When preparing Prague cucumbers with lemon, you do not use vinegar, as is usually the case, but citric acid or the lemon itself. This preservation helps the preparations last longer and adds a pleasant sour taste to the traditional recipe. As a rule, such a snack is eaten very quickly, so it is better to prepare more cans for future use.
Selecting the best variety of cucumbers
The best solution would be small varieties of cucumbers with thick and hard skin.They are not very easy to eat fresh, but in brine the peel softens and the vegetables crunch pleasantly on the teeth.
All varieties are divided into universal, salad and pickling varieties. The latter are easy to distinguish - just pay attention to the lumpiness and thorns, which should be strictly black (the skin of white ones is so thick that it is not affected by brine). Pickling cucumbers have the largest number of tubercles.
It is worth paying attention to the following varieties:
- Nezhinsky Ukrainian;
- Coastal;
- Crisp;
- Far Eastern;
- Muromsky;
- Parisian gherkin;
- Fabulous;
- Vyaznikovsky;
- Pickling.
They have all the important characteristics for successful pickling: small size and excellent taste.
So, the best varieties are lumpy cucumbers with black thorns.
Preparing the brine correctly: calculating the proportions
The basic version of the marinade contains only salt and vinegar. However, many housewives prefer to add other ingredients to it to add flavor. For example, spices not only accentuate the taste of pickles, but also make cucumbers crispy.
The standard version of the brine, which is enough for a 1-liter jar, looks like this:
- spring or boiled water - 1 liter;
- two tablespoons of coarse salt;
- one tablespoon each of sugar and vinegar 9%.
Options for preparing Prague cucumbers
The preparation is made either according to the classic basic method with the addition of vinegar and lemon slices, or with a complete replacement with citric acid. Everyone chooses a method based on their preferences, but the preservative abilities of both vinegar and citric acid are at a similar level.
However, Prague-style cucumbers prepared with citrus acid are sweeter than the standard recipe. Children and those with a sweet tooth especially love this filling: cucumbers are so tasty that they disappear with lightning speed.
Classic way
In the classic recipe, Prague-style canned cucumbers reveal their full richness of flavor.
Ingredients needed for a liter jar:
- small cucumbers (preferably gherkins) - 20 pieces;
- black pepper (not ground) - 4 pieces;
- bay leaf - 3 pieces;
- garlic - 1 small head;
- allspice - 3 pieces;
- lemon - 2 slices;
- mustard beans - 1 teaspoon;
- cherry or currant leaves - 2-3 pieces.
For the marinade you will need:
- water - 1 liter;
- sugar - 150 grams;
- salt - 40 grams;
- citric acid - 1 teaspoon.
How to cook:
- First, keep the cucumbers in a deep container in cold water for 3 hours.
- Wash and pasteurize the jars. Prepare lids and a rolling machine, if necessary.
- Place cloves of garlic, mustard, bay leaves and allspice on the bottom.
- Next, fill the glass containers with cucumbers. Place a slice of lemon in the middle.
- Add water until contents are covered. Place the lids on top without screwing them on. Let it brew for 20 minutes.
- Prepare a pan for preparing the marinade. Pour liquid from cans and half a glass of boiled water into it, add salt and sugar and let it cook.
- After the brine boils, you can add citric acid. Cook for another 7 minutes.
- Add mustard and peppercorns to glass containers.
- Now you need to pour the boiling liquid over the cucumbers and roll up the lids tightly. Be sure to turn the jars upside down and, once they have cooled, put them away for storage.
Filled with citric acid
Pickled cucumbers will be an excellent appetizer for any hot dish or alcohol. It is better to prepare them for the cold winter in advance so that the reserves never run out. And the taste of such preparations is simply incomparable.
For Prague filling from citric acid you will need (calculated per liter container):
- spring water - 1 liter;
- granulated sugar - 3 heaped tablespoons;
- citric acid - 1 teaspoon;
- salt - 5 teaspoons.
Preparation:
- Wash the cucumbers, remove any damaged areas, and cut off the stems. Place in a container with cold water for 4 hours.
- Sterilize jars. Then add 3 pieces of black peppercorns, a branch of tarragon, 2 cm of horseradish root, a fresh umbrella of dill, 1 bay leaf, 3 cloves of garlic. To give the preparation a special spicy taste, add a small piece of chili pepper or jalapeno.
- Place all ingredients for pouring into a saucepan. Place it on the stove and wait until it boils.
- Pour the boiling brine into jars. Keep for 15 minutes.
- Return it to the pan and boil again.
- Pour into jars for 15 minutes.
- Boil the marinade for the final time and fill glass containers with it, carefully close them with lids and turn them over.
- Wrap in a wool blanket and leave in the room for a day.
- The snack is ready! Can be put away for storage.
How to properly store preserves
Prague-style cucumbers are stored in the same way as the basic, well-known preparations. Cool places are ideal for them, where it is dry enough and does not penetrate sunlight. And the preserves can be stored for a long time thanks to the citric acid in the composition.
