How to cook cucumbers in your own juice for the winter without sterilization: recipes and advice from experienced housewives
There are many options for preparing winter cucumber preparations. Most housewives salt and ferment them. But few people know that cucumbers can be pickled not only in brine, but also in their own juice. This appetizer turns out to be much more aromatic and tasty than the traditional one.
Today we will talk about the intricacies of harvesting cucumbers in our own juice for the winter without sterilization and share with you the best recipes.
The content of the article
Features of harvesting cucumbers in their own juice
For preservation of cucumbers in their own juice, take small, dense and elastic fruits... They are used both whole and crushed: rings, cubes or blocks. Substandard fruits are suitable for filling: overgrown or ugly, with flaws. Most often, they are turned into mashed potatoes, which are poured into small beautiful cucumbers. Another option is to cut large fruits and salt them so that they release juice. In this case, the released cucumber pickle is used for pouring.
Preparation of fruits for conservation
Regardless of the recipe, cucumbers use freshly picked... The fruits are selected strong, without signs of spoilage. Before salting, soak for 3-4 hours in ice water. Then they are thoroughly washed and the tails are cut off. To make the filling a more uniform consistency, the fruits are peeled and the part with large seeds is cut out.
The best recipes without sterilization
Our selection of recipes will be appreciated by both a young and experienced housewife... If you have never salted cucumbers, then start with the simplest - the traditional way. Others can experiment with adding different spices.
The easiest recipe
This is a traditional and at the same time the simplest recipe for preparing cucumbers in your own juice. You can add some chili peppers for spice.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers - 2-2.5 kg (of which 1 kg is overgrown);
- salt - 100 g;
- garlic - 6 cloves;
- black pepper and sweet peas - 5-6 pcs.;
- dill umbrellas - 2 pcs.;
- cloves - 2-3 pcs.;
- bay leaf - 2 pcs.;
- horseradish leaves - 3-4 pcs.;
- hot pepper - optional.
Preparation:
- Grind the fruits for pouring with a blender, mince them, grate on a coarse grater, or simply cut into pieces. Choose any method that is convenient for you.
- Salt the resulting cucumber gruel and leave for half an hour. During this time, the salt will completely dissolve, and the vegetables will release a sufficient amount of juice.
- Put some of the spices, cucumber mass and small fruits in prepared clean jars. Alternate layers until the containers are full to the top.
- Pour the remaining juice over the cucumbers. Place a sheet of horseradish on top to prevent mold.
- Cover the blanks with plastic lids and place in a cool place. The appetizer will be completely ready in two weeks.
Other recipes for preparations for the winter from cucumbers:
Pickled cucumbers with grape vinegar
Lightly salted cucumbers in their own juice
Lightly salted cucumbers are prepared quickly and easily.
Ingredients for one three-liter can:
- small cucumbers - 1.5 kg;
- overgrown fruits - 1.5 kg;
- salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
- dill - 2-3 umbrellas;
- currant leaves, horseradish, garlic, chili pepper, horseradish root - optional.
Preparation:
- Chop large fruits in a convenient way and combine them with salt and garlic.
- Put spices, cucumber puree and whole cucumbers on the bottom of the prepared container - in layers, alternating them to the top. Fill the remaining spot with cucumber juice. If you are preparing a horseradish snack, then place its roots on the bottom of the jar, and the leaves under the lid, on top of all layers.
- Close the jar with a clean nylon lid and leave to brine.
Such cucumbers can be served after 6-8 hours.
Advice! For an even faster preparation of the snack, preheat the potting over low heat. Then it will be ready in 4 hours.
Pickled crispy cucumbers in their own juice with mustard
The recipe uses mustard in addition to traditional ingredients... It not only completely changes the usual taste of the workpiece, but also has a bactericidal effect. With mustard, pickled cucumbers are stored longer and have an unusual, but pleasant taste.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers - 4 kg;
- salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
- dry mustard - 2 tbsp. l .;
- a small piece of horseradish root;
- dill umbrellas - 2-3 pcs.;
- currant leaves - 3-4 pcs.; bay leaf - 4 pcs.;
- garlic, allspice peas - to taste.
Preparation:
- Rub the fruits for the marinade on a coarse grater. Salt and add dry mustard to the future brine. Leave until complete dissolution and juice release for half an hour.
- Put in layers in a container for pickling: spices, grated cucumbers and small whole cucumbers. Alternate layers until the container is full. Place a plate with a weight or other oppression on top.
- Keep the container with cucumbers at room temperature until the fermentation process is completed. Then move to a cool, dark place. Cucumbers are fermented in this way for about 10-15 days, depending on the temperature.
The finished snack can be arranged in small jars, close with nylon lids and store in the refrigerator.
Pickled cucumbers in their own juice
This snack uses vinegar as a preservative.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers - 1 kg;
- salt - 1/2 tbsp. l .;
- sugar - 1 tbsp. l .;
- vegetable oil - 25 ml;
- vinegar 9% - 50 ml;
- garlic - 5-6 cloves;
- bay leaf - 3-4 pcs.;
- red, yellow peppers to taste.
Preparation:
- Cut small fruits lengthwise into quarters, large ones into 8 pieces. Place vegetables in a deep bowl and combine with the rest of the ingredients. Leave on for a couple of hours to extract juice. Stir the vegetable mass a couple of times during this time.
- Transfer the cucumbers to prepared small jars and pour over the juice that has come out.
- Close with capron lids and store in the refrigerator.
With garlic
Cucumbers prepared according to this recipe are stored at room temperature.... Vinegar is also used here for preservation. Garlic adds spice to the taste.
Ingredients for one three-liter can:
- gherkins - 2 kg;
- large cucumbers - 1.5-2 kg;
- salt - 2 tbsp. l .;
- sugar - 2 tbsp. l .;
- vinegar - 2 tbsp. l .;
- garlic - head;
- bay leaf - 2-3 pcs.;
- greens (dill, currant leaves, horseradish) and pepper - to taste.
Preparation:
- Cut the garlic into slices. Put it together with spices and gherkins in a prepared jar and pour boiling water over it. Leave it on for 20 minutes.
- Grind large cucumbers in a blender. Pour the resulting mass with sugar and salt. Boil for 5 minutes. Add vinegar.
- Pour water from the jar of gherkins and cover them with boiling cucumber mixture.
- Screw the lids back on and leave to cool.
The snack is kept at room temperature in a dark place.
Read also:
Spicy cucumbers in their own juice with horseradish
This recipe will be appreciated by lovers of savory snacks.
Ingredients for one half-liter jar:
- cucumbers - 1.5 kg;
- salt - 1 tbsp. l .;
- horseradish root - a small piece;
- young hot garlic - 1 clove;
- dill umbrella - 1 pc.;
- bay leaf - 1 pc .;
- black peppercorns - 2-3 pcs.;
- cloves - 1-3 pcs .;
- hot red pepper to taste.
Preparation:
- Chop large fruits in a convenient way and combine them with salt and garlic.
- At the bottom of the prepared container, lower the horseradish root and only then begin to lay out the layers: spices, cucumber puree and whole cucumbers - in layers, alternating them to the top. Place a horseradish sheet under the lid.
- Fill the remaining spot with salted juice.
- Close the jar with a clean lid and place in a dark place.
Cucumbers in slices in their own juice
In this recipe, cucumbers for the winter in their own juice are salted without sterilization with a lot of grated horseradish. The appetizer has a particularly spicy and pungent taste.
Ingredients:
- medium-sized cucumbers - 4 kg;
- cucumbers for pouring - 3 kg;
- salt - 3 tbsp. l .;
- grated horseradish - 1.5 cups;
- dill seeds - 2 tsp;
- greens - 1 bunch.
Preparation:
- Rub the fruits for pouring on a coarse grater.
- Add salt, grated horseradish, dill seeds, and chopped herbs.
- Put the cucumbers in a container, cut into slices or circles. The next layer is the grated mass. Alternating layers of chopped and grated vegetables, fill the container to the top, with the last layer of cucumbers for pouring.
- Place the snack in the refrigerator. In a day, the cucumbers in their own juice will be ready.
Helpful advice from experienced housewives
Even if you have no experience at all in preserving vegetables for the winter, following simple and healthy recommendations, you can prepare a delicious snack... And the most important thing is to make sure that it does not deteriorate and retain its taste and vitamins.
Here are these tricks from experienced housewives:
- For the preparation of the marinade, it is better to use enameled dishes.
- Choose ordinary salt for conservation, without additives. Iodized one will not work - with it the vegetables will quickly sour and acquire an unpleasant aftertaste.
- The taste of the finished snack is highly dependent on the ratio of salt, sugar and vinegar, the addition of various spices and herbs. Therefore, a novice housewife should clearly adhere to the proportions indicated in the recipe. More experienced cooks can change the ratio of ingredients to their liking.
- To make the cucumbers more dense and crispy, soak them in cold water for a couple of hours. You should not overexpose - the fruits can turn sour.
- Put small cucumbers in the jar tightly to each other, but fill them no more than half the container. The rest is allocated for grated vegetable mass.
- Always wash the cans for blanks thoroughly with soda, and boil the nylon lids for a couple of minutes in water. Canned food for the winter can be tightened with metal lids. But make sure they are free of rust, not deformed and with good rubber bands. Also inspect cans for conservation for damage and chips.
- Store pickles cooked without sterilization in a cold cellar or refrigerator for no longer than two months.
Conclusion
Salting cucumbers in their own juice allows you to process the entire crop without throwing out overgrown large fruits. And if you make preparations for the winter without sterilization, then vitamins and microelements will be preserved many times more than after heat treatment.
Vegetables covered in this way are crispy, aromatic and fresh in taste. To make the cucumber snack as useful as possible and not disappear over the winter, follow the recommendations of experienced housewives. And be sure to try making cucumbers according to our selected recipes.
We also suggest trying this original way of harvesting cucumbers: