Summer time is especially troublesome for housewives.
Pickles, jams, compotes, marinades and winter snacks - all this needs to be prepared from the ripe gifts of summer and stored for the cold season. Pickled cucumbers are especially popular among summer preparations on the holiday table. Most often, crispy and aromatic vegetables are pickled in 3-liter jars. Many housewives want to please their household, but are afraid to fail. In fact, pickling cucumbers is not difficult. The main thing here is to adhere to the correct proportions of the main ingredients.
Classic brine recipe
I give this recipe for 1 liter of brine, from which two liter jars of cucumbers are obtained.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Another wonderful recipe that I have been using for canning for 10 years now and the cucumbers always turn out to be very tasty, truly “finger-licking” cucumbers.
To prepare marinade for 1 liter of water for cucumbers, you need the following components:
- boiled water – 1 liter;
- sugar - three level tablespoons;
- salt - two tablespoons;
- vinegar - 1 spoon for each liter.
Boil water, put table salt in it, dissolve it. Add sugar to boiling water, stirring until the grains dissolve. The water should boil for a few minutes. Pour the marinade into the jars of cucumbers, close the lid and leave for 20-25 minutes.
After the water has cooled, pour it from the jar back into the pan. Add a little more water, because it has been absorbed into the cucumbers and evaporated. Boil again for 2 minutes.
Make another fill, pour out the marinade so that it fills the jar to the brim. Cover again for 15 minutes. Pour into the marinade again and boil. You need to add a tablespoon of vinegar to each jar. Pour boiling marinade over the cucumbers and seal the jars. Turn them over and wrap them until they cool completely.
Cucumbers must be stored in a cool place. If vinegar is not suitable, it can be replaced with citric acid.
Pay special attention to spices. You don't need to add a lot of garlic because the cucumbers will be too soft. But currant and cherry leaves, cloves and pepper will not affect the density of vegetables. You can add other seasonings if desired. The main thing is to prepare everything according to the recipe, but taste the brine so that it turns out the way you like it.
The cucumbers turn out incredibly tasty and crispy. They can be used as a separate snack or added to salads. The dish will decorate any table; cucumbers are quickly eaten, and you will definitely be asked to reveal the secrets of their preparation.
Every housewife who has a summer cottage at her disposal strives to pickle crispy cucumbers for the winter. More often than not, housewives begin to be interested in recipes for pickling cucumbers for the winter during the ripening period of this vegetable.
Mass collection, as a rule, begins in central Russia in the last month of summer - the first month of autumn. Most often, varieties that have pimples on their surface are used to prepare pickled cucumbers for the winter.
The choice of cucumbers with pimples for pickling for the winter is due to the fact that those vegetables that have a smooth surface lose their crunchy qualities during canning and long-term storage in brine.
Pickled cucumbers, prepared for the winter in jars under a metal or nylon lid, are an excellent snack dish that goes well with many dishes.
The process of pickling crispy cucumbers for the winter according to any recipe begins with soaking the vegetable for 2-3 hours.
All recipes for pickling cucumbers for the winter differ from each other in the range of ingredients used. When pickling vegetables, vinegar, vodka and mustard can be used to prepare the brine. The taste of the final product is greatly influenced by the amount of table salt used for pickling and the list of spices used in the process of preserving pickles.
Canning vegetables using the hot method
The hot method of pickling vegetables involves using boiling water during the process of canning cucumbers. Most often in recipes, all ingredients are calculated based on pickling vegetables in a 3-liter jar. To use the hot method of canning cucumbers, you will need to prepare a certain list of ingredients:
- vegetables;
- currant or cherry leaves;
- several dill umbrellas;
- a dozen peppercorns;
- garlic;
- 9% vinegar – 3 tbsp. l.;
- kitchen salt - 3 tbsp. l.;
- horseradish roots;
- granulated sugar - 3 tbsp.
The technology for preserving vegetables in accordance with this recipe is as follows.
Vegetables are washed and the ends are trimmed. Currant and cherry foliage are also washed with running water.
Spices are placed at the bottom of the prepared container, on top of which pre-washed cucumbers are placed tightly. After this, the jars of vegetables are filled with boiling water and left for 20 minutes.
After time, the water is drained and brought to a boil again, salt and granulated sugar are added to it in accordance with the recipe. Next, boiling water is again poured into the jars of vegetables and left for 15 minutes.
After cooling, the brine is drained and brought to a boil again, and vinegar is added to the jars. The boiled brine is poured into jars, which, after filling, are rolled up with metal canning lids.
Filled and rolled up jars are turned upside down and left to cool completely. When canning vegetables using this recipe, inverted jars do not need to be wrapped.
Salting vegetables using the hot method using aspirin
The recipe for canning cucumbers using aspirin is not complicated and can be easily done at home.
To preserve cucumbers according to the recipe using aspirin, you will need to prepare a certain list of ingredients:
- vegetables;
- fresh green dill with parsley;
- garlic cloves;
- tablet aspirin;
- salt;
- black peppercorns and allspice;
- granulated sugar;
- water.
We present the best recipes: by making preparations according to them, you will definitely get tasty, aromatic and crispy cucumbers.
Pickled cucumbers with mustard and garlic
- Selected fresh cucumbers (10-12) cm – 10 kg
- Onions – 6 pieces
- Large garlic – 6 heads
- Mustard seeds – 600 g
- Well water – 5 l
- Coarse salt – 300 g
- Sugar – 1 kg
- Vinegar 9% – 0.5 l
Which cucumbers are better to choose?
After preservation, cucumbers have almost nothing left of their own taste. They absorb the characteristics of the marinade and spices. Therefore, you should not focus on the taste of the fruit when choosing in this case.
You need to pay attention to the following points:
- Size. The optimal size for cucumbers will be from 3 to 12 cm. The likelihood that the snack will turn out soft and will not crunch increases if you use overgrown fruits.
- Pay attention to the insides. If you break a cucumber, there should be no voids inside it. The seeds inside are underdeveloped and watery in appearance.
- Color. The greener the fruit, the fresher it is.
- Peel density. If it's dense, you'll end up with a crunchy, rather than soft, snack. You can check this point by experiment: pierce the skin with something. If this is easy to do, then it is better to refrain from such cucumbers. They are not suitable for conservation.
- Spikes. There should be black pimples on the surface of the fruit. This indicates that they belong to the pickling variety of cucumbers. White spines are a sign of cucumbers for eating.
- Tail. It should be elastic, not flaccid, with a bright, rich green color. Such factors indicate that the cucumbers were collected not so long ago, which means they are considered fresh and suitable for preservation.
Canning is a fun process. Fresh crispy pickled cucumbers in 3 liter jars with vinegar will serve as a good appetizer for a side dish. Their preparation does not require much effort and skill.
Author's note
Agapov Vladislav
When choosing fruits, focus on the varieties. The following are suitable for preservation: Mommy's favorite, Murashka, Competitor, Courage and a number of others.
Not all cucumbers are suitable for canning
Preparing marinade for cucumbers - recipe for 1 liter of water with 70% vinegar
It is worth noting that when preparing a dish, the concentration of vinegar is very important. It should also be taken into account that if vinegar is prescribed in the recipe, then you should not use vinegar essence. This is due to the fact that its concentration is much stronger than in vinegar. To prepare this recipe you will need one kilogram of cucumbers, one pod of bell pepper, two dill umbrellas, five cloves of garlic, one liter of water, sugar and salt to taste, one teaspoon of 70% vinegar, allspice and black peppercorns, several bay leaves leaf.
There is no need to sterilize cucumbers prepared according to this recipe.
- First, thoroughly wash the cucumbers and leave them in cold water for several hours. We rinse liter jars with soda and sterilize them for five minutes. Boil the lids for no more than ten minutes.
- Next, place the dill and bay leaf in boiling water for one minute.
- We put cut sweet peppers, two bay leaves, allspice and black pepper, dill and garlic into jars.
- Place the cucumbers vertically in the jars. First you need to cut off their “butts”. Next, lay the cucumbers horizontally. Place garlic and dill on top of them. Pour boiled water into the jars and leave for ten minutes. Then drain the water and immediately fill in new water.
- After the second filling has completed, remove the water again. This is done only to give a beautiful appearance to the rolled up jar. After all, the poured water is slightly cloudy and foamy.
- To prepare the marinade you will need one liter of water, a tablespoon of salt and two tablespoons of sugar. Bring water to a boil and dissolve salt and sugar in it.
Pour fresh marinade into jars. Add one teaspoon of 70% vinegar and immediately close them. Then turn them over and wrap them until they cool down.
Cooking tips
A few secrets will help you prepare even more delicious cucumbers:
- For salting, choose coarse rock salt. Regular (extra) and iodized ones give cucumbers softness. For 1 liter of water, 2-3 tbsp is enough. l. (40-60 g) salt.
- Basil, cumin, peppercorns, coriander, currant leaves, dill flowers, and herbs are suitable for pickling.
- To add sweetness to the pickling, add a small chopped carrot to each jar.
- To add variety and improve the taste, small tomatoes are added to the cucumbers.
- If you need to pickle large fruits in liter jars, cut them into slices and add 3-4 tsp to the jar. refined vegetable oil.
Pickled cucumbers with 9% vinegar
The choice of spices should be taken very carefully. For example, if you overdo it with garlic, the cucumbers will turn out soft. Ingredients such as cloves, allspice, bay leaves and currant leaves do not affect crunchiness in any way. If you choose a recipe for 1 liter of marinade water for cucumbers according to your taste preferences, then crispy cucumbers will fit perfectly into homemade preparations for the winter.
When cooking, you should use 9% vinegar, then you can do without sterilization. To prepare these cucumbers you will need:
- half a kilogram of cucumbers;
- two teaspoons of sugar and two teaspoons of salt;
- two peas of allspice;
- garlic clove;
- two teaspoons of 9% vinegar;
- hot pepper, horseradish, dill and currant leaves;
- onion or bell pepper.
After all the ingredients are prepared, we begin to prepare the roll. To begin, select cucumbers of the same size. It is desirable that they are dense and their pimples have a dark green color.
- Place the cucumbers in a large container with ice water and leave them there for three hours. It is advisable to pour colder liquid every half hour.
- Pre-sterilize the jars. There are no clear recommendations for this, because each housewife does it in her own way. For example, using the opening of a kettle, microwave or oven. It is more convenient to carry out this procedure in the oven if there are a lot of cans. Boil the lids in a saucepan.
- Place garlic, pepper and herbs at the bottom of the jar. We place the first row of cucumbers standing, and the rest are reported to the top in free form. Place a leaf of horseradish or cherry on top.
- We take a large saucepan, boil water in it and pour it into jars. Then cover them with lids and leave them in this state for ten minutes.
- Carefully pour the water from the jars back into the pan, add sugar, salt and mix well. Pour the resulting marinade into jars, adding a little to the top. Take 9% vinegar and pour two teaspoons into a jar. Then quickly roll up the lids.
Cooking is completed using the standard procedure. We turn the jars over and wrap them in a blanket for better sterilization. After they have cooled, we transfer them to the basement.
Preparing vegetables, spices and containers
One of the first things to consider when canning is preparation. Attention should be paid to vegetables. Rinse all components thoroughly in water. This applies to dill, onions and horseradish.
- There should be no chips, cracks, rot or other damage on the surface.
- It is important that the cucumbers are fresh.
- Remove uneven fruit. They are inconvenient to put in a jar.
- Overgrown cucumbers are also recommended to be tossed aside.
You also need to prepare the spices. The standard list includes:
- salt;
- sugar;
- laurel;
- dill (seeds or umbrellas).
You can also add allspice and hot pepper (peas), mustard seeds, currant, oak or cherry leaves.
Be careful when choosing spices, as cucumbers well absorb the flavor and aromatic characteristics of other ingredients.
Canned cucumbers with aspirin
Everyone knows the method of pickling cucumbers with aspirin. Housewives agree that such a dish will turn out crispy and tasty. These cucumbers are perfect as a snack or as an ingredient for a salad. Marinade with aspirin perfectly preserves vegetables all winter. Many people know that aspirin creates a wonderful acidic environment in which bacteria die. This preservation process allows you to store cucumbers for a very long time. It should not be forgotten that excessive presence of a preservative in a saline solution promotes the formation of phenolic compounds. That is why acetylsalicylic acid was banned from use in food production.
In order to close a liter jar of this dish you will need:
- 0.3 kilograms of cucumbers;
- several sprigs of parsley and dill;
- laurel leaf;
- 4 pieces of peppercorns;
- garlic clove;
- water and aspirin tablet;
- a few tablespoons of salt and a leaf of horseradish.
- We take liter jars and sterilize them. Boil the lids in a container of water for about ten minutes. Then we put the spices in the jar. They should be evenly distributed.
- We wash the cucumbers, making sure they are free of damage and rot. If we come across such ones, then we put them aside. Place the cucumbers in the jar vertically or horizontally. Place laurel, dill and parsley on top. Peel the garlic and add it along with horseradish.
- Prepare the marinade. To do this, take hot water and dilute salt in it. Place the resulting liquid on the stove and boil for five minutes. Then pour the marinade into jars and put one aspirin tablet in them. Leave them in this form for fifteen minutes. After this time, twist them.
At the end of cooking, place the jars with lids on the floor and wrap them in a warm blanket. After a few days we put it in the basement.
Sterilization of jars
Empty or already filled jars with cucumbers need to be sterilized. This process kills microbes, so cucumbers can be stored without losing their quality all winter, and sometimes for several seasons.
There are various methods of sterilization: in a water bath, in the oven, in the microwave. Each housewife chooses the most convenient option for her.
Don’t forget to sterilize not only the jars themselves, but also their lids. Simply boil the plastic lid in water for 15 seconds. Hold the metal ones for 2-3 minutes.
If sterilization takes place with jars filled with cucumbers and marinade, then the containers are covered with lids so that less water evaporates. The lids themselves are also sterilized during the process.
How to marinate cucumbers without vinegar
Everyone knows that vinegar allows you to preserve products for a long time, but at the same time they lose their beneficial properties. This is a rather aggressive product that can spoil the gastrointestinal tract.
If you use a preservative without vinegar, then it must be replaced with one that simply suppresses the growth of microflora. Citric acid is very popular and is perfect for home canning. Its taste is not as strong as that of vinegar, but food stores perfectly.
You can replace vinegar with red currant juice. To do this, just pour the berries into a jar of cucumbers and pour boiled saline solution over it all.
There is also a very interesting preservation in which vinegar is replaced with vodka. It is added before rolling up the jar. Just a couple of teaspoons of this drink is enough.
It can also be noted that apple or wine vinegar are perfect for marinade. These are natural products that retain beneficial vitamins in vegetables and fruits.
For example, let’s take a recipe for making cucumbers with citric acid marinade. To prepare a liter jar of cucumbers with marinade without vinegar you will need:
- cucumbers;
- three oak leaves;
- several cloves of garlic;
- two small pieces of carrots;
- two or three strips of bell pepper;
- half a chili pepper;
- teaspoon of citric acid;
- half a liter of water;
- one teaspoon of salt;
- three spoons of sugar.
- Soak the cucumbers in water for several hours, after which be sure to rinse them under cold water.
- Place the cucumbers along with garlic, pepper and peas. We also add strips of bell pepper and carrot pieces.
- Boil water and pour it into previously prepared jars of vegetables for fifteen minutes. Then pour this water into a saucepan, add sugar and salt and boil for another five minutes.
- Pour citric acid into a jar of vegetables and fill it with previously prepared brine up to the very neck. Cover tightly and turn upside down.
- The jar should be wrapped in a blanket until it cools down.
When preparing pickled cucumbers, the above recipes can be slightly adjusted and spices added at your discretion.
The vegetable season has already begun, marking the approaching period of preparations for the winter. According to the national Russian tradition, pickled cucumbers, rolled into 1, 2, and 3 liter jars, stand out especially here. Read and choose the best recipe for yourself: “Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 1 liter jar.”
This custom of pickling vegetables for the cold season originated many years ago, when ordinary people had to stock up on food for the harsh season. There were no refrigerators then and there was an urgent need for tasty and healthy food that could be safely stored for several months, then to open the collected supplies and enjoy the meal while snowstorms raged outside the window.
In modern times, pickling cucumbers has ceased to be truly necessary, turning into a pleasant pastime for loved ones and family friends at the home table. Pickled cucumbers are sure to be a great addition to lunch or dinner, adding a piquant flavor to regular hot food.
Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 1-liter jar of citric acid
Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 1 liter jar. First, let's look at a popular recipe using citric acid.
Ingredients:
- water, 2 liters
- fresh cucumbers, 2 kilograms
- cherry leaves, currant leaves, dill umbrellas - 2-3 pieces in total
- hot pepper - half a pod
- allspice in the form of peas – 4-7 pieces
- garlic – 4-6 cloves
- salt - 2 tbsp. no slide
- granulated sugar - 3 heaped tablespoons
- citric acid – 2 teaspoons. spoons
Cooking process:
- Fresh cucumbers need to be soaked in cold water for a couple of hours to soak in moisture. Then rinse thoroughly and trim the ends.
- Then carefully place the prepared cucumbers along with the necessary herbal seasonings (cherries, currants, peppers, dill, garlic) into a sterilized, clean jar.
- Boil the kettle.
- Then you need to pour boiling water over the prepared cucumbers in a jar. This must be done slowly and carefully so that the can does not crack under the influence of temperature changes, otherwise it will have to be replaced. Cover with a tight lid and leave in this state for 20 minutes to sterilize and warm up the vegetables.
- In the meantime, add hot and allspice, citric acid, salt and granulated sugar to a clean saucepan, add 2 liters of fresh water for the specified amount of ingredients. Boil the resulting brine for 4-5 minutes. Don't forget to taste the brine. If your taste lacks salt or sourness, add the necessary ingredients. Remember that you should already like the taste of the brine at this stage, then you will not be able to change anything. Therefore, try it, don’t rely on chance!
- Next, you must carefully drain the water from the jars of cucumbers at the end of 20 minutes and immediately pour boiling brine into them. If there is just not enough brine, you can fill the jars up to the neck with clean boiling water from a regular kettle.
- Next, you need to screw the jar very tightly with a metal lid and transfer it to a warm, specially prepared place.
- Turn the jars upside down and wrap them in a blanket or towel. Leave it like this until it cools completely.
After cooling, turn it into its normal position and take it to a storage place. The twist will be ready in 2-3 months. During this period, the cucumbers will marinate well in citric acid and only then can they be uncorked.
Cucumbers for the winter - the most delicious recipe for a 1 liter jar of vinegar
Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 1 liter jar. Vinegar as a preservative for pickling cucumbers is also widely used, as is citric acid.
Ingredients:
- sugar and salt - two tablespoons of each is enough
- garlic – 2 cloves
- ground black pepper - half a teaspoon
- fresh cucumbers – also 2 kg
- dill – 2-3 umbrellas
- 9% vinegar - half a glass
- bay leaf - several pieces
How to cook:
- Place all the cucumbers in a bowl or other container and fill it with cold water for 2 hours. We wash the vegetables well and cut off the ends.
- During this time, you need to sterilize the jars so that they are completely clean. You can do this in the oven, microwave, or pour boiling water from a kettle over clean jars.
- Place garlic, bay leaf, herbs and pepper at the bottom of the jars.
- Next, we stack the prepared cucumbers as closely as possible to each other.
- Fill the jar with boiling water from the kettle, cover tightly with a lid and leave for 15 or 20 minutes.
- Then pour the water into the prepared pan, add salt, sugar and spices.
- Boil the brine, taste it, add salt or sweeten it more if necessary.
- At the end, add vinegar and try again. If you are completely satisfied with the taste, then carefully pour it into a jar.
- As in the previous recipe, leave the inverted jars to cool, wrapped in warm fabrics, and then put them in a secluded place for a couple of months.
Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 1 liter jar without sterilization
When they talk about pickling cucumbers without sterilization, they mean that there is no process of sterilizing the jars along with the cucumbers. And empty jars always need to be cleaned and sterilized, otherwise this can result in serious problems with human health. Without this, the brine poured there may become cloudy, absorb pathogenic bacteria, or simply deteriorate.
Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 1 liter jar of mustard
Some people pickle cucumbers with mustard. It adds density and a special taste to vegetables, which many lovers of spicy foods like. The main feature of this method of pickling is the need to store ready-made jars of food in a cool place, avoiding placing them in medium and high temperatures.
Ingredients:
- table salt – 1 tbsp. spoon
- mustard powder - half a table. spoons
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- horseradish leaf and root
- 2 kilograms of cucumbers
- currant, cherry and oak leaves
- small piece of hot pepper
- a little dill
Let's move on to cooking:
- We wash the cucumber fruits under the tap, clearing them of any flowers.
- Soak the washed vegetables in a bowl of cold water for 2 or 3 hours.
- Boil 1.5 liters of clean water in a saucepan.
- After boiling, add salt, cook for a couple of minutes and remove from heat. Pour mustard into boiling water and stir.
- Place half of all the greens, peppers and garlic into cleaned, sterilized jars.
- Next, fold the cucumbers tightly, and on top of them the rest of the leaves, garlic cloves and peppers.
- We wait for the mustard brine to cool and pour it into the jar. We close it with a nylon lid.
- We put the jars in the cellar or other place with a low temperature. The food will be ready to eat in 2 months.
Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 2 liter jar
Those who want to prepare pickled cucumbers in large quantities can try their luck with 2-liter jars. They will hold more vegetables and marinade, and after opening the aromatic cucumbers will be enough for a vinaigrette, a hodgepodge, and just for the whole family to eat!
Ingredients:
- 3 kilograms of fresh cucumbers
- salt – 2 tablespoons per 2 liters of water
- sugar – 3 tablespoons per 2 liters of water
- peppercorns – 3 pieces
- Cloves and allspice - 2 pcs.
- 2 bay leaves
- Tablespoon mustard seeds
- dill umbrella, lovage sprig
- 70% vinegar – 1 teaspoon
- clean water - how much will go in
- garlic – 5-6 cloves
How to cook:
- As has been described many times, we wash the cucumbers and put them in a container with water, where we leave them to cool for 3-4 hours.
- We put greens in thoroughly washed and sterilized jars and you can also add horseradish or cherry leaves (but not necessarily), if such a desire arises.
- Place moist, clean cucumbers in jars in dense rows, top them with remaining bay leaves and garlic.
- Fill everything with boiling water to the top and leave it like that for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, pour 2 liters of water into a saucepan, add salt and sugar. Boil for a couple of minutes, add peppercorns, allspice, mustard, cloves and boil for another 5 minutes, adding vinegar at the end. We taste it and adjust the taste if necessary.
- Drain the water from the jars.
- Pour the boiling brine into jars and seal them tightly with lids.
- We turn the jars over, set them to cool, and then put them away and store them in a dark, cool place for 2-3 months until ready.
Cucumbers for the winter: the most delicious recipe for a 3 liter jar of lemon (video)
Preparing pickled cucumbers is very simple and straightforward even for beginners, although there are dangers. Jars of cucumbers in storage may well explode due to internal pressure, therefore, it is worth keeping them in a safe place where curious children or pets will not reach. To prevent this from happening, you need to carefully follow the instructions in the recipes and check everything from your own experience, even if sometimes making “explosive” mistakes.
Despite any dangers, the results are worth it. After all, in the end you will get delicious food, which can always brighten up any home meal. And also get the unique experience of pickling cucumbers at home, which will be a definite plus in the development of your culinary skills. And if you follow all the safety rules, you won’t have to worry about anything and just enjoy the prepared product and make your family happy!
Health to you and your loved ones! Natalya Belokopytova.