How to salt bitter cucumbers for the winter and can it be done?

Cucumbers are one of the main vegetables that summer residents grow in their gardens, but often the harvest happens bitter and unfit for food. The main reasons for this are: a sharp change in weather conditions, temperature drops, poor-quality seed, mistakes in agricultural technology.

Consider whether you can salt bitter cucumbers for the winter.

What to do with bitter cucumbers

There are several options for removing bitterness from vegetables. To prepare a salad, they are soaked in cold water and peeled.... For salting, just cut off the ends.

If the harvest is still bitter,canned vegetablespouring hot brine: cucurbitacin - a substance that gives the fruit bitterness - is broken down by heat treatment.

Important! The largest amount of this substance is found in the ends of cucumbers, therefore, when salting, they are cut off, the fruits are pre-soaked in water for 10 hours.

Is it possible to salt for the winter

When vegetables are soaked in a salty solution, cucurbitacin dissolves... Subsequent heat treatment contributes to the complete decomposition of the substance. therefore bitter cucumbers perfect for winter salting. Even in pickled and lightly salted fruits, an unpleasant aftertaste is almost not felt.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

Before starting canning, vegetables are sorted out. Only even cucumbers without cracks, spots and rot are suitable for pickling.... The fruits are soaked and thoroughly washed: first, they are immersed in a basin of cold water for about 12 hours, periodically refreshing the water, then each vegetable is cleaned with a sponge.

Attention! Salting jars are sterilized before use.

Recipes

In addition to the standard ways of salting vegetables with garlic, pepper, horseradish leaves or currants, there are original options that will appeal to the whole family.

In tomato

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 4 or 4.5 kg;
• garlic - 5 small heads or 3 large;
• tomato paste - 1/2 tbsp.;
• sugar - 5 tbsp. l .;
• water - 100 ml;
• sunflower oil - 250 ml;
• table vinegar 6% - 1/2 tbsp.;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• ground black pepper - 1 tbsp. l .;
• spices (paprika) - 1 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Clean vegetables without ends are cut into several parts along the entire length, placed in a large container.
2. Pour the contents with grated garlic, spices, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir.
3. Sunflower oil and tomato paste are added.
4. The resulting mixture is simmered over low heat for about half an hour. Without removing the pan from the stove, pour in water and vinegar, cook under a lid for 15 minutes.
5. Cucumbers are distributed in sterilized jars, filled with brine in which they were cooked. Banks are rolling up.
6. The containers are turned over, covered with a warm blanket. Keep until cool.
7. The workpieces are removed to a dark, cold place.

Before filling the cans, not only them, but also the lids are washed and sterilized.

Spicy

For a savory snack for the winter, you will need:

• cucumbers - 1 kg;
• water - 1.5 l;
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l .;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• table vinegar 9% - 100 ml;
• red onion - 1 piece;
• black peppercorns - 10 pcs.;
• sweet pepper - 1 pc.;
• garlic - 2 medium cloves;
• horseradish root or its leaves - 2 pcs.;
• black currant leaves - 5 pcs.;
• bay leaf - to taste;
• umbrella dill - 5 pcs.

How to cook:

1. In washed cucumbers, only the tips are cut off, the fruits themselves are left intact.
2. They wash and cleanse the bell pepper from seeds, cut it into small pieces.
3. Peel the horseradish root and chop it.
4. Peeled onions are cut into rings.
5. Dill umbrellas are placed at the bottom of the sterilized jar, then cucumbers, peppers, onions, garlic, horseradish, currant leaves, laurel are tamped tightly.
6. Boiling water is poured into a jar for 5 minutes, then poured into a separate saucepan and heated over low heat.
7. Vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper are added to this water.
8. As soon as the marinade boils, it is poured back into the jar.
9. The containers are rolled up, turned over and covered with a warm blanket. Keep until cool.

Sharp

Spicy lovers will love this recipe.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 1.5 kg;
• garlic - 2 medium cloves;
• hot pepper - 1 pod;
• allspice - 4 peas;
• bay leaf - 2 pieces;
• vinegar 9% - 6 tbsp. l .;
• water - 2 l;
• salt - 4 tbsp. l .;
• sugar - 6 tbsp. l .;
• mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp;
• currant leaves - 3 pcs.

Preparation:

1. The vegetables are thoroughly washed, pre-soaked in cold water for several hours.
2. Cut off the tips of the cucumbers.
3. Rub the garlic, finely chop the hot pepper.
4. Allspice, bay leaves, mustard seeds, garlic and hot peppers are placed in a sterilized jar. Cucumbers are tamped on top.
5. Pour boiling water over all the ingredients for half an hour. After that, the water is poured into a saucepan and put on fire.
6. Add salt and sugar to the brine, bring to a boil.
7. Pour everything into a jar with vegetables and spices, leaving some space. Vinegar is added, the container is rolled up.
8. Keep the workpiece in a warm blanket until it cools completely, store it in the cellar.

How to store blanks

So that the contents in the jars do not deteriorate, and the work is not wasted, workpieces are held in the coldest places of the apartment: on the balcony or in the refrigerator. The most favorable option is a basement, cellar or closet. At a temperature of + 1 ... + 4 ° C and an air humidity of 80–90%, cucumbers remain usable for 8–9 months.

How to prevent bitterness

The bitterness of cucumbers is often inherited from their predecessors.... Such a taste defect with improper care occurs in some varieties: Muromsky, Vyaznikovsky and Nezhinsky. The culture does not tolerate heat, exposure to direct sunlight, an excess of water and its lack, sharp jumps in temperature.

For the harvest to be rich and edible, they follow agrotechnical practices:

1. The plantings are watered with a sufficient amount of water: before flowering, about 5 liters per 1 m are applied², after - about 12 liters.
2. The beds are shaded from direct sunlight.
3. Ripe fruits are removed on time: the older the cucumber, the more cucurbitacin it contains.
4. For irrigation, only warm settled water is used. The beds should be moistened 15 cm deep.

Varieties and hybrids are grown with a minimum amount of cucurbitacin in vegetables: Gerasim, Doka, Garland, Egoza, Mumu, Round dance, Accordionist, Lilliputian, Quadrille, Shchedryk, Berendey.

Conclusion

Bitter cucumbers are not a reason to stop using them. Such vegetables are excellent for salting: under the influence of salty brine and during heat treatment, the bitterness compound cucurbitacin dissolves. In order for the harvested crop to be tasty, the crop is properly looked after: they monitor the level of humidity, light, and temperature.