet of spices discussed above is placed on the bottom. Next, the jar is tightly filled with cucumbers. In order to fit more vegetables, large fruits are placed vertically at the bottom, and small ones closer to the neck.
Now the jar of cucumbers needs to be filled with boiling water for 10 minutes. This is a kind of sterilization of both the container and the products inside it. Guaranteed to get rid of germs.
Drain the water, add hot peppercorns - 5-8 pieces, 2 aspirin tablets, table vinegar - 40 grams per jar. Such natural preservatives will help vegetables be stored for a long time without losing their taste characteristics.
The next step in preparing crispy cucumbers for the winter is pouring brine. Tighten the jars, leave them in a dark place, wait until they cool completely. First turn it upside down and cover with a warm blanket. Store the finished snack in a place protected from sunlight. A cellar, pantry, etc. are perfect.
Cold pickling with vodka
The original way of pickling cucumbers to achieve an appetizing crunch involves using fresh, strong, small-sized fruits.
Additional Ingredients:
- Brine - 2 tablespoons of table salt per liter of clean water.
- Cherry leaves - 2 pieces per liter.
- Umbrella of dill - 1 piece per liter.
- Celery stalk - 1 piece per liter.
- Greens of thyme, tarragon - a couple of sprigs per liter.
- Vodka (40%) - 2 tablespoons per liter.
How to pickle cucumbers so they are crispy? First of all, take care of the quality of the water. If it goes through several levels of purification, boiling is not required. Dissolve salt.
Wash the vegetables thoroughly and place on a paper towel to drain excess liquid. Place spices at the bottom of the jars, previously washed and dried. Cucumbers are laid out on them, pressed tightly against each other. For ease of work, it is recommended to hold the jar at an angle of 45 degrees.
Pour in the brine. The liquid should completely cover the green fruits. Add the required amount of vodka.
Jars can be closed with two types of lids - regular polyethylene or twist-off. Send to a dark, cool place for a month.
Pickled cucumbers followed by canning for the winter
A simple recipe will allow you to enjoy the piquant taste of vegetables even before the onset of the first cold weather. The best masters of culinary art answer the question of how to properly roll cucumbers so that they crunch.
The first thing you need to do is choose the right ingredients. Cucumbers should be approximately the same size - 6-8 centimeters with underdeveloped seeds (this way the taste of the finished snack will be more delicate).
The bouquet of spices will consist of cherry, currant, oak, horseradish leaves - 4-5 pieces each per jar (volume 3 liters). This also includes peppercorns, a few cloves of garlic and a pod of hot pepper.
To prepare the filling, 40 grams of salt must be dissolved in a liter of water.
Cold marinating method
How to roll cucumbers to make them crispy? The jars should be thoroughly washed and, if desired, sterilized. All leaves, pods and cloves should show no signs of developing rot, disease or pest damage. Separated branches, cloves without peel and pods without seeds are washed in several waters and temporarily set aside.
Cucumbers are placed in a dense layer into the prepared container, followed by a layer of spices, then again cucumbers, again spices, and so on until the neck.
When rolling crispy cucumbers into a 3-liter jar, you need to properly prepare the brine. Dissolve 2 tablespoons of salt in a liter of cold water. Pour the resulting liquid over the cucumbers, cover with gauze folded in several layers, leave to begin fermentation processes for three days at a temperature of 20-22 degrees.
After the specified time, try one vegetable. If a rich, lightly salted taste is felt, the fermentation process should be interrupted. The brine is drained, the cucumbers are washed, the herbs and spices are thrown away.
It is important not to miss this moment. The taste should be delicate, the fruits should not be completely salted. Only in this case in winter they will have an inimitable taste, optimal strength and everyone’s favorite crunch.
To roll up crispy cucumbers for the winter, just like the first time, you will have to prepare a set of fresh leaves and spices. Return the cucumbers to the cleaned jars, boil the collected brine, pour into the jars, close with sterile lids, and wrap with a towel. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, drain the hot brine. To prevent spices and leaves from falling out, you can put a special rubber lid with small holes on the throat. If you don’t have one on your farm, you can use gauze.
Bring the brine to a boil again and transfer into jars. Now you can start rolling. It is advisable to cool the preserved food as quickly as possible and store it in a dark, well-ventilated place.
Hot way
The technique described below will allow you to roll up delicious crispy cucumbers, as in the previous recipe, only with minor technological adjustments.
To prepare the brine, table salt is diluted not in cold water, but in boiling water. The hot liquid is immediately poured into jars filled with green fruits and spices. The containers are closed and kept warm for 2-3 days. When the waiting period has come to an end, the brine is drained, and then the procedure is similar to the cold method.
When you open a jar of this snack in winter, you will be pleasantly surprised by the taste - lightly salted cucumbers with a delicate taste and fresh crunch will not leave anyone indifferent!
Pickling cucumbers without jars and barrels
The progress of the chemical industry supplies the kitchen with useful devices from year to year. One of the latest was the insert package. The inexpensive, capacious device is not inferior in performance characteristics to plastic and glass, and in some respects it significantly surpasses them.
How to roll cucumbers so that they are crispy in an insert bag? First, prepare the brine - 700 grams of salt per 10 liters of water. Here are also several buds of cloves, allspice grains, garlic and horseradish. Boil the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Cool to a temperature of 38-40 degrees. Strain into a clean container through cheesecloth.
Pour thoroughly washed cucumbers with the resulting brine. Keep at room temperature for a week, covering with a regular lid. After this, gather the edges of the liner bag together, remove excess air, and tie the free edge tightly with twine or thin rope.
The vegetables will be ready to eat after a month. They must be stored in a cool place.
When preparing brine, only rock salt should be used. Otherwise, the jar may explode or the cucumbers will acquire an unpleasant sour taste.
Everything that is planned to be placed in a jar must be thoroughly washed. This will save the brine from unexpected fermentation and prevent spoilage of the main product.
Glass jars must be placed in a cold oven for sterilization. This way they will heat up evenly and will not burst or explode.
Adding a few mustard seeds to the brine will help prevent damage to glass containers.
Oak bark will help add crunch and not spoil the natural taste - a small piece is enough to preserve the primary elasticity of the vegetable.
In order for green fruits to soak in brine faster, it is recommended to cut off their tails and make several small punctures with a fork.
Be sure to sterilize the lids. For metal ones, boiling for fifteen minutes in clean water is enough; for nylon ones, wash them thoroughly and scald them on all sides.
This is such a hot time now - the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The harvest is ripe and housewives have to work longer in the kitchen to prepare various delicacies for the winter. Today I want to offer you delicious recipes for crispy pickled cucumbers. Even if housewives do not prepare them, they buy them ready-made. But often store-bought cucumbers contain so much vinegar. And you can choose the appropriate recipe yourself and determine for yourself what kind of cucumbers you like - salty, spicy or sweet. After all, it’s so delicious to crunch with potatoes in the winter, and maybe even with vodka on holidays.
In my collection of pickled cucumber recipes there are time-tested preparations. But you must admit, it can be a shame if the recipe is good, and the jar didn’t shoot, but you opened the cucumbers, and they were soft. I also had such a bitter experience, including the entire batch of blanks. And then I became interested in what needs to be done to make the cucumbers crispy, and I share these tips with you.
- For canning, select small, healthy cucumbers with thin skin and dark pimples.
- To prepare the marinade, use regular, non-iodized salt.
- If possible, use clean, spring water, without chlorine.
- To make the cucumbers crispy, put blackcurrant leaves, oak leaves, horseradish leaves or root in the jars.
- For pickling, use cucumbers picked no later than 24 hours in advance.
- To prevent voids from appearing in pickled cucumbers, first soak the cucumbers in very cold water for 5-6 hours. Try not to let the water get too hot.
- Do not overuse garlic when pickling - it is believed that garlic makes cucumbers softer.
- To make cucumbers in a jar more firm, add mustard seeds to the marinade.
- One way to keep cucumbers crispy is to add a couple of 1 tbsp to each jar. l. vodka.
- To maintain the hardness of cucumbers, when canning it is better to use the method of repeated pouring with hot marinade.
- After rolling up the jars, do not wrap the cucumbers in a warm blanket so that they cool faster.
Crispy pickled cucumbers for the winter - recipe for 1 liter
I give this recipe for 1 liter of brine, from which two liter jars of cucumbers are obtained.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers – 2 kg
- water - 1 liter (for 2 jars)
- salt - 1 tbsp. l. with a slide
- sugar - 2 tbsp. l.
- vinegar essence (70%) - 1 tsp. (for 1 jar)
- peppercorns
- cloves - 2-3 pcs.
- horseradish leaves
- cilantro
- dill
- garlic
- Place chopped dill and cilantro and a few cloves of garlic on the bottom of jars well washed with soda.
Lids for rolling must be boiled in advance.
2. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers on both sides. Place the cucumbers tightly in the jar halfway and sprinkle with herbs again. We also add cucumbers to the top of the jar.
3. Boil water and pour hot water over the cucumbers in the jar. We wait about 10-12 minutes. Pour the water into a saucepan.
If the jar into which boiling water has been poured can be taken with both bare hands, then it’s time to drain the water
4. Pour boiling water a second time (it is very convenient to boil water in a kettle) and wait another 10-12 minutes. Pour this water into the sink.
5. From the water that we drained after the first pour we prepare a marinade. Add salt and sugar, peppercorns and cloves, bring the marinade to a boil.
6. Pour 1 tsp directly into the jars. vinegar essence. Pour in the hot marinade and try to get the spices into each jar.
How to make 9% vinegar from 70% vinegar essence? Very simple - 1 tsp. vinegar essence = 8 tsp. 9% vinegar - 7 tsp. water.
7. Now all that remains is to roll up the jars with metal lids and turn them upside down until they cool completely.
Sweet crispy pickled cucumbers for the winter recipe for 1 liter
I want to tell you that sweet pickled cucumbers are even tastier than salted ones, although probably not everyone will agree with this. But the sweet and sour marinade of this recipe does its job - the cucumbers simply disappear from the plate and everyone asks for more. I strongly advise you to cook it.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers
- peppercorns
- carrot
- onion
- Bay leaf
- dill
- mustard seeds
- chilli
Marinade for 1 liter of water:
- salt - 1 tbsp. l. with a slide
- sugar - 200 gr.
- vinegar (9%) – 200 ml
I don’t specifically indicate the number of cucumbers, but the marinade is designed for 1 liter of water. Accordingly, I take carrots and onions “by eye”. The main thing in this recipe is to maintain the proportion of salt and sugar. And if it seems to you that there is a lot of sugar, don’t doubt it. try to cook it, I’m sure you’ll like it.
- Wash the cucumbers and cut off the ends. Peel the carrots and cut into slices. Cut the onion into half rings and the garlic into strips.
- Place the spices, onions, carrots and herbs into clean jars. You can add chili pepper if you wish. Our family loves spicy food.
3. Place clean cucumbers tightly into jars. Try to place larger cucumbers on the bottom and smaller ones on top.
I conducted an experiment - I placed small cucumbers in jars vertically, and in other jars horizontally - it turned out about the same.
4. Boil water - it is very convenient to boil water in a kettle and pour it into jars. Pour boiling water over the cucumbers and leave for 20 minutes. We pour this water into a saucepan and put it on the fire - we will prepare the marinade from it.
5. Pour clean boiling water over the cucumbers again and leave for another 10 minutes.
6. Prepare the marinade from the first water, bring to a boil and add salt and sugar. Lastly, add the vinegar..
7. Pour the water out of the jars with cucumbers, and pour the hot marinade over the cucumbers.
8. We screw the jars with sterile lids, turn them upside down and keep them like that until they cool completely.
Crispy pickled cucumbers with mustard - a recipe for the winter
Last year I pickled cucumbers with mustard for the first time and from my own experience I can say that the experiment was a success. These cucumbers get a special taste thanks to mustard. Don't be afraid to experiment. We will also sterilize these cucumbers using the triple-fill method.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers
- peppercorns
- horseradish leaves, black currant
- Bay leaf
- dill
- garlic
Marinade for 1 liter of water:
- salt - 3 tbsp. l.
- sugar - 250 gr.
- vinegar (9%) – 150 ml
- spicy mustard - 1 jar
- As in the previous recipe, first put herbs, spices, and then cucumbers in clean jars.
2. Pour boiling water over the cucumbers in jars and leave for 15-20 minutes. We pour the water into an empty pan and immediately put it on the fire - we prepare the marinade from it.
3. In the meantime, we should have another portion of boiling water boiling; you can simply pour the cucumbers from the kettle. Pour in and leave for another 10 minutes. We drain the water and fill it with the marinade already prepared by that time.
3. To prepare the marinade, add salt, sugar, mustard and vinegar after draining the water for the first time. Bring to a boil and pour into jars.
4. Screw on the jars with sterilized lids, turn them over and keep them until they cool completely.
Crispy pickled cucumbers with citric acid - a recipe for the winter
Not everyone likes vinegar, but in order for jars to last well and reliably through the winter, acid is still needed. Vinegar can be replaced with citric acid.
Crispy pickled cucumbers for the winter without sterilization
This recipe is also without vinegar, but with citric acid. And instead of sterilizing the jars of cucumbers, we will fill them with boiling water.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers
- peppercorns
- horseradish leaves, black currant
- Bay leaf
- dill
- garlic
- mustard seeds
Marinade for 1 liter of water:
- salt - 2 tbsp. l.
- sugar - 3 tbsp. l.
- citric acid - 1/3 tsp.
We will use the 3-fold filling method.
- Place herbs, spices and garlic at the bottom of the jar. Place the cucumbers tightly in the jar.
2. Pour boiling water, cover with a lid and let stand for 20 minutes.
To prevent jars from cracking from hot water, you can put a metal spoon in each jar.
3. Drain the water and add a new portion of boiling water, again let it brew for 10-15 minutes.
4. We measure the first drained water to prepare the marinade. Bring it to a boil and add salt and sugar.
5. Place citric acid directly into jars. If you have a 3-liter jar, then you will need 1 teaspoon of citric acid.
6. Pour the marinade over the cucumbers and screw the lids on tightly. Turn the jars over until they cool completely.
Crispy pickled cucumbers with vodka - a recipe for the winter
As I already wrote, vodka is added to the marinade to make the cucumbers crispy. I found an excellent recipe for delicious cucumbers with vodka on the Internet. The cucumbers come out as salty as if they came out of a barrel.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers 1.5 - 2 kg
- peppercorns
- horseradish leaves, black currant
- Bay leaf
- dill
- marigolds - 3-4 pcs.
- garlic 4 - 5 cloves
Marinade:
- salt - 100 gr.
- vodka - 50 gr.
Pickled cucumbers for the winter - a finger-licking recipe
Another wonderful recipe that I’ve been using for canning for 10 years now and the cucumbers always turn out to be very tasty, truly “finger lickin’ good.”
Ingredients:
- cucumbers
- garlic
- onion
- carrot
- horseradish root or leaves
- Bay leaf
Marinade for 3 liters of water;
- salt - 5 tbsp. l.
- sugar - 9 tbsp. l.
- vinegar 9% - 300 ml
- Place herbs and spices at the bottom of the jar. Cut the onion into half rings, carrots into circles. Place it on the bottom of the jar.
2. Place the cucumbers tightly in the jar.
3. Prepare the marinade, pour in the vinegar last. Pour hot marinade over cucumbers.
4. Immerse the jars in a saucepan with warm water. Place a towel on the bottom of the pan. It is better to boil lids for jars separately. Sterilize jars of cucumbers for 10-15 minutes and seal them.
So, there are enough recipes for pickled cucumbers to choose the right one for yourself. But you understand that to choose, you need to try different recipes. Please note that the ingredients in all recipes are almost the same, but the taste of the cucumbers is completely different.
I wish you delicious preparations and good recipes. And if you liked my recipes, share them with your friends on social networks, suggest your own recipes and write remarks and comments.
