Canned and pickled cucumbers – the most common and simple preparation of vegetables for the winter. There are many ways of preparation. How to close cucumbers in jars so that they are firm and crisp, step-by-step recipes, calculation of marinade ingredients per liter of water, expert advice.

Preparing cucumbers for the winter

“Cucumbers are one of the oldest crops among vegetables, widely distributed throughout the world. This low-calorie product is useful for people suffering from heart, vascular and kidney diseases. Cucumbers contain a lot of potassium, and they have more iron than grapes and strawberries. They aid digestion, are indispensable for diets, but many people also whet their appetite,” says Natalia Rogova, author of the book “Royal Kitchen” and the project of the same name.

There are many different recipes for pickled cucumbers (in jars and barrels, hot, cold, dry method) and pickled (with and without sterilization, with vinegar, ketchup, citric acid). Every hostess has a favorite method of preparation. But in addition to the correct recipe, it is important to competently choose and the fruits themselves. They should be elastic and green, better those that are no more than seven centimeters long.

How to prepare cucumbers

Experts say that cucumbers are of several types:

• salad (usually have a thin skin with few tubercles or completely smooth);
• pickling (small with a strongly lumpy surface);
• universal.

For canning, choose only fresh vegetables, universal or pickling. Yellowed overripe fruits, according to the expert, unsuitable for pickling, because the dense skin of cucumbers poorly passes the salt solution. If immediately after harvesting it will not be possible to preserve cucumbers, it is recommended to soak them in cold water for 6-8 hours before starting the preparation. For liter jars, it is recommended to take small cucumbers, which can be cut or left as they are, and soak them in water for about an hour.

Delicious recipes and ways to prepare cucumbers for the winter

In order not to drown out the taste of vegetables with spices when canning, you need to observe the following proportions: the amount of spices should not exceed 5-6% of the weight of the fruit. Experts shared tips and recipes for pickling, salting and canning cucumbers.

Pickling

Keep cucumbers crisp until winter can be preserved by the method of pickling – in jars, cucumbers are mixed with spices and turned into flavorful snacks. They are suitable for long storage in a cool place. They can be served as an independent treat or with other dishes.

Crispy in a liter jar

Cucumbers can be pickled in a 1-liter jar.

Ingredients

• cucumber – 650 g.
• water – 0.5 l.
• salt – 1 tbsp.
• sugar – 2 tbsp.
• 9% table vinegar – 2 tbsp.
• dill  – 1 pc.
• bay leaf – 1 pc.
• cloves and coriandr – 1 pc.
• peppercorns – 5 pcs.
• allspice – 4 pcs.
• garlic cloves – 2-3 pcs.

Preparation

1. Soak the cucumbers in a container of cold water for two to four hours, then rinse with running water and cut off the tips.

2. Thoroughly wash and sterilize jars for rolling, pour into them spices according to the recipe (except dill) and peeled garlic. Prepared cucumbers tightly placed in jars.

3. Boil the marinade (500 ml of water per liter jar of cucumbers), pour salt and sugar into the water, boil, remove from heat and pour vinegar.

4. Pour cucumbers in jars with hot marinade, sterilize the blanks in a pot for 10 minutes and then immediately roll up the jars.

5. Turn upside down and leave until completely cooled, then transfer to a dark place for storage.

Pickling without vinegar

You need to pickle strong young cucumbers, it is best to use greens taken from the bed on the day of pickling. Selected vegetables should be washed with cold water, and then dried with a towel. Prepare crispy low-salted cucumbers for the table, you can use ready-made spices or choose a set to your taste: garlic, cloves, bay leaf, dill florets, horseradish leaves, cherries, currants, tarragon. Cucumbers should be placed in the container vertically, overlapping spices and herbs. Their amount can vary depending on preferences.

Ingredients

• cucumber – 1500 g.
• water – 0.5 l.
• salt – 1 tbsp.
• sugar – 2 tbsp.
• horseradish leaves – 1-2 pcs.
  
• cherry leaves – 3 pcs.
  
• currant leaves – 5-6 pcs.
  
• carnation buds – 3-4 pcs.
  
• salt – 4 tbsp.
• peppercorns – 8-10 pcs.
• garlic cloves – 5-6 pcs.

Preparation

1. To prepare brine for pickles, you need to add salt, pepper, bay leaf, cloves to a pot of water (for 1.5 kg of cucumbers about 2 liters of water), put it on the fire and let it boil. Leave it on the fire for a few more minutes and then strain it.

2. Pour cucumbers in a container with hot brine and leave in a warm place, they will be ready for use the next day.

Sweet (for a 3 liter jar)

Ingredients

• cucumber – 2000 g.
• large horseradish leaf – 1 pc.
  
• water – 1 l.
• salt – 40 g.
• sugar – 150g.
  
• dill  – 3 pcs.
• bay leaf – 3-4 pcs.
• peppercorn – 3-4 pcs.
• allspice – 4 pcs.
• garlic cloves – 4-5 pcs.
• citric acid – 4 g.

Preparation

1. Thoroughly wash jars and lids, sterilize them for better storage. Jars can be used differently: both with rolling and screw caps.

2. Put all the spices at the bottom and fill the jar with cucumbers.

3. Boil water, pour it over the greens, and then cover the jars with a lid and leave them.

4. After 20 minutes, drain the water and measure the volume of liquid to calculate the amount of added spices (salt, sugar, citric acid).

5. Next, prepare the marinade: add salt and sugar to the water, bring to a boil. The expert recommends adding citric acid in the last turn.

6. Then pour the cucumbers in the jar with the prepared marinade and close the lid, turn over, cover with something warm and leave until completely cooled.

Bulgarian

The ingredients are given for a 3 liter jar.

Ingredients

• cucumber – 2000 g.
• bell pepper- 1-2 pcs.
  
• water – 1 l.
• salt – 1 tbsp.
• sugar – 2-2.5 tbsp.
  
• dill  – 1-2 pcs.
• bay leaf – 1-2 pcs.
• peppercorn – 3-4 pcs.
  
• garlic cloves – 2-3 pcs.
• vinegar 70% – 15 g.

Preparation

1. Soak the cucumbers beforehand by cutting off the tips on both sides.

2. Sterilize the jars and put the spices on the bottom. Add bell pepper slices to each container.

3. Pour boiling water over the jars for 25-30 minutes. Prepare a brine of water, salt and sugar, bring it to a boil and pour. Leave for 30 minutes.

4. Then drain the brine into a saucepan, bring to a boil, then pour into jars, add canning vinegar 70%.

5. Close with screw caps, or roll up. Check the tightness by turning the jars upside down on the lid.

6. Cover with something warm and let cool. Cucumber jars can be stored in a dark closet, pantry or cellar.

With sterilization

Kids and adults alike love these pickles in hamburgers and hot dogs. And they can also be mixed with tuna or egg.

Ingredients

• sliced cucumber – 2-5 l.
• salt – 75 g.
• sugar – 2 tbsp.
  
• dill  – 120 g.
• garlic cloves – 6 pcs.
• apple cider vinegar – 0.6 l.

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, mix cucumbers and salt. Set aside for an hour to let the salt draw out excess moisture from the cucumbers.

2. Strain and rinse the cucumbers in a large bowl or colander sent out with a double layer of gauze. Squeeze out all the liquid well.

3. Transfer cucumbers to a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add garlic, dill, vinegar and sugar.

4. Bring to a boil over high heat. Then reduce heat to medium and continue cooking for five minutes, stirring frequently.

5. Remove from the heat and place in three 500 ml jars. Cover with lids and simmer the jars for 15 minutes.

Without sterilization

These cucumbers with onions and carrots, without sterilization can be served with fried chicken and rice.

Ingredients

• cucumber – 300 g.
• carrot – 300 g.
• shallot – 3 pcs.
  
• chili pepper – 2 pcs.
• salt – 14 g.
• peanut butter – 5 tbsp.
• sugar – 4 tbsp.
  
• black mustard seeds – 3 g.
• rice vinegar – 4 tbsp.
• garlic cloves – 2 pcs.
• unsalted macadamia nuts – 3 pcs.
• fresh ginger – 5 g.
• dried chili pepper – 3 pcs.
• turmeric – 9 g.

Preparation

1. Cut carrots into small sticks, cucumbers cut into halves and remove the seeds, and then also cut into strips.

2. Place the carrots, cucumber, shallots, and chili in a bowl and salt. Leave the vegetables like this for two hours.

3. Then transfer the ingredients for the paste (shallots, garlic, macadamia nuts, ginger, chili, turmeric) to a food processor and grind into a smooth paste.

4. Next, heat the oil in a frying pan until it is very hot. Add the mustard seeds and fry until the seeds start to burst.

5. Then remove from the heat and let it cool for a minute, reduce the heat and put the skillet back on the fire. Add the cooked paste to it and fry over medium heat for about five minutes.

6. Put vinegar and sugar in the mixture, mix everything together until the sugar dissolves.

7. Rinse the vegetables in a colander in cold water, they should be slightly salty. Blot them with a dry clean towel and let them dry a little.

8. Bring the paste into the vegetables and mix everything thoroughly. You can eat such cucumbers after an hour or pour vinegar and eat within five days.

With tomato paste

Ingredients

• cucumber – 2000 g.
• salt – 2 tbsp..
• tomato paste – 400 g.
• sugar – 100 g.
  
• vegetable oil – 150 g.
• vinegar – 100 g.
• garlic – 50-100 g.

Preparation

1. Cut the cucumbers into circles and cover with salt, leave for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: put tomato paste, sugar, vegetable oil in a saucepan, put on the fire and cook for 10 minutes. Then add the garlic and cook for another five minutes.

3. Put the “rested” cucumbers and cook for about five minutes, stirring constantly.

4. At the end, add vinegar, stir everything once again and put into jars.

With ketchup

The original recipe for preparing spicy young cucumbers for the winter with ketchup (ingredients are given for seven 1 liter jars).

Ingredients

• young cucumbers – 4500 g.
• chili pepper – 2 pcs.
  
• water – 1,5 l.
• salt – 2 tbsp.
• sugar – 200 g.
  
• ketchup chili  – 8 tbsp.
• bay leaf – 10-14 pcs.
  
• garlic cloves – 7-8 pcs.
• vinegar 9% – 200 ml.

Preparation

1. Wash the cucumbers and cut off the tips on both sides, put them in a bowl/bowl and pour cold water for two hours.

2. Peel and chop garlic, wash horseradish leaves and chop into pieces.

3. Sterilize the jars and lids, then put chopped horseradish leaves, bay leaf, garlic and a little hot pepper in each, tightly lay the cucumbers.

4. Boil clean water and twice, with a break of ten minutes, pour it over the cucumbers.

5. In a separate container, boil a marinade of water, chili sauce, sugar and salt, boil it over low heat for two or three minutes, and at the end add vinegar.

6. Drain the water from the cucumbers and fill the jars to the top with hot marinade. Roll up with sterile lids, turn them upside down on the lids for two days, covering them with a warm plaid.

7. Store only in a cold place.

With garlic and herbs

You need to wash cucumbers under running water, lay them out in a bowl and pour cold water for half an hour. Peel garlic, chop large cloves, and leave small ones whole. Sterilize jars, put dill sprigs, peas, mustard seeds, garlic at the bottom and fill with cucumbers. Boil water, pour it over the cucumbers, and then cover the jars with lids and leave for 20 minutes. Then drain the water into a saucepan and bring to a boil again, then pour the cucumbers again and leave for another 20 minutes. Drain the water from the jars, add salt and sugar, stir until dissolved and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Add all of the above ingredients to taste. Pour the finished marinade over the cucumbers, roll up and put on the lids, covering with something warm and leave for 24 hours. Cucumber jars are stored in a cold ventilated room, or in the refrigerator.

With onions and carrots

Ingredients

• cucumber – 6000 g.
• carrot – 2-3 pcs.
  
• water – 3 l.
• salt – 2-3 tbsp.
• sugar – 3 tbsp.
  
• onion  – 2-3 pcs.
• vinegar – 10 g.
• bay leaf, dill, pepper? allspice – to taste

Preparation

1. rinse and sterilize jars well. peel carrots and onions, cut the vegetables into circles.

2. In the prepared jars put an umbrella of dill, bay leaf, oregano pepper and horseradish leaves, and then tightly lay out the cucumbers in the jar.

3. On top of the onions and carrots cut into rings, pour boiling water over the contents and cover with lids for 15-20 minutes.

4. Drain the water from the jars back into the pot, add the marinade spices (everything except vinegar), bring to a boil and only then pour in the vinegar essence.

5. Pour the resulting marinade into jars with cucumbers. Roll up tightly with lids, cover with something warm and leave for about 24 hours.

With peppers

Thoroughly rinse and peel the cucumbers from the skin, cut lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Cut the pulp into small cubes and cover with salt (1 tbsp. salt is required for 1 kg of cucumbers) and put away for two to three hours in the refrigerator. Then throw the cucumbers in a colander, drain the juice, and put the cucumbers in jars, pour over them finely chopped onions and crushed dry hot pepper. Add marinade (water and 6% vinegar in equal proportions). After two days, drain the marinade, filter it and put 4-6 tablespoons of sugar (salt is not needed), put on the fire, and at the end of the boiling pour another 300 ml of vinegar. Pour the contents of the jars with boiling marinade and quickly roll up the jars.