Pickled cucumbers in jars - the best recipes. How to properly pickle cucumbers in jars.
Every good housewife at the end of the summer season prepares for the winter. Most often this is lecho, winter salads, adjika, pickled tomatoes, berry jam and, of course, pickles. In fact, pickling cucumbers is a whole science. Surely many of us have family recipes, secrets passed down from generation to generation, on how to pickle cucumbers so that they turn out crispy, dense, slightly tart or, conversely, sweetish in taste.
In the old days, cucumbers were salted exclusively in wooden barrels. Now, in city apartments, housewives use ordinary enamel basins and glass jars. The jars must be intact, without visible defects, chips or cracks. In addition, before salting anything, the jars must be sterilized. This is the only way your products can be stored for a long time. First, the jars should be rinsed with warm water with the addition of baking soda, then rinsed with boiling water and dried thoroughly. Now many housewives sterilize jars in the oven and even in the microwave. So here you can choose any method that you like best.
For pickling, medium or small cucumbers are most often used. They must be fresh, firm and free from defects. To give pickles a special flavor, various additional ingredients are most often used, for example, blackcurrant or cherry leaves, dill umbrellas, oak bark, horseradish, garlic, allspice and much more. Sometimes cucumbers are salted with vodka or mustard. Very often, cucumbers are pickled with other vegetables: onions, bell peppers or tomatoes. In a word, a huge number of recipes for making pickled cucumbers have accumulated. And all of them, of course, deserve attention. We will share with you some of the best, in our opinion, recipes for pickling cucumbers, and you choose the one that suits your taste best. After all, you must agree, what could be better than a juicy crispy cucumber with boiled potatoes?
Pickled cucumbers in jars - the best recipes

Recipe No. 1. Salted cucumbers

First of all, we will introduce you to one of the most common, considered a classic, recipe for pickling cucumbers. Cucumbers pickled according to this recipe always turn out tasty, crispy and with an amazing tart aroma.
To make pickles you will need the following ingredients:
1. Fresh cucumbers – 2 kg.
2. Garlic – 5 cloves.
3. Horseradish leaves - 2 pieces.
4. Black currant leaves - 6 pieces.
5. Cherry leaves – 5 pieces.
6. Black peppercorns – 7 peas.
7. Bay leaf – 3 pieces.
8. Dill umbrellas – 3 pieces.
9. Salt – 3 tablespoons.
How to pickle cucumbers:
1. Wash the cucumbers thoroughly and dry them. Pour a liter of water into a deep saucepan and dissolve salt in it. Place the prepared cucumbers into the resulting solution and leave to soak for six hours. After the specified time has passed, take out the cucumbers, rinse thoroughly under running water and dry.
2. Wash the leaves of black currant, cherry and horseradish thoroughly. Peel the garlic and rinse.
3. We pre-sterilize the jars. At the bottom of the prepared jars we place dill umbrellas, cherry, horseradish and currant leaves, garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns. Then we put the cucumbers in jars, fill it all with brine and leave for two days.
4. After forty-eight hours, pour the brine from the jars back into the pan. Place the pan on the fire and bring the brine to a boil. Fill the cucumbers with hot brine and seal the jars with pre-sterilized lids. Then we turn the jars over and wait until they cool completely.
Pickles are ready! You can eat it right away, or you can put it in a dark, cool place and leave it until better times. Bon appetit!

Recipe No. 2. Pickled cucumbers with bell pepper

Quite an interesting and original recipe for pickling cucumbers with bell peppers. It turns out unusual, but very tasty.
To prepare pickled cucumbers with bell peppers you will need the following ingredients:
1. Fresh cucumbers – 5 kg.
2. Bell pepper – 1 kg.
3. Fresh dill – 100 grams.
4. Oak leaves – 3 pieces.
5. Garlic – 5 cloves.
6. Fresh mint - a few leaves.
7. Hot chili pepper – 1 pod.
8. Salt – 350 grams.
9. Water – 5 liters.
5. Black currant or cherry leaves - 4 pieces.
How to prepare pickled cucumbers with bell peppers:
1. Wash fresh cucumbers and bell peppers under running water. Remove the stem from the pepper and cut out the core with grains. Pour boiling water over the vegetables and dry. It is best to take small bell peppers. If the pepper is large, then it can be cut into quarters.
2. Rinse doom and currant leaves, dill and chili pepper. Remove the seeds from the pepper and cut it into pieces. Peel the garlic and rinse. We pre-sterilize the jars. Place herbs, chili peppers and garlic in prepared jars, then add cucumbers and bell peppers.
3. Dissolve the salt in water, pour the resulting solution into the contents of the jars, cover with a clean towel and leave for three days. After the specified time has passed, pour the brine from the jars into a saucepan, bring to a boil and immediately pour it back into the jars. Now we roll up the jars with pre-prepared sterilized lids, turn them over and leave until they cool completely.
Pickled cucumbers with bell peppers are ready! Bon appetit!

Recipe No. 3. Pickled cucumbers with red currants

We all know the recipes for pickling cucumbers with tomatoes, onions or peppers. Have you tried cucumbers pickled with berries? But it’s very tasty!
To prepare pickled cucumbers with red currants you will need the following ingredients:
1. Fresh cucumbers – 2 kg.
2. Red currants – 3 cups.
3. Currant leaves - 5 pieces.
4. Horseradish leaves - 3 pieces.
5. Cherry leaves – 10 pieces.
6. Dill umbrellas – 5 pieces.
7. Garlic – 5 cloves.
8. Black peppercorns – 20 pieces.
9. Salt – 50 grams.
10. Granulated sugar - to taste.
How to prepare pickles with red currants:
1. We sort out fresh currants, remove twigs and debris, then carefully rinse with cool water. We wash the cucumbers, put them in a deep saucepan, fill them with cold water and leave to soak for four hours.
2. Rinse the leaves of cherry, horseradish and currants, as well as dill. Peel the garlic. Place all the greens, garlic and peppercorns in sterilized jars. Then we put the soaked cucumbers into jars. Now pour in the currants, the berries should fill the voids between the cucumbers. Fill the contents of the jars with boiling water, cover and leave for twenty minutes.
3. After the specified time, carefully pour the water from the cans into the pan, add salt and granulated sugar to taste. Place the pan on the fire and bring the brine to a boil. Pour the boiling brine into jars and immediately cover with sterilized lids. Now turn the jars over and leave to cool. After cooling, remove to a cool, dry place.
Pickled cucumbers with red currants are ready! Bon appetit!

Recipe No. 4. Pickled cucumbers with mustard

Cucumbers pickled according to this recipe will surely appeal to lovers of spicy snacks.
To prepare pickled cucumbers with mustard you will need the following Ingredients:
1. Fresh cucumbers – 2 kg.
2. Salt – 4 tablespoons.
3. Dry mustard - 3 tablespoons.
4. Horseradish leaves - 2 pieces.
5. Currant leaves - 3 pieces.
6. Cherry leaves - 3 pieces.
7. Garlic – 3 cloves.
How to prepare pickles with mustard:
1. Wash fresh cucumbers, rinse with boiling water, then put in a deep saucepan and fill with cold water. Leave the cucumbers to soak for three hours. After the specified time, remove the cucumbers and cut off the tails.
2. Rinse the cherry, currant and horseradish leaves, peel the garlic. We distribute the greens with garlic into sterilized jars, add cucumbers there, pour salt on top and fill the contents of the jars with boiling water. Cover the necks with lids and leave the jars for forty-eight hours. If a film appears on the surface, it must be removed.
3. After the time has passed, pour the brine into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add dry mustard to the jars, fill the contents with boiling brine and immediately seal with sterilized lids. After this, we turn the jars over, wrap them and wait until they cool down.
Pickled cucumbers with mustard are ready! Bon appetit!

Recipe No. 5. Pickled cucumbers with vodka

It turns out that pickled cucumbers can not only be served as a snack with the original Russian strong drink, but also salted with vodka. Try it, you will definitely like it!
To prepare pickles with vodka you will need the following ingredients:
1. Fresh cucumbers – 2 kg.
2. Salt – 3 tablespoons.
3. Granulated sugar - 3 tablespoons.
4. Vodka – 150 ml.
5. Horseradish root – 1 piece.
6. Horseradish leaves - 3 pieces.
7. Garlic – 3 cloves.
8. Bay leaf – 2 pieces.
9. Dill umbrellas – 2 pieces.
How to prepare pickles with vodka:
1. Wash the cucumbers under running water, pour boiling water over them, dry them and cut off the tails. Rinse the horseradish leaves and dill umbrellas, peel the garlic. Place herbs, cucumbers and garlic in sterilized jars.
2. Pour two liters of cold water into the pan, add salt and granulated sugar. Fill the contents of the jars with the resulting solution and pour vodka on top. Cover the jars with a towel and leave for three days. The foam that forms on the surface during this time must be removed periodically.
3. After the time has passed, pour the brine from the jars into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling brine into jars, roll them up with sterilized lids, turn them over, wrap them and leave to cool at room temperature.
Pickled cucumbers with vodka are ready! Bon appetit!

Recipe No. 6. Pickled cucumbers with aspirin

And another common way to pickle cucumbers is with the addition of aspirin. A very simple recipe for making delicious pickled cucumbers, which even a novice housewife can handle.
To make pickles with aspirin you will need the following: Ingredients:
1. Fresh cucumbers – 2 kg.
2. Aspirin – 3 tablets.
3. Salt – 3 tablespoons.
4. Granulated sugar - 2 tablespoons.
5. Black peppercorns – 7 pieces.
6. Garlic – 4 cloves.
7. Bay leaf – 3 pieces.
8. Citric acid – 1 tablespoon.
9. Horseradish, currant, cherry leaves - 2 pieces each.
10. Dill umbrellas – 2 pieces.
How to make pickles with aspirin:
1. Wash the cucumbers and soak them in cold water for three hours, then take them out, dry them and cut off the tails. We rinse all the greens, peel the garlic and chop it.
2. Place salt, granulated sugar, aspirin, citric acid, peppercorns, herbs and garlic in a sterilized jar. Then we put the cucumbers in jars. Now fill the contents of the jars with boiling water, roll up the sterilized lids and shake vigorously so that the salt, citric acid and tablets dissolve. Turn the jars over, wrap them and leave until completely cool.
Pickled cucumbers with aspirin are ready! Bon appetit!
Ekaterina Novoselova told how to prepare pickled cucumbers.

Pickling cucumbers for the winter is not so difficult, but quite troublesome. We need to be well prepared. Buy or collect a good harvest of cucumbers themselves, prepare 3 liter jars, green stuff, spices. And all this should be in fairly large quantities, because you shouldn’t bother with one, two, three liter cans.

As a result, we need to choose a recipe so that the end result is tasty, crispy, pickled cucumbers. Means what? We must approach this issue responsibly, and always in a good mood.

In this article you will learn several secrets that have been used for a long time, they have already been tested. Several good recipes for pickling cucumbers for the winter will also be given.

How to properly pickle cucumbers for the winter with the result - tasty, crispy, pickled cucumbers

Almost everyone loves crispy cucumbers and thinks that achieving such a result is difficult. In fact, everything is even very easy. There are several secrets that will lead you to the desired result. Of course, there are an incredible number of recipes for pickling cucumbers, and this is good, because you can choose the recipe that you like best. And I have already outlined them. But, there can never be too much of a good thing, and therefore, let’s not describe the theory, let’s get down to the practical part.

There are several general rules or, so to speak, secrets that you need to know when preparing cucumbers (and not only them, it will work with any pickles...) If you adhere to these rules, then your work will not be in vain and you will get wonderfully tasty pickles.

So, the classic of the genre is the correct preparation of the product, ingredients and containers.

Pickling cucumbers for the winter - how to choose the right cucumbers

The basis of success is fresh cucumbers. They should be hard with thick skin, small in size, about 15 centimeters, to fit well in a jar and with pimples. It would be ideal, of course, if the cucumbers were homemade, but store-bought ones would also work.

Water for pickling cucumbers - so that the cucumbers are crispy

Pickling cucumbers involves using clean water. The final result will depend on this. It is not recommended to use tap water for brine. Better bottled. But if there is no other way out, then you can simply boil the water and use it.

Important! - be sure to soak the cucumbers on the floor in cold water to strengthen and elasticity.

What herbs and spices should you add to make the cucumbers delicious and finger-licking good?

This of course depends on your preferences. You can add allspice, mustard, horseradish leaves, garlic, bay leaf, etc. All classic herbs and spices will do.

Experimenting with spices is possible. but be careful, things may not go as you plan. It’s better to make basic preparations according to proven recipes, but you can give one or two jars to find a new taste. But don’t forget to sign these banks, let’s say “Surprise!”

In what container should you pickle cucumbers for the winter? Preference - in 3 liter jars

In urban areas, we use banks more often. It is very convenient and practical to use 3 liter jars. Be sure to sterilize jars and lids - boil for 10-15 minutes. Dry.

How to properly prepare the brine so that the cucumbers turn out crispy? Classic recipe for pickling cucumbers for the winter

Proportions of brine for pickling cucumbers - per 1 liter of water:

• take 2-2.5 tbsp. salt.

This is the best option.

So now the procedure is:

Cucumbers and all the spices that you add must be thoroughly washed, jars and lids sterilized. Arrange cucumbers and spices. Try not to overcrowd the jar. Fill it all with boiled solution. Then all that remains is to “roll up” the jars, turn them upside down and wrap them in a blanket. This way the jars will lie until the morning and you can already send them to your cellar. And in winter you will enjoy the wonderful taste of cucumbers and the pride that you got them so crispy.

Recipes for pickling cucumbers for the winter using cold and hot methods - always crispy and tasty

These two methods are both good in their own way. The first is that this is done very quickly, but during storage it is assumed that the jars of cucumbers will be stored in a cool place, a cellar, a basement.

The second, hot method of salting. Accordingly, in terms of the duration of preparation and the actions, it is more complicated, but on the other hand, such cucumbers can be stored at room temperature and for quite a long time.

So, let's start with the first option, which is simpler.

Cold pickling of crispy cucumbers for the winter in a three-liter jar

Let's prepare everything according to the tips written above.

Ingredients for a 3 liter jar:

• Fresh cucumbers - 15 -20 pcs. depending on size.
• Garlic 2-3 heads.
• Currant leaves, cherry leaves, oak leaves - if possible, all, but if not, at least one type is required, 5 - 6 pieces each.
• Dill umbrellas - 4 - 5 pcs.
• Horseradish - leaves or root.
• Lavrukha - one leaf.
• Peppercorns, black - 5 - 6 pcs.
• Salt 2.5 tablespoons.

Preparation:

As you might guess, first we put a little of everything from the greens into the bottom of a three-liter jar. You can cut the garlic in half, peppercorns, throw in half for now - 2 - 3 pieces.

We put the “shells” (that is, cucumbers...) into the jar. First, what is larger, then smaller.

Dissolve salt, 2.5 tablespoons in water, for about a 3-liter jar you will need one and a half liters of water, add too little.

Pour the saline solution into the jar with cucumbers, pour it almost until it stops, you can leave the measuring tape.

Add the remaining pepper, cover the top with a sheet of horseradish, thereby preventing the formation of mold, add water to the very edges.

Place the jar(s) on a plate, cover with a loose lid and leave in this state for three days.

Then add salt solution to the jars, as a little will spill out during the fermentation process.

Finally cover with a nylon lid and take it to a cool place.

All! This pickling of cucumbers for the winter will not leave you without a tasty snack.

How to hot pickle cucumbers for the winter - recipe with vodka (video)

A very interesting way of pickling. I tried to do it myself - I advise you to try it too, it’s worth your time.

I hope you enjoy these recipes for pickling cucumbers for the winter, and you will delight your family with such crispy and tasty cucumbers.

Good luck and all the best!

Pickled cucumbers are a traditional Russian appetizer, without which not a single feast is complete. And they perfectly complement everyday food with their piquant taste and spicy aroma. They are used as a side dish and as an indispensable ingredient for many favorite dishes. Can you imagine our winter menu without vinaigrettes, pickles or New Year's Olivier salad? Each housewife has her own recipes and secrets on how to seal pickles for the winter so that they are crispy, strong and tasty.

The best choice for pickling is greens (unripe fruits of “milky” ripeness, used for food) in the so-called “Russian shirt” - with a fairly dense peel, covered with sparse large tubercles with black or white thorns. These include such well-known varieties as “Zasolochny”, “Nezhinsky”, “Phoenix”, etc. High quality when salting and pickling is also demonstrated by the owners of the Dutch or German “shirts” - with smaller and more often located tubercles-pimples, densely pubescent along the the entire surface. Due to the large number of spines, which break off when picking and washing cucumbers, many microholes - tubules - appear in the peel. Through them, the brine penetrates inside faster, and the cucumbers are salted more evenly.

When harvesting densely pubescent greens, you can not cut them at the base and take a smaller amount of spices and herbs.

Now there are many varieties and hybrids of cucumbers, bred specifically for processing and having pickling, canning or universal purposes. For home and industrial canning, green vegetables are usually small and fit well in jars. Some housewives use very small pickles (3-5 cm) or gherkins (group I - 5.1-7 cm, group II - 7.1-9 cm) - children especially like these cucumbers. Those who prefer sweeter (salad) but large-fruited options, for example “Zozulya F1”, either pick the cucumbers before they have time to grow, or cut them into pieces before putting them in jars.

Preparing cucumbers for pickling

It is best to use freshly picked herbs for preservation. If you plan to close them only after a few days, then you need to store them in the refrigerator. The longer they are stored, the longer they should be soaked before salting or pickling.

Harvested cucumbers first sort and reject all overgrown and overripe, spoiled and damaged specimens. Greens that are suitable in size and appearance are thoroughly washed to remove dust, dirt and wax deposits. Then put it in a large container, fill it with cold water and let it stand for several hours (from 2-3 to 8-10 depending on size and freshness). In progress soaking The water is changed several times, rinsing the greens and removing dry remains of flowers from the tops. Many people are concerned about the question of whether it is possible to pickle bitter cucumbers. Experienced housewives say that it is quite possible, since when soaked, the cucumber bitterness disappears, especially if you first cut off the stalks or the places where they broke off along with part of the base.

Preserved cucumber is very capricious. To prevent jars of pickled cucumbers from becoming cloudy and exploding, some advise making preparations on days that are favorable according to the lunar calendar: on the waning moon (in the 3-4 phase) during its passage through the signs of Aries, Taurus, Leo, Sagittarius and Capricorn. There is also an opinion that women should not engage in canning during menstruation. You can listen to such advice and signs, but, in any case, when it is better and how to pickle cucumbers correctly, everyone decides for themselves.

Important stages of preparation are also considered selection of containers for salting and necessary ingredients. In the old days, cucumbers were pickled exclusively in barrels or tubs made of untarred oak. Nowadays, not everyone can afford such a luxury: there are practically no barrels to be found, and storing them in a city apartment is not very convenient, so housewives with large volumes of preparations make do mostly with enamel pans or plastic buckets, and in most cases they immediately use glass jars.

A barrel of pickled cucumbers was often lowered to the bottom of the river and taken out only in the spring. Prolonged salting at cold temperatures ensured a rich taste and aroma, as well as an indescribable crunchiness.

The second most important ingredient (after cucumbers) is salt. In conservation it is customary to use stone food coarse, non-iodized salt. Some believe that coarse sea salt gives the preparations a good taste, but this is a controversial point: you may not be able to guess with the dosage, since you need to add more of it than traditional salt (and sea salt is much more expensive). Water quality also plays a serious role. If you don’t have a well or spring water at hand, then you need some kind of purified one.

Of the remaining ingredients, they also require preliminary preparation. garlic,greenery And Bell pepper. Garlic cloves are peeled and cut into pieces, dill and all kinds of leaves (horseradish, black currant, cherry, tarragon, oak) are washed, and if desired, also scalded with boiling water; The peppers are washed and cut: bell peppers are cleared of seeds, bitter peppers are usually not.

The most popular recipes for preparing cucumbers

You can pickle cucumbers as follows: cold method: by fermenting them in the process of lactic fermentation, and hot method, pouring boiling water. Cold pickling is definitely healthier, but it takes longer to prepare. Hot is faster, but it often uses an additional preservative (vinegar), that is, the cucumbers are actually pickled.

Proponents of a healthy diet successfully replace store-bought (9%) vinegar with natural vinegar: apple, grape, etc., but add 1.5 times more of it. We offer you the most popular and simple recipes with step-by-step cooking technology.

Cold-cooked cucumbers, when fermented, retain all their beneficial substances and acquire a soft sourness.

Number of servings/volume: 2-3 liter jars

Ingredients:

• fresh cucumbers – 2 kg;
• rock salt – 90-120 g;
• water – 1.5-2 l;
• dill, umbrellas – 3 pcs.;
• garlic – 3-6 cloves;
• cherry, black currant, oak leaves - 3 pcs each;
• horseradish, leaves or root (pieces) – 3 pcs.

Technology preparations:

1. The bottom of a prepared container, for example a three-liter jar, is lined with leaves, dill and garlic cut into slices are added.
2. At the same time, prepare a brine at the rate of 60 g of salt per 1 liter of water.
3. The jar is filled with cucumbers, previously soaked in cold water for 3-6 hours. The bottom row is usually made from the largest cucumbers, placing them vertically, close to each other. The rest are placed as it is more convenient.
4. The filled container is filled with brine - at room temperature or slightly warm (not higher than 35-40 ℃). Warm pouring stimulates the activity of lactic acid bacteria, which accelerates the onset of fermentation.
5. Cover the jar with a lid or a layer of gauze; In containers with a wide neck, cover the contents with a flat plate and place a slight pressure on it so that the cucumbers are completely covered with brine.
6. The workpiece is kept for 3-4 days at room temperature. Then it is necessary to interrupt the process of intensive fermentation, otherwise the cucumbers may become sour, soften and lose their crispness. To do this, the container with cucumbers is placed in a cold room or heat treated: the brine is poured into an enamel pan and boiled for 5 minutes, the cucumbers are washed with hot water, poured with boiling brine (if there is not enough of it, you can add boiling water); The jars are covered with lids and sterilized for 12-15 minutes, after which they are immediately sealed hermetically.

When using cold brine and without heat treatment, the cucumbers will take about a month to salt. You can store cucumbers salted in this way without sterilization in the refrigerator in jars under nylon lids or in a large container in the basement. And it is convenient to place sterilized and hermetically sealed jars in a pantry or kitchen cabinet, where they will be safely preserved at normal temperatures.

In ancient recipes there are recommendations to ferment cucumbers in barrels along with small watermelons. Many housewives also make assorted pickles from cucumbers and green or brown tomatoes.

This is perhaps the simplest recipe, which has many variations. With quick cooking, cucumbers cook much faster and remain crispy, and various combinations of spices and herbs help diversify the shades of taste and aroma.

Number of servings/volume: 6-7 liter cans

Ingredients:

• fresh cucumbers – 5 kg;
• rock salt – 120-150 g;
• water – 3 l;
• dill, umbrellas – 6-7 pcs.;
• bell pepper – 3-4 pcs.;
• hot pepper – 1-6 pcs. (depending on size);
• garlic – 6-7 cloves;
• cherry and black currant leaves - 6-7 pcs.;
• horseradish leaf – 3 pcs.

Technology preparations:

1. After standard preparation, the cucumbers are placed in jars, at the bottom of which leaves, dill, pepper and garlic are placed.
2. Prepare the brine by adding salt to heated water, bring to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring until the salt is completely dissolved.
3. Filled jars are filled with boiling brine, covered with lids and left at room temperature for 5-7 days. In boiling water, most of the bacteria die, and the cucumbers do not ferment, but are simply salted. You can start eating them literally in a few hours as lightly salted ones.
4. For long-term storage, the workpiece is either put in a cold place or the brine is drained, brought to a boil and re-filled with cucumbers. The jars can be sealed directly after the second filling or after additional sterilization/pasteurization in a pan of boiling/hot water or in the oven.
5. The sealed jars are turned upside down, wrapped in an old blanket and left to cool completely. Then stored under normal conditions.

Hot pickled cucumbers are good as an independent snack and are suitable for adding to various dishes, as they do not contain excessive acid.

Video

We have selected several more interesting video recipes for pickling cucumbers - with mustard, with vodka and with chili ketchup:

For several years she worked as a television program editor with leading producers of ornamental plants in Ukraine. At the dacha, of all types of agricultural work, she prefers harvesting, but for this she is ready to regularly weed, pull, shed, water, tie, thin out, etc. I am convinced that the most delicious vegetables and fruits are those grown with your own hands!

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Both humus and compost are rightfully the basis of organic farming. Their presence in the soil significantly increases the yield and improves the taste of vegetables and fruits. They are very similar in properties and appearance, but they should not be confused. Humus is rotted manure or bird droppings. Compost is rotted organic remains of various origins (spoiled food from the kitchen, tops, weeds, thin twigs). Humus is considered a higher quality fertilizer; compost is more accessible.

Tomatoes have no natural protection against late blight. If late blight attacks, any tomatoes (and potatoes too) die, no matter what is said in the description of the varieties (“variety resistant to late blight” is just a marketing ploy).

Humus is rotted manure or bird droppings. It is prepared like this: the manure is piled up in a heap or pile, layered with sawdust, peat and garden soil. The pile is covered with film to stabilize temperature and humidity (this is necessary to increase the activity of microorganisms). The fertilizer “ripens” within 2-5 years, depending on external conditions and the composition of the feedstock. The output is a loose, homogeneous mass with a pleasant smell of fresh earth.

It is believed that some vegetables and fruits (cucumbers, stem celery, all varieties of cabbage, peppers, apples) have “negative calorie content,” that is, more calories are consumed during digestion than they contain. In fact, only 10-20% of the calories received from food are consumed in the digestive process.

Compost is rotted organic remains of various origins. How to do it? They put everything in a heap, hole or large box: kitchen scraps, tops of garden crops, weeds cut before flowering, thin twigs. All this is layered with phosphate rock, sometimes straw, earth or peat. (Some summer residents add special composting accelerators.) Cover with film. During the process of overheating, the pile is periodically turned or pierced to bring in fresh air. Typically, compost “ripens” for 2 years, but with modern additives it can be ready in one summer season.

You need to collect medicinal flowers and inflorescences at the very beginning of the flowering period, when the content of nutrients in them is highest. Flowers are supposed to be picked by hand, tearing off the rough stalks. Dry the collected flowers and herbs, scattered in a thin layer, in a cool room at natural temperature without access to direct sunlight.

“Frost-resistant” varieties of garden strawberries (more often simply “strawberries”) need shelter just as much as ordinary varieties (especially in those regions where there are snowless winters or frosts alternating with thaws). All strawberries have superficial roots. This means that without shelter they freeze to death. Sellers’ assurances that strawberries are “frost-resistant,” “winter-hardy,” “tolerates frosts down to −35 ℃,” etc. are deception. Gardeners must remember that no one has yet managed to change the root system of strawberries.

Oklahoma farmer Carl Burns developed an unusual variety of multi-colored corn called Rainbow Corn. The grains on each cob are of different colors and shades: brown, pink, purple, blue, green, etc. This result was achieved through many years of selecting the most colored ordinary varieties and crossing them.

Cucumber is one of the most beloved and affordable vegetables in Russia. This herbaceous plant, known for more than six thousand years, is native to Southeast Asia and India. Cucumber seeds were brought to Russia around the eighth century, and since then this vegetable has become widespread throughout the Russian state. With certain skills, you can grow it on any summer cottage and even on your loggia or balcony.

Foreign travelers considered this vegetable our national food; not a single feast was without can't do without fresh and crispy pickled cucumbers. They are used as an independent aromatic and savory appetizer, and as a component of favorite salads (for example, Olivier salad and vinaigrette), and as an additive to sauces, and as a dressing for soups (for example, solyanka).

But cucumber in Russia is a seasonal vegetable, summer and autumn. To many housewives I want to treat my family and loved ones with salted, crispy homemade cucumbers in late autumn, cold winter, and early spring, when there is no new harvest yet, but you want something tasty. Of course, you can buy a ready-made jar of salted or pickled vegetables in the supermarket, but where is the guarantee that it will be tasty?

Secrets of making crispy pickles at home

It is very important to obtain good pickles for the winter:

• selection and processing of all components for salting
• choosing a cooking recipe.

Selection of vegetables and herbs for pickling cucumbers

Cucumbers. We choose fresh, smooth, preferably young fruits of the same size with a dense, coarsely lumpy skin and black spines (with white spines, they are good for fresh salad). Cucumbers should be chosen small or small (gherkins) so that they fit freely in the jar, taste sweet, are dense with small seeds, and have no internal voids.

If you buy fruits for harvesting at the market, then ask the seller about the variety. For harvesting, you need cucumbers of special pickling varieties (Nezhensky, Muromsky, Vyaznikovsky, Altai and many similar ones).

Water. When preparing cucumbers, water is a very important component for preparing marinade or brine. Best to use spring, spring or well water. If this is not possible, then it is better to buy purified drinking water in a supermarket or pass tap water through a filter.

Spices and seasonings. Traditionally, garlic, horseradish (root and green leaves), cherry and currant leaves, dill (umbrellas with seeds and green leaves), black bitter and allspice (peas) are used. Each recipe has its secrets in the selection of herbs and spices, but the main thing: all herbs, leaves, roots must be well washed and cleared of soil, be fresh and fragrant. You should not use dried herbs.

Pickling jars. You can prepare pickles for winter storage in glass jars of any size. But very important wash the container thoroughly, or better yet, soak in a solution of baking soda for a while, then rinse well, sterilize and dry thoroughly in air.

Choosing a recipe for winter pickling of cucumbers

Many recipes for preparing pickled crispy cucumbers at home are popular. Before pickling according to any recipe, it is advisable to soak the cucumbers in cold water (preferably well or spring) for at least 2 hours (ideally 8–10 hours).

The recipe is simple and one of the best

For a three-liter jar you need:

For determining the right amount of water The cucumbers are first placed in a jar and filled with water up to the neck, then the water is poured into a saucepan. From this amount of water the brine for pouring will be prepared.

All components must be washed well, jars sterilized, cucumbers pre-soaked!

Coarsely chop all the greens (dill, cherry and currant leaves, horseradish leaves and root), peel the garlic and cut large cloves into 3 - 4 parts. You can trim the ends of prepared cucumbers if you need to speed up the pickling process.

Place some of the chopped herbs on the bottom of the jar, then place the cucumbers tightly, sprinkling with herbs and garlic, to the very top. Cucumbers in a jar with herbs should sit for a while before pouring brine so that they are saturated with aromas.

The brine is prepared at the rate of two tablespoons of table salt (without a slide) per liter of water. Taken in advance a certain volume of water, add the calculated amount of salt, pepper, and several pieces of bay leaves. The solution is brought to a boil and poured boiling into a jar with cucumbers.

Cover the jar with a lid or gauze and leave to sour at room temperature. Gradually, the brine in the jars will become cloudy, and the cucumbers will begin to pickle. In about 2 days You should taste the cucumber, if it is salted and slightly sour, then we proceed to preservation.

Pour the brine from the jar into a container (you can do it together with the herbs), boil it and pour it back into the jar with cucumbers, then quickly roll it up. If jars of cucumbers will be stored in a warm room, and not in a basement or cellar, then before sealing the lid, add a tablespoon of five percent vinegar to the jar.

Pickled cucumbers prepared in jars for the winter according to the proposed recipe will be perfectly stored for a very long time.

Recipes for preparing cucumbers for the winter using the hot method

There are many recipes for preserving pickles for the winter using hot steam and boiling brine.

Recipe No. 1 (hot method)

Ingredients for a three-liter jar:

Rinse the cucumbers thoroughly and leave in cold water for several hours. Wash the greens (leaves and dill) thoroughly under running cold water. Peel the horseradish root and rinse.

Place chopped herbs, pieces of horseradish root, a few cloves of garlic, then prepared cucumbers at the bottom of the jar. Into a filled jar Boiling water is poured in and left in this form for 20–25 minutes. Next, the water from the jar is poured into the pan and boiled again. Add salt to the boiling brine, add granulated sugar, and pour into a jar with cucumbers. Cucumbers sit in this brine for 15–20 minutes.

After this time, the liquid must be drained and boiled again. Add the required amount of vinegar to a jar of cucumbers (without brine). Boiling brine is poured into the cucumbers and sealed with lids.

Recipe No. 2 (With aspirin. Yes, yes! With the same one for colds)

Required Products:

Prepare fresh cucumbers and selected herbs in the same way as in the previous recipe.

Wash glass jars and caps thoroughly and sterilize them.

First, sprigs of dill, parsley and two or three cloves of garlic are placed in the jars (you don’t need much), then packed tightly cucumbers almost to the top and a layer of greens with garlic. The contents of the jar are poured with boiling water and left for an hour. Then the brine from the jar is poured into a container, put on fire, brought to a boil, granulated sugar, salt, and peppercorns (several pieces) are added.

For the cucumbers remaining in the jar, chop one acetylsalicylic acid tablet(aspirin) so that the preparations are well stored at any temperature and do not ferment. Cucumbers are poured with boiling brine, the jar is sealed with a sterilized lid.

Cucumbers prepared according to this recipe have excellent taste, crisp well and are stored for a long time at room temperature.

Recipe No. 3 (Hot pickling with citric acid)

Ingredients:

Prepare the cucumbers (wash and keep in cold water for five to six hours), sterilize glass jars, prepare herbs and spices.

Since cucumbers prepared in this way are significantly reduced in size, they must be very place tightly in a jar before salting, then pour boiling (preferably spring or well) water, close the lid and let stand for 15-20 minutes. Then, pour out the water. Boil another portion of water and pour the contents of the jar again, let stand for 15–20 minutes. Pour water into a container, add salt, granulated sugar, a few bay leaves and peppercorns, put on fire and bring to a boil. Place citric acid in a jar on top of the cucumbers, pour in the prepared boiling brine and quickly seal with a sterilized lid. Pickles in jars are ready for the winter.

Recipes for cold preparation of cucumbers for the winter

The cold method of preparing pickles for the winter is the simplest and most common. Even an inexperienced housewife can prepare such canned food.

Recipe No. 1 (without vinegar)

Necessary ingredients for a three-liter jar:

Prepare cucumbers, herbs and jars for seaming as in the previously described recipes.

To the bottom of the jar put greens(currant leaves, several pieces of bay leaves, dill leaves), chopped garlic cloves, horseradish, pepper. Then fill the jar with cucumbers and leave to stand so that the cucumbers are saturated with the aromas of herbs and spices.

100 grams of table salt are dissolved in water, and the cucumbers in the jar are poured with this solution, leaving 2-3 centimeters empty. Bank covered with a plastic lid and leave for 5 days. Then, after the brine in the jar becomes transparent and sediment forms at the bottom of the jar, the liquid is poured out of the jar. Cold water is poured into the jar of cucumbers and rinsed several times to remove the sediment. The bottom of the jar should be clean, without sediment.

The contents of the jar are filled with prepared brine to the very edge of the neck. After this, the pickles in the jars are sealed with lids.

Recipe No. 2 (with mustard)

At the bottom of a sterilized jar put greens, peppercorns, a chopped piece of root and a horseradish leaf, one or two cloves of garlic. Then the jar is filled with cucumbers, sprinkled with garlic, and garlic is also placed on top.

Salt is dissolved in boiled water. Pour this cooled solution over the cucumbers. Add mustard powder to the jar. Then cover the jar with a lid and leave to infuse, salting lasts about 5 days. Then everything is as in the previous recipe.

Cucumbers pickled according to this recipe will retain their color until winter and will become aromatic and piquant in taste. So, from the many proposed and known methods preparing crispy pickles for the winter, choose a recipe to suit your taste. Summer pickling of cucumbers for the winter - crispy, aromatic, piquant vegetables on the table all year round for you and your loved ones.

Bon appetit!

Recipes for preserving cucumbers for the winter

Crispy pickles in jars are an easy, quick and tasty preparation for housewives. It doesn't require any culinary skill and will save you time...

1 hour

4.5/5 (2)

To save your time and effort, I'll share some more useful tips, which will definitely come in handy when canning:

• You only need to use rock salt, as the jar may explode or the cucumbers will turn sour;
• everything that you put in jars must be thoroughly washed so that the brine does not ferment and the cucumbers do not spoil;
• To sterilize jars, they should only be placed in a cold oven so that they heat up evenly and do not explode;
• You can add a few mustard seeds to each jar to prevent the jars from exploding;
• to make the cucumbers extra crispy, you can add a small piece of oak bark to the spices in each jar;
• if you cut off the tails of the cucumbers or make several punctures with a fork, they will be saturated with brine faster;
• It is imperative to sterilize the lids: boil metal ones for 15 minutes, and thoroughly wash and scald nylon ones.

Storage and use

Pickles are a truly versatile dish. They are added to, or eaten simply, cut into pieces and adding a little chopped garlic and vegetable oil. Store pickled cucumbers better in a cold place: cellar, refrigerator or even on the balcony.

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