Good afternoon, hostesses! Today I will write 4 step-by-step recipes for pickled cucumbers. Conservation is a troublesome, but important matter. Open a jar in winter and rejoice. Cucumbers according to all 4 recipes turn out crispy. The difference is in the canning technology (choose the most convenient option) and flavoring additives. If you do everything as written in the recipes, the pickled cucumbers will be stored well and the jars will not explode.
Before you start studying recipes, be sure to read which cucumbers are suitable for canning and how to properly prepare them. A bad result may be precisely because of these mistakes.
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.
It is not difficult to guess that the former 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.
Recommendations for choosing cookware
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.
Preparing Ingredients
The most delicious cucumbers are grown with your own hands on your own plot. Market ones will also do. In order 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.
“Assorted”: marinate cucumbers and tomatoes
When a family has lovers of both cucumbers and tomatoes, they don’t argue about tastes, but prepare an assortment of two types of vegetables.
This method involves pickling cucumbers with citric acid. For this recipe, it is better to take larger jars, ideally 3 liters.
- Place a pair of bay leaves and 10 allspice peas into each prepared container, add 1-2 hot pepper rings.
- The next layer will be tomato. Since it is lower, medium-sized, dense specimens will go here.
- Cucumbers are placed on the tomatoes, then tomatoes again, but smaller ones. They are “diluted” with horseradish leaves, celery sprigs, dill umbrellas, chopped garlic cloves.
- The blanks are poured with boiling water, covered with lids and placed under a thick towel for 30 minutes.
- Pour the water into a saucepan to boil again, cover the jars with a towel to prevent cooling.
- In each container - 1 tablespoon of salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, ½ teaspoon of citric acid.
- The blanks are poured with boiling water for the 2nd time, after which the lids are rolled up.
Jars with cucumber and tomato contents should spend 6-8 hours under a warm blanket.
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.
Canned cucumbers for the winter without sterilization. Very tasty recipe
To prepare tasty and crispy cucumbers for the winter, it is not necessary to sterilize them. If you adhere to canning technology and seal the lids tightly, the snack can be stored for several years.
For a one-liter jar you will need the following amount of ingredients:
- The number of cucumbers depends on their size.
- 2 tsp granulated sugar.
- 2 tsp table salt.
- 2 tbsp table vinegar.
- 2-3 pieces of dill umbrellas.
- 5-8 black peppercorns.
- 4-5 cloves of garlic.
- 10-15 cm of horseradish leaf.
- 5-6cm horseradish root.
Canning process
Cucumbers need to be washed thoroughly and then soaked in cold water for 2-4 hours.
All products need to be washed. It is also necessary to prepare the jars. It is not necessary to sterilize them; just wash them well under running water. Add dill umbrellas and peeled garlic cloves to them.
The horseradish root needs to be peeled, cut into small pieces and placed in jars.
After this, chop the horseradish leaf and add to the rest of the ingredients.
Cucumbers can be trimmed on both sides, but this is not necessary. Place larger fruits vertically on the bottom, and add small cucumbers to the top of the jar. If desired, you can add another umbrella of dill on top. Also add peppercorns and bay leaves to the jar.
Fill the jars to the very top with boiling water. Cover with lids and leave the workpiece for 40-50 minutes. After this, pour the liquid into a bowl; we will need it to prepare the brine.
Place the container of water on the stove and bring the liquid to a boil. After this, add sugar and salt, stir well until all the crystals are completely dissolved. At the very end add table vinegar 9%.
Pour the boiling brine into liter jars and roll the workpiece with a special machine. There is another option - salt, sugar and vinegar can be added directly to the jars, then filled with boiling water, which we previously drained.
Turn the jars over, cover with a towel and leave until completely cool.
This is one of the simplest recipes for pickling cucumbers.
It is important to note that such preservation can be stored for a long time in a kitchen cabinet at room temperature.
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 with mustard seeds?
The cucumbers according to this recipe will turn out spicy and crispy. Try this preservation option.
Ingredients for 1 liter jar:
- cucumbers
- dill umbrellas - 1 pc.
- currant leaves - 4 pcs.
- cherry leaves - 2 pcs.
- hot pepper - 2 rings
- garlic - 3 cloves
- bay leaf - 1 pc.
- black peppercorns - 5-8 pcs.
- mustard seeds - 0.5 tsp.
- salt - 2 tsp. with a slide
- sugar - 2 tsp. with a slide
- vinegar 9% - 50 gr.
How to pickle cucumbers with mustard:
1. Wash the cucumbers as usual and soak for several hours. Wash the greens (leaves, dill) and pour/scald with boiling water. Sterilize jars and lids.
2. Place an umbrella of dill, which has previously been in boiling water, at the bottom of a sterile jar (1 liter). Next, add 4 currant leaves and 2 cherry leaves. Cut the hot pepper into rings and place 2 rings in a jar. Also, in a 1 liter jar, put 1 clove of garlic, cut into several pieces, 1 bay leaf, a few black peppercorns.
3.Fill the jar to the top with cucumbers. Place a couple more chopped garlic cloves on top.
4. Pour boiling water over the cucumbers to the very top of the jar and cover with sterilized lids. Leave for 20 minutes.
5.Drain the water from the cucumbers into a saucepan and boil it. Pour boiling water again into the jar with cucumbers, cover again with a lid and leave to warm up for 20 minutes.
6.Drain the water from the cans into the pan again and bring it to a boil. Add half a teaspoon of mustard seeds to each jar. Pour 2 tsp into each jar. heaped salt and 2 tsp. sugar with a slide. And pour in 50 ml of vinegar.
7.Fill the cucumbers with boiling water to the very top and roll up the lids. Turn the jars over and wrap them in something warm, let them cool completely. And in winter you will get spicy and aromatic pickled cucumbers.
Cooking recommendations
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.
Sweet canned cucumbers with crunch
Sweet and crunchy canned cucumbers are prepared according to a special recipe. The main secret is more sugar. Many housewives add bell pepper, which gives the product a special sweet and spicy taste.
In addition to cucumbers and peppers, you can prepare any seasonings to taste - peppercorns, currant leaves, cherries. The sweet version can be prepared with carrots. Today we have a simple recipe in which only sugar adds sweetness to the marinade.
https://ok.ru/video/ 1025628115220
Ingredients for 1 liter of marinade:
- 5 tbsp. l. sugar;
- 1 tbsp. level spoons of salt;
- for a 3-liter jar - 1 tbsp. l. vinegar (70%);
- for 2 l. jar - 1 dessert l. vinegar (70%);
- for a liter jar - a teaspoon of vinegar;
For canning:
- cucumbers;
- dill umbrellas;
- currant leaves;
- peppercorns (black and allspice);
- garlic;
How to cook:
It is very convenient to calculate the components not by the volume of the jar (3 liters or 1 liter), but by the amount of water. The prepared marinade can be immediately poured into containers with cucumbers of any size.
First you need to prepare the jars. Wash and sterilize well. Then place 2 cloves of garlic on the bottom of the jars; you can also add currant leaves, dill or other seasonings. Place prepared cucumbers with trimmed ends into jars.
Pour boiling water over the prepared jars of cucumbers.
After cooling, this takes 15-20 minutes, drain the water from the cans into a saucepan.
Place the necessary ingredients (sugar, salt) into the water. Stir and put on fire, bring to a boil. Now fill the jars with marinade.
Add vinegar directly to the jars as indicated in the layout. For a 3-liter jar you will need 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
Now you can roll up the jars with lids.
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 (3 liter volume). 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.
Crispy pickled cucumbers for the winter with ketchup
Let's prepare a recipe for pickled cucumbers with Chili ketchup. The recipe is simple and very tasty. I'm sure it's worth trying at least once.
Ingredients:
- Cucumbers – 1.5 kg.
- Water – 1l.
- Salt – 2 tbsp.
- Sugar – 200g.
- Vinegar 9% – 180ml.
- Chili ketchup – 300g.
- Bay leaf – 1 pc. to the jar
- Black peppercorns – 10 pcs.
- Dill umbrella – 1 pc.
- Cherry leaf – 2 pcs.
- Horseradish leaf – 0.5 pcs.
- Currant leaf – 2 pcs.
Place all the spices on the bottom of clean liter jars: dill, bay leaf, horseradish leaves, currants and cherries.
We wash the cucumbers, soak them in water for two hours, then rinse them and trim the ends. Place tightly in jars.
Prepare the marinade. Pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil, add salt, sugar, vinegar and ketchup. When the marinade boils again, turn off the heat and immediately fill the jars.
Then we sterilize the jars. Place a towel on the bottom of a large saucepan, pour in water and place on the fire to heat up. When the water temperature is equal to the temperature of the jars, place the jars in a pan on a towel, bring to a boil and sterilize for 15 minutes.
After the sterilization time has expired, take out the jars and roll up the lids. Leave to cool and store.
Bon appetit!
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.
Crispy cucumbers in jars for the winter: a classic recipe
In the USSR (where is this?) it was customary to use three-liter containers for cucumber preparations, but today the emphasis has changed.
Modern housewives prefer to prepare pickled cucumbers in liter jars for the winter.
After all, it is much more convenient to open a compact jar and immediately serve its contents to the table, without racking your brains about how to place a three-liter container in the refrigerator.
Therefore, as a classic one, it is worth adopting this particular recipe for pickling cucumbers:
- Coarsely chopped herbs and a couple of garlic cloves are poured into the bottom of a liter jar (cut into several pieces).
Next, they begin laying the cucumbers: the bottom “floor” is vertical (for greater density), then – randomly, focusing on the size of the vegetables. A layer of greenery is formed between the vertical and horizontal layers, and the contents of the jar are completed with it. - The preparations are poured with boiling water and covered with lids. When the jar can be safely picked up, it’s time to drain (a liter container usually takes 10-12 minutes).
- Fill with boiling water again and wait until it cools down. At this stage, the cucumbers will change color, they will acquire a light olive tint.
- While the workpiece is cooling, prepare the marinade. For 1 liter of water: 7-10 peppercorns (Pepper Mix is perfect), 2-3 cloves, 1 heaped tablespoon of salt, 2 heaped tablespoons of sugar (without a heap). Stir, put on fire, bring to a boil.
- Drain the cooled water from the jar of cucumbers. Add 1 teaspoon of vinegar essence (70%) there, pour in the boiled marinade. Experienced housewives have noticed that in this case 0.5 liters of marinade are needed per liter container.
- The final stage is rolling up the lids.
To ensure that cucumbers pickled for the winter in this way are crispy, it is not recommended to wrap them in a blanket. Filling a small container three times is enough to keep it preserved even at room temperature without additional heating.
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. There 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.
Canning small cucumbers: a quick recipe
This recipe does not require multiple fillings. The cucumbers are immediately filled with ready-made marinade, but this will not affect their shelf life, but they turn out more elastic and crunchy.
You will need:
- 1 kg gherkins;
- 1 small young carrot;
- a couple of cloves of garlic;
- a couple tsp salt;
- couple of st. l. salt;
- 60 gr. vinegar;
- a pair of laurel leaves;
- a couple of sprigs of dill:
- 4 peas each of allspice and regular black pepper;
- a couple of leaves of horseradish, the same amount of currants and cherries;
- 1 tsp. dry mustard seeds.
Cooking steps:
- The gherkins are washed and immersed in water for at least an hour, but it is better to soak longer.
- Jars are washed and must be sterilized.
- In each jar put carrots cut into circles, chopped horseradish, garlic and mustard.
- The tails of the cucumbers must be cut off and only after that they are placed in jars.
- Sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, as well as bay leaves are added directly to the jars themselves.
- Gherkins are poured with boiled, but not hot water.
- Filled jars are sterilized in a pan of water for at least a quarter of an hour.
The cans are rolled up and wrapped in a blanket.