Cool and crunchy, deliciously sour pickled cucumbers are equally suitable for a sandwich and as an independent snack. They are included in the winter ration of most families. The recipes for their preparation are not at all complicated and do not take so much time. We will tell you how to pickle cucumbers in this review.
Preparatory Activities
The main ingredient is cucumbers. If you grow them yourself, please note that there are varieties that are suitable for pickling and those whose fruits are consumed only fresh. Classic pickled cucumbers remain solid and crunchy throughout their shelf life. Varieties that are suitable for preservation are characterized by a longer shelf life of canned food and a denser consistency of the product.
Did you know? The heaviest cucumber was raised by David Thomas in 2015. The giant cucumber weighed 12.9 kg. It was presented at an exhibition in Malvern (UK).
When purchasing fruits in a store or on the market, choose identical copies, no more than 10 cm long. Thin-skinned cucumbers are better saturated with marinade and are more uniform in taste. Do not buy ripe fruits, they are not so tasty, and harvesting from them can deteriorate prematurely.
The main flavor for pickles is dill seeds. They can be purchased on the market with herbs or in a specialized store. Marinades are prepared on water with the addition of a preservative - vinegar, as well as salt and sugar.
In addition, the recipe may contain:
- garlic;
- black pepper;
- fruit tree leaves: usually cherry or currant;
- other ingredients, depending on the recipe.
Cucumbers can be closed with other vegetables or separately. There are many recipes with sauces or exotic spices. Therefore, it is not difficult to choose what will be to your taste.
Cucumber preparation
Regardless of which vegetables are part of the harvest, make sure they are ripe. Avoid bent, aged, or damaged fruit. Before cooking, store them in a refrigerator in a plastic bag. Rinse vegetables thoroughly before use and remove any stains or damage. If the fruit has begun to rot or become soft, do not use it in the workpiece. Such a cucumber will cause fermentation and ruin the entire jar.
Cut the ends of the fruit on both sides. If the recipe involves cutting them, then the size of the cucumbers does not matter. Cut in equal slices or cut each of them in half. For prefabricated whole fruits, specimens no longer than 8–10 cm are used.
Important! Soak the cucumbers in ice water for 4–5 hours or overnight to help them maintain a crisp consistency in the marinade. To make the water icy, immerse 1/3 of the ice and 1/3 of the water in the container, and then put the cucumbers in it.
Preparation of cans and lids
You will also need glass jars for preservation. Many housewives prefer 1 liter containers. But if you have a large family, and you really like cucumbers, then prepare large cans of 3 liters for canning. The container is thoroughly washed with soda and sterilized before use.
Modern housewives use 3 methods of sterilization:
- steam processing, in which a grate is installed above the pan with water, a container is placed on it and steamed for 10–20 minutes, depending on size;
- hot air treatment in the oven at a temperature of + 160 ° C for 10 minutes - such containers are not removed immediately so that the temperature contrast does not damage it;
- in the microwaveby setting the cans on a water tray for 10 minutes at maximum temperature.
Covers for preservation also need to be boiled for 1-2 minutes.
Important! Soda is able to neutralize the vital activity of microorganisms. It is odorless and harmless to the body. This makes it indispensable in preparing cans for sterilization.
Chili Ketchup Pickles: Best Recipes
The basic ingredient for a quality product is marinade. To cook it, you will need vinegar, some salt and sugar. It depends on the marinade how delicious and crispy your cucumbers will be. When preparing the solution, keep the same proportions for each jar. To affect the taste of the marinade - change the number of spices, their composition and types of vinegar.
Using wine vinegar, apple or any other - you will get different shades of taste of the final product. A very interesting process is the processing of cucumbers in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. This type of processing gives the fruit a softer texture. Therefore, if you do not like crispy cucumbers, soften them in such a simple way.
A simple recipe for crispy cucumbers with sterilization
Important! Pickled cucumbers contain too much sodium, which is contraindicated in people with high blood pressure.
In one jar stack:
dill with seeds
1-2 umbrellas
peppercorns
3–5.
- For marinade, take filtered water, add all the liquid ingredients, salt, sugar. Mix the components until completely dissolved.
- In a clean, sterilized container, place the washed greens and spices.
- Then fill the space with cucumbers to the shoulders.
- Pour cucumbers with pickling solution.
- Put a towel in the large pan at the bottom, set the jars covered with lids.
- Fill the space with water and put on sterilization.
- From the moment of boiling, sterilization should occur within 15 minutes. The volume of liquid should not fall below 2/3 of the height of the cans. When pouring water, note that boiling water will rise above the original level.
- Remove the cans from the sterilizer and roll up the lids.
Video: Chili Ketchup Cucumbers
Video recipe
A simple recipe for crispy cucumbers with sterilization
No sterilization
Each jar contains:
- Washed greens and garlic are placed in a clean, sterile jar.
- Prepared cucumbers are laid on top.
- Pour the contents of the cans with boiling water.
- Leave the contents for 1-2 hours before cooling.
- Drain the liquid from the cucumbers into a separate pan.
- Put all the ingredients into it: vinegar, chili sauce, sugar and salt;
- The brine is put on fire, after boiling it is poured into cans with cucumbers.
- Capping is carried out with lids and left until eating.
Video: cucumbers with chili ketchup without sterilization
Video recipe
Without sterilization
Chopped cucumbers
Each jar contains:
- dill umbrella with seeds 6 - 1
peppercorns
3–5.
- Soak cucumbers for 2 hours in water at a temperature of +5 ... + 10 ° С. Then rinse and trim the ends.
- Cut the cucumbers into pieces.
- Pour water into the pan, add ketchup and stir.
- Add sugar, salt and add vinegar.
- Bring the solution to a boil.
- Fill cans with cucumbers.
- Pour boiling marinade.
- Prepare a pot with a towel on the bottom for sterilization.
- Set jars in this pan.
- Add water to the pan to a height of 2/3 cans.
- Lay the lids on the cans.
- Sterilize from boiling for 10 minutes.
- Roll up blanks with covers.
Video: cucumbers with chili ketchup for the winter
Video recipe
Sliced cucumber
With juniper berry
Each jar contains:
Did you know? Bitter cucumbers begin as a result of stress. Uneven watering or lack thereof, lack of sun - all this leads to the appearance of bitterness in the fruits.
- juniper berries 6 - 4
fennel seeds
1 teaspoon
mustard seeds
1 tsp.
- Prepared cucumbers are cut into 4 parts.
- Stack them in a clean, sterile container.
- Add the same garlic.
- Fennel, mustard and juniper are ground in a mortar.
- Heat this mixture over low heat until the flavor starts.
- A marinade is prepared from water, salt, sugar, vinegar, honey and mashed berries with seeds.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn off the heat. The marinade must be infused for 10 minutes.
- Then the marinade is poured into jars. Once the mixture has cooled, the jars are covered and cleaned in the refrigerator.
- The product can be eaten the very next day.
With mustard
Did you know? Chinese medicine considers cucumbers to be a cooling product. They are recommended to eat in hot and humid weather.
mustard seeds
3 teaspoons
- Prepared cucumbers cut into circles.
- Stack in a bowl, sprinkle with salt, leave for 1-2 hours. This will help remove excess moisture from them to enhance palatability.
- After 2 hours, the cucumbers are thrown into a colander and the excess liquid is drained.
- Pieces are placed in a bowl, add onion, mustard seeds, mix.
- In a pan over low heat, marinade is prepared from sugar, vinegar, water. The solution is brought to a boil and simmered for 5-8 minutes.
- Vegetables are laid out in jars, pepper is added and the marinade is added, so as to cover the cucumbers.
- Let air bubbles escape (1-2 minutes).
- Close the lid, cool and store in the refrigerator.
How to store and where to store blanks?
Among the many places where our grandmothers kept the banks, there were many creative solutions: on the mezzanines, under the bed, in the pantry, in the cellar and in other places. Perhaps not all places were equally convenient for storage.
Therefore, when choosing the best place, you need to consider that:
- preservation should not be exposed to direct sunlight so as not to lose its color and aroma;
- An ideal room would be a cool, dry cellar with low air temperature;
- shelves are suitable in a living room if there are no heating appliances near them;
- in the absence of racks, cardboard boxes are used.
Useful Tips
There are many tips on how to cook, store, eat both the cucumbers themselves and the individual ingredients of the marinade.
Check out the recipe for cucumbers with ketchup without sterilization.
Of the 1000 tips, we have selected the most important ones to consider when cooking pickled cucumbers:
- for harvesting for the winter use only fresh fruits harvested no later than 24 hours ago;
- if you can’t immediately use cucumbers - store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator;
- preserve only those varieties that are suitable for salting;
- Do not preserve fruits with a glossy, slightly waxed surface - they do not absorb marinade well;
- do not use damaged or rotten fruits;
- if you don’t cut the nose of the cucumber, then the enzymes contained in the flower and the surrounding area will make it soft;
- thoroughly rinse the fruit with running water and remove dirt;
Vinegar with an acidity of 5% allows you to feel all the tasteful subtleties of the product, but a higher acidity will make cucumbers more acidic and can destroy their natural taste. In most regions, tap water is hard and contains a high concentration of metal salts. It also affects the taste of dishes, reduces the acidity of the brine and in some cases affects the safety of the product. Reduced acidity can create conditions for the development of bacteria and fermentation of the contents of the jar. If there is no water filter, soften the water by boiling for 15 minutes and settling for 24 hours.
The upper part of the liquid is carefully removed and decanted so that the bottom sediment does not fall into the used part of the water. Use only fresh spices with a shelf life of no more than 6 months. With prolonged storage, they will lose their flavor. Powdered spices make the marinade cloudy. Therefore, spices are advised to apply in the form of seeds. Prepare marinades in stainless steel dishes, heat-resistant glass and other containers that do not come into contact with vinegar, salt and juice.
Did you know? Salt can make the brine cloudy, so it’s best to use refined salt options. This is possible due to the wide selection of this product in the assortment of stores.
Avoid copper, brass or iron utensils. Homemade pickled cucumbers are distinguished by good taste. Regardless of whether you will eat them immediately or prepare them for the winter, be sure to prepare at least a few jars. After all, cucumbers are able to improve digestion processes and have a beneficial effect on the body.
