How to cook pickled cucumbers at home: the most delicious recipes and useful tips

A popular appetizer and indispensable ingredient in traditional Russian cuisine is pickled cucumbers. There are many recipes for this blank, and today we will tell you about the simplest and most popular of them.

In addition to them, in the article you will find useful tips, following which you can avoid mistakes when pickling and curling vegetables for the winter.

The benefits and harms of pickled cucumbers

A green vegetable contains a lot of fiber, calcium, magnesium, iron, carotene and phosphorus. It is rich in vitamins A, B, C, E, PP, H. Eating it increases immunity and eliminates toxins from the body. It is useful for overweight people to eat cucumbers. With their low calorie content, they create a feeling of fullness in the stomach.

Pickled vegetables are almost as healthy as fresh ones, and are much healthier than pickled and salted vegetables due to their lactic acid content. She participates in the metabolic processes of the body. Nutritionists recommend eating them for people who want to lose weight.

Harm

Pickled cucumbers increase the acidic environment in the stomach. Therefore, it is not recommended to use them for gastritis and gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer.

Attention! Excessive consumption of pickled vegetables can lead to complications with existing diseases of the kidneys, heart and gastrointestinal tract.

The best pickled cucumber recipes

We have selected several recipes for making delicious, aromatic and crunchy sauerkraut. They ferment without the use of vinegar - lactic acid, which is naturally formed during fermentation, acts as a preservative.

Attention! The number of ingredients in all recipes is based on one three-liter can, unless otherwise stated.

Classic recipe in jars

Previously, the snack was fermented in an oak barrel and then stored in it. In an apartment, few people have such an opportunity, so now, in most cases, vegetables are fermented in an enamel bowl. After that, they are rolled up in jars.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 1.3 kg;
• salt - 1.5 tbsp. l .;
• garlic - 3 cloves;
• horseradish root - 1 pc .;
• horseradish leaves - 3 pcs.;
• oak leaves - 3 pcs.;
• dill - 3 umbrellas;
• water - 1.5 l.

Preparation:

1. Soak the cucumbers in cold water for half an hour. Then rinse them well and cut off the tails.
2. Place the garlic, leaves, and half of the chopped horseradish root in the bottom of the jar. Lay vegetables vertically on top. Then the last layer - greens, horseradish remnants and leaves.
3. Prepare the brine: stir the water with the salt and leave until it is completely dissolved.
4. Pour the prepared brine over the vegetables and leave in a warm place for fermentation. Do not use a lid.
5. Remove the foam after three days. On the sixth day, pour the brine into an enamel pot and heat. Bring to a boil and pour back into the jars.
6. Sterilize the jars with the workpiece in the oven (10-15 minutes) and screw. After the snack has completely cooled, put it in the cellar or refrigerator.

Attention! You can also ferment in liter jars. To do this, divide the given number of ingredients by three.

Cucumbers "Like barrel"

In Russia, cucumbers were fermented in barrels or tubs. The snack was popular with both nobles and peasants. If there is no barrel, vegetables can be salt and in jars... And the following recipe will help you with this.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 2 kg;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• water - 1.3 l;
• black peppercorns - 8-10 pcs.;
• garlic - 4 cloves;
• dill umbrellas - 2 pcs.;
• horseradish leaf - 1-2 pcs.;
• currant leaves - 4-5 pcs.;
• cherry leaves - 5 pcs.;
• lemon acid - a pinch.

Preparation:

1. Put the prepared herbs on the bottom of the jar. Add black peppercorns and sliced ​​garlic.
2. Place vegetables tightly in the jar. Put larger fruits down, small cucumbers up.
3. Pour 150-200 ml of total water into a separate bowl. Pour in the salt without a slide. Heat a little and stir until completely dissolved. Pour in the remaining cold water.
4. Pour the contents of the jar with saline and leave at room temperature for 3 days.
5. On the third day, remove the resulting foam.
6. For 5-6 days, pour the brine into an enamel saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for a couple of minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the resulting foam.
7. Pour the hot brine over the contents of the jar and close the lid tightly. Turn over and leave to cool. Such a blank is perfectly stored in the apartment.

In a cold way

This technology of preparing a snack does not require boiling the brine, or thoroughly disinfecting the cans and then rolling them. Most housewives will appreciate this recipe.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 3 kg;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• red or black peppercorns - to taste;
• garlic - 4 cloves;
• horseradish leaves - 2-3 pcs.;
• currant or cherry leaves - 5-7 pcs.;
• dill - 3-4 umbrellas;
• warm water - 1 glass;
• filtered water - as needed.

Preparation:

1. Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly, cut off the tails and soak in cold water for several hours. So they will pick up enough moisture and will not absorb water from the can, thereby reducing its volume.
2. Lay the fruits vertically, alternating with herbs and spices.
3. Prepare the brine. To do this, pour salt into a glass of warm water and stir until completely dissolved. Pour cucumbers in a jar with the prepared brine.
4. Next, pour clean water into the jars from above to the very top. So that the water layer covers the tips of the top layer of cucumbers. This will prevent the fruit from rotting and mold.
5. Let the vegetables ferment in brine at room temperature for 3-4 days. Then close the jars with a plastic lid and store in a cold place for permanent storage. After 30-45 days, the cucumbers are completely fermented and ready to eat.

Important! Store cold canned snacks in a cold place throughout the winter, preferably in the refrigerator.

Hot way

According to this recipe, pickled vegetables are obtained not only beautiful and dense in appearance, but also juicy and crispy.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 2 kg;
• rock salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• black peppercorns - 20 pcs.;
• bay leaf - 6-8 pcs.;
• currant leaves - 4 pcs.;
• cherry leaves - 4 pcs.;
• horseradish root - 1 pc .;
• horseradish leaves - 2 pcs.;
• dill - 6-7 inflorescences;
• garlic - 1 head;
• water - 2 l.

Preparation:

1. Sterilize the jars and prepare all ingredients. Soak vegetables for several hours in cold water, wash the leaves, peel the garlic.
2. Put a few leaves of horseradish, currants, cherries and bay leaves in a clean, dry jar. Add 2-3 black peppercorns, a couple of garlic cloves, 2-3 dill umbrellas and a piece of horseradish root. Fill the jar halfway with cucumbers. Then add herbs, spices and vegetables again. Sprinkle with all the seasoning on top, cover with leaves and add salt.
3. Pour all the ingredients in a jar with cold purified or boiled water.
4. Heat the snack for three days. Then check: if foam appears in the jar with the workpiece, and the brine becomes cloudy, then the fermentation process is complete. After that, wait 6-8 hours until the foam subsides and drain the brine.
5. Then strain the resulting brine and pour it into a saucepan. Stir and boil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
6. Pour hot brine over the pickled vegetables. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.Then, repeat the procedure again: drain the brine, boil over again and pour back into the jar.
7. Close the jar with the lid, turn over and leave to cool.
8. Put the cooled snack in a cool place.

Pickled cucumbers for the winter without sterilization

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 1.5 kg;
• cherry leaves - 20 pcs.;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• garlic - 5 cloves;
• oak or horseradish leaves - 4-6 pcs.;
• dill - 5-6 inflorescences;
• water - 2 l.

Cooking method:

1. Pour cold water over the fruits and leave for 3-4 hours, or overnight. Then drain the water and rinse them well.
2. Prepare the brine.
3. Cut the peeled garlic into large slices.
4. Put the washed leaves of horseradish, oak, cherries and dill umbrellas in a container. Put the fruits on top and cover with brine. Set the oppression on top and leave to ferment at room temperature. This will take three to seven days, depending on the room temperature.
5. Then place the sour cucumbers in a bowl. Pour the strained brine into a saucepan, place on the stove and bring to a boil. Cool the liquid.
6. Transfer the snack to a jar or other container in which you will store them. Fill with cooled brine.
7. Cover the pickled cucumbers with a plastic lid and place in the refrigerator.

Pickled cucumbers in jars with an iron lid

Many housewives roll up blanks for the winter under the iron cover.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 4 kg;
• salt - 6 tbsp. l .;
• water - 3 l;
• dill - inflorescence;
• garlic - 2 heads;
• fennel;
• leaves of currant and horseradish - 4 pcs.

Preparation:

1. Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly, the tails can be removed, or you can leave.
2. Fill the fruit with cold water for 4 hours. Then rinse again.
3. Place the cucumbers in an enamel pot (bowl or bucket), sprinkling with peeled garlic cloves. Lay out the leaves of currant and horseradish on top.
4. Prepare the brine: pour salt with water, stir and leave until completely dissolved.
5. Fill the cucumbers with the prepared brine. Place the workpiece under the press. In a warm place, the cucumbers are fermented for five days.
6. Arrange the pickled cucumbers in sterilized jars. Strain the brine, bring to a boil and pour over the vegetables. After 10 minutes, drain the brine and bring to a boil again. Then fill in the cucumbers and roll them under the iron lids.
7. Flip the cans, lids down, and wrap them in a blanket. Leave in a warm place overnight.

Under nylon

To prepare crispy pickled cucumbers in jars, prepare a three-liter jar and a double-breasted nylon lid.

Ingredients:

• fresh cucumbers - 2 kg;
• salt - 2-3 tbsp. l .;
• oak leaves - 5-7 pcs.;
• cherry leaves –10-15 pcs .;
• currant leaves - 5-6 pcs.;
• garlic - 2 heads;
• dill - 5-6 inflorescences;
• horseradish leaves - 2-3 pcs.;
• horseradish root - 1 pc;
• purified water - 1.5-2 liters.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the brine. Prepare your ingredients. It is not necessary to sterilize the jar - the main thing is that it is clean and dry.
2. Arrange the vegetables, alternating with spices and leaves. Top with horseradish leaves, dill and cover with cold brine.
3. Close the jar with a clean nylon cap.

Advice... To prevent the workpiece from becoming moldy, it is not necessary to add mustard to the brine - it is enough to lubricate the lid from the inside with it.

In a barrel

The most delicious cucumbers are pickled in a barrel. If possible, be sure to try the following recipe. In it, all ingredients are given in grams due to the large volumes.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 50 kg;
• salt - 550 - 600 g;
• horseradish leaves - 300 g;
• currant leaves - 300 g;
• horseradish root - 200 g;
• garlic - 250 g;
• bitter pepper - 5 pods;
• tarragon - 200 g;
• dill - 300 g;
• filtered water - 10 liters.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the brine in the evening: heat the water to 20-25 ° C, add salt and stir. If it turns out to be unclear, strain through cheesecloth.
2. Immerse the fruits in cold water and leave for 3-4 hours to firm up.
3. Rub the inside of the barrel well. This will prevent mold from forming during fermentation. Rinse and dry the leaves of the currant and horseradish.
4. Put the prepared leaves on the bottom of the barrel and start laying out the vegetables, alternating with herbs. Place fruits tightly and upright. This will make them denser and more beautiful.
5. Pour in the saline solution, cover with a wooden lid and put the oppression (place a jar of water or other weight on an inverted lid or plate).
6. After 3 days, intense fermentation will begin. At this stage, remove the foam from the top and add the remaining brine.
7. Place the snack barrel in a dark, cold place.

If the temperature regime of storage in a barrel is observed, vegetables will be stored throughout the winter and will not lose their taste.

Why pickled cucumbers become soft

It so happens that I cooked according to a recipe, but the appetizer still did not work out. If, after opening a jar of cucumbers, you find that they have become soft, do not rush to blame yourself. There are many reasons why this happened.

Most often, the following factors are to blame:

1. The tightness was broken and air entered the container, and with them - foreign microorganisms.
2. The jars, lids, or the ingredients themselves have not been thoroughly washed before rolling.
3. Large container volume.
4. The brine preparation technology has been violated, namely, there is not enough salt in it. And the larger the fruit, the more concentrated the salt solution is.
5. Incorrect ratio of pickle and cucumber in the container. This happens when the fruit is not stacked tightly enough.
6. Unsuitable fruits were used for harvesting.
7. Storage conditions violated. At room temperature, especially with operating radiators, the workpiece will deteriorate in a month.

Tips

To make the cucumbers firm and crispy, follow the canning rules. There are few of them, and they are quite simple:

1. Correctly selected cucumbers are half the battle. Fruits harvested from the second half of July to the end of the first decade of August will be ideal for harvesting. Early varieties and greenhouse vegetables are not suitable for these purposes - it is better to leave them for salads. Fruit size for canning is small to medium with a small seed chamber. The pulp is obligatory - dense, elastic, with a sugar content of at least 2%. The Rodnichok variety is ideal.
2. If possible, select fruits harvested during the day for canning.
3. Rinse the container for conservation as thoroughly as the fruit itself.
4. It is better to take large stone salt. Cucumbers will not be firm enough with seafood or iodized. Salt to water ratio: 2 tbsp. l. salt per 1 liter of water (for large cucumbers - 2.5 tablespoons per 1 liter of water).
5. Take purified and boiled water for the brine. The tap is tough and spoils the taste of the sauerkraut.
6. You can safely put more spices than indicated in the recipe (with the exception of dill) - this will add spice to the appetizer. Horseradish, cherry and currant leaves make cucumbers more elastic. Garlic has bactericidal properties and inhibits the development of harmful microflora. Prepare the spices just before preserving. When withering, herbs lose a lot of useful properties and aroma.
7. Make sure that the lids fit snugly around the neck of the can - complete tightness is required if you want the snack to not spoil for a long time.
8. The optimum storage temperature for preservation is from 0 to +3 ° C. In such conditions, the twists will definitely stand for at least six months.

Is it possible to ferment overgrown cucumbers

Do not rush to throw away large, overripe and already yellowed cucumbers. Yes, they are not suitable for a classic snack, but they make an excellent preparation for making pickle. You can find her recipe below.

Experienced housewives ferment large fruits for the subsequent preparation of cucumber snacks in their own juice. To do this, they are cut into slices or tinder on a coarse grater. Then they are laid in layers, alternating with whole medium-sized fruits and sprinkled with spices, salt and sugar. A little vinegar is added at the end to extend the shelf life.The workpiece is put under the press for two days. Store the snack in a cellar or other cool place.

Pickled cucumbers for pickle

• cucumbers - 1 kg;
• dill (greens and umbrellas) - 50 g;
• tarragon - 30 g;
• black currant leaf - 30 g;
• cherry leaf - 30 g;
• salt - 70 g;
• water - 1 l.

Preparation:

1. Chop carefully washed fruits with a fork. Place the cucumbers in a fermenting dish, alternating layers with herbs and spices.
2. Dissolve the salt in water, boil and pour the workpiece with this boiling saline solution.
3. Press vegetables at room temperature for two weeks.
4. Remove the fermented fruit from the brine, remove the skin and seeds.
5. Cut the cucumbers into cubes or strips and place in a saucepan with strained brine. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.
6. Roll the hot piece into sterile jars.

Conclusion

Now you know how to ferment cucumbers for the winter. The most important thing is to use quality fruits and other ingredients. The fermentation process occurs naturally without the addition of vinegar and sterilization, which greatly simplifies the preparation of the snack. Everything will take no more than 20-30 minutes.

Crispy pickled cucumbers are delicious on their own, go well with main courses, and they are also an integral part of vinaigrette, pickle and Olivier salad. Subject to the recipe and storage conditions, a snack closed in the fall will not deteriorate until summer. But most likely they will eat it much earlier!