How to salt Chinese long cucumbers for the winter and is it possible to do it

Although long Chinese cucumbers are considered an exotic product, pickling them is not much different from harvesting ordinary cucumbers for the winter. Following simple recommendations and taking into account the peculiarities of this wonderful product, it is easy to prepare excellent pickles from it, which favorably differ from the usual ones with their pleasant aroma.

From the article you will learn how to salt long Chinese cucumbers for the winter.

Description and characteristics of Chinese cucumbers

Chinese cucumbers - a special kind of culture, developed in China relatively recently. They differ from ordinary ones in biological characteristics, size and taste.

Almost all Chinese cucumbers have more long fruits, than usual, and never are bitter... In length, the fruit reaches 80-90 cm. The bushes of the plant are similar to a liana - long, with large leaves, thick stems and abundant ovary.

On each layer, 3-4 fruits with a diameter of about 7.5 cm and a length of 50 to 80 cm grow, with a dark green skin and a pimpled or smooth surface. The seeds of the fruit remain small and soft as it grows.

The plant bears fruit until frost. A culture grows on any soil - it is unpretentious and does not require special conditions.

The fruit tastes sweet, with crunchy dense pulp, smells like a watermelon or melon. Even overgrown, they do not lose density and do not turn yellow, and their seeds do not coarse.

Attention. Cucumbers with light spikes are used for salads, and with dark ones for preservation.

Features of pickling long Chinese cucumbers

At first glance, it seems that this plant is unsuitable for canning, but this is not so: vegetables are great for pickling and pickling.

Is it possible to salt Chinese long cucumbers for the winter

The peculiarity of salting Chinese cucumbers is that, due to their long length, it is impossible to place them whole in a jar. For free placement of vegetables in the container, they are cut into small pieces.

Otherwise, although these vegetables are considered exotic, their salting is practically no different from the preparation of conventional types.

Reference. When salted in 3-liter jars, they are cut into long pieces and placed vertically in a container.

How to choose and prepare ingredients

The quality of pickled cucumbers depends on the correct choice and preparation of the product. For salting, fresh, even and dense fruits without spots are selected, washed separately with a soft brush and soaked for 5-10 hours in water, replacing it with fresh water every two hours.

This will make the cucumbers firmer, crisper and free of nitrates. The tails are removed, and the vegetables themselves are cut into small slices 5 cm thick. The jars are sterilized, and the metal lids are boiled.

To pickle Chinese cucumbers, in addition to the main product and water, depending on the recipe, you will need:

• 9% vinegar;
• sugar;
• salt;
• dill;
• horseradish;
• garlic;
• spicy pepper;
• mustard powder;
• black or allspice peas;
• dry bay leaf;
• coriander;
• turmeric;
• leaves of currants and cherries.

Horseradish, currant and cherry leaves, as well as dill umbrellas and peeled garlic cloves are thoroughly washed and dried.

How to salt Chinese cucumbers: salting recipes

Chinese cucumbers are salted and pickled in a variety of ways.These recipes will keep the vegetable crisp, diversify the menu in winter, and saturate the body with vitamins and microelements.

"Pikuli"

This is the name of an assortment of small vegetables under the marinade. The workpiece has excellent taste and looks appetizing.

For cooking you will need:

• Chinese cucumbers - 1 kg;
• turmeric - 0.5 tsp;
• onions - 2 pcs.;
• allspice - 10 peas;
• mustard powder - 0.5 tsp;
• vinegar - 250 ml;
• salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
• sugar 3 4 tbsp. l.

Prepare "Pikuli" as follows:

1. The fruits are cut into circles no more than 1 cm thick.
2. Onions are cut with the same half-rings.
3. Mix vegetables with sugar and salt
4. Covering with a plate, place under oppression.
5. After 1-2 hours, the vegetables and the resulting juice are poured into a saucepan.
6. Turmeric, pepper, mustard and table vinegar are added, with which the container is pre-rinsed to remove the remaining sugar and salt.
7. The marinade with vegetables is brought to a boil and kept for 2-3 minutes.
8. Poured into sterile jars.

All rolled up cans are turned over and allowed to cool, wrapped in a warm cloth.

With red currant

With this method of canning, cucumbers acquire not only a peculiar taste, but also look original. In this recipe, the commonly used vinegar or citric acid is replaced with fresh or frozen red currants.

Each jar (based on 0.5 kg of cucumbers) is added:

• 1 tbsp. red currant;
• 2-3 dill umbrellas;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 4 leaves of horseradish and laurel;
• 7-8 peas of black pepper.

Prepare as follows:

1. Jars with ingredients are filled with boiling water, covered with lids.
2. Wait 12 minutes.
3. Water from cans is poured into a common pan, adding 1 tbsp. l. salt for every liter.
4. The brine is boiled until the salt crystals are completely dissolved, and again poured into the jars.
5. Cork, turn over and leave covered until cool.

Since Chinese cucumbers with red currants do not contain enough acid, canned food is stored at a temperature not exceeding + 12 ° C.

With mustard

By adding mustard cucumbers become crispy and acquire a special piquant taste.

For conservation you need:

• water - 1 l;
• cucumbers - 1.5 kg;
• table vinegar - 1 tbsp.;
• sugar - 300 g;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
• mustard powder - 3 tbsp. l .;
• allspice - 5 peas;
• laurel - 3 leaves.

Cooking method:

1. The fruits, cut into small pieces, are placed in jars and covered with mustard.
2. From the rest of the components, except for vinegar, boil the marinade for 5 minutes.
3. Vinegar is added before pouring cucumbers with marinade.
4. Banks are sterilized before twisting for 12 minutes. in a large container of water on fire.
5. They are sealed and cooled upside down.

Classic recipe

On a can with a capacity of 3 liters take:

• 2 kg of Chinese cucumbers;
• 3 horseradish leaves and 3 pieces of its root;
• 100 g of salt;
• 5 black peppercorns;
• 5 pcs. currant and cherry leaves;
• 3 dill umbrellas;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1.5 st. l. table vinegar, salt and sugar.

Cooking process:

1. At the bottom of a sterilized jar, washed and dried herbs and seasonings are placed.
2. On top, compaction, lay vegetables.
3. Boiling water is poured into the jar, covered with a lid and kept for 12 minutes.
4. Water is poured into a saucepan and boiled for 6 minutes with sugar and salt.
5. The resulting brine, together with vinegar, is poured into jars and hermetically sealed.

The upside down and wrapped cans are kept until completely cooled.

Pickles

A product with the addition of citric acid or vinegar is called pickled.

For 2 kg you will need:

• 2 tbsp. l. salt;
• 6 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 1 tbsp. l. vinegar;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil;
• 10 allspice peas;
• 2 liters of water.

Prepare as follows:

1. The surface of the washed cucumbers is cleaned from rough areas, the tips are removed and the vegetables are cut into pieces of arbitrary shape.
2. Placed in sterilized glass jars, a quarter short of the edges.
3. Salt and sugar are poured into boiling water, then the marinade is cooled a little.
4. Spices, vegetable oil, vinegar are placed in jars and all this is poured with marinade.
5. Jars closed with sterilized lids are sterilized for 15 minutes and sealed.
6. Cool jars covered upside down.

Lightly salted cucumbers

For the simplest recipe for quick cooking of lightly salted Chinese cucumbers in a package, you will need (per fruit):

• a clove of garlic;
• a pinch of black pepper and sweet peas, cloves and salt;
• a sprig of dill (not umbrellas).

Salting process:

1. The vegetables are washed with a brush, the tips are removed and each cut into several pieces.
2. Placed in a tight plastic bag.
3. Salt, spices and garlic, pre-cut into flat slices, are added.
4. Mix the contents of the bag thoroughly.
5. The bag is tightly tied and placed in the refrigerator for an hour.

Storage rules

Jars of Chinese cucumbers are stored in a basement or garage. If this is not possible, the workpieces are kept in an apartment at a temperature not higher than + 15 ° C, provided that they are prepared in strict accordance with the recommendations and are tightly closed with metal lids. If the tightness is not observed, then the storage temperature is allowed no higher than + 10 ° C.

Conclusion

When salted, long Chinese cucumbers are almost indistinguishable from ordinary ones. If properly processed, prepared according to any of the described recipes and ensured optimal storage conditions, in winter they will decorate your table and delight the whole family with their pleasant and delicate taste.