TOP 8 recipes for preparing cold-pickled cucumbers for the winter

Homemade preparations are especially popular. Each family remembers and stores their favorite vegetable recipes using different technological techniques. The advantage of homemade preparations is that when choosing ingredients, you can independently regulate the amount of salt or acid. For the winter, pickled cucumbers or tomatoes are prepared cold or hot.

Principles of cold pickling cucumbers

Pickling is a type of canning with the addition of salt, acetic, malic or citric acid. Under the influence of additives, cucumbers change their taste, but do not begin to ferment or become moldy.

Rules for choosing cucumbers

For the marinade, take small vegetables. The advantage of this rule is that smaller fruits cook faster.

For pickling in large jars, it is customary to use medium-sized cucumbers. One of the tricks of canning is to use fruits of equal volume so that the degree of cooking is the same.

In addition, the fruits should not be damaged and be smooth. This is the key to uniform salting.

How to prepare the container?

To keep pickled cucumbers longer, the container for the preparation is thoroughly washed and sterilized. The lid for the container must be suitable and tightly sealed.

Sterilization is one of the techniques that involves heat treatment of glass containers. High temperatures destroy microorganisms. Any of the following methods is suitable for sterilization:

• in the microwave;
• in the oven;
• over steam;
• in boiling water.

How to pickle cucumbers in cold water?

Before preparing canned food, cucumbers are soaked for 5-6 hours. Cold water returns their structure and saturates them with moisture, which prevents further fermentation during pickling or salting.

When preparing pickled cucumbers, the taste and quality of the marinade matters. Brine for simple cold canning is prepared separately from 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 liter of water. The crystals should completely dissolve. Cucumbers with the ends cut off are distributed tightly into jars and filled with liquid. The jars are covered with saucers and left for 3-5 days.After the foam has disappeared, the jars are filled with vinegar marinade, tightly closed and stored in the basement.

A simple recipe for pickling under a nylon lid without vinegar

The marinade is prepared from 1 liter of boiling water, 1.5 tablespoons of sugar, 3 tablespoons of salt. Add peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, and dill. Jars with cucumbers are filled with hot brine. Cover with a nylon lid.

Option with mustard

Before cooking, vegetables are soaked in a tub of cold water for 2-3 hours. Cucumbers, onion rings, and pepper parts are placed in jars. Then prepare the marinade according to the classic recipe. Before pouring the brine, pour a spoonful of dry mustard powder onto the top layer, then pour it in.

With vinegar

To the classic marinade recipe add 1 tablespoon of 9 percent vinegar. The filling is poured onto the workpiece, rolled up, and turned over with the lid down.

With horseradish and garlic

Small horseradish leaves and whole garlic cloves are distributed along the bottom of the jar. Then place the cucumbers with the ends cut off. The layers are repeated using horseradish leaves and garlic to taste. The amount of garlic depends on individual choice. Cover the last layer of cucumbers with a currant leaf and pour in the vinegar-salt marinade.

With berry leaves

To prepare cucumbers, choose currant and cherry leaves. They must be whole and even. The bottom of the jar is covered with leaves, prepared soaked cucumbers are distributed. The top of the workpiece is covered with leaves, leaving holes for filling. Pour 1 tablespoon of sugar into 1 liter of water, add 3 tablespoons of salt.

The brine is boiled, then 50 milliliters of vinegar are added and immediately removed. The cooled marinade is poured into the workpiece, then sterilized, rolled up, and turned over to infuse and cool.

Advice! For preparations you can use cherry, rowan, and oak leaves.

With chili pepper

The addition of pepper won’t surprise anyone, but chilli preparations are a novelty in canning. For the marinade take:

• 100 milliliters of vinegar;
• 2 chili pods;
• 0.5 liters of water;
• 100 grams of sugar;
• 1 tablespoon salt.

Mix the ingredients and boil for 5 minutes. Garlic cloves, onion rings, and vegetable plates are laid out in jars. Then pour the cooled mixture over the prepared vegetables. The containers are sterilized for 25 minutes and rolled up.

With vodka

Adding vodka makes the cucumbers crispy, which is why this recipe is especially popular.

The cooking process begins with preparing the vegetables: they are soaked for 6 hours. Then distribute into prepared jars along with dill, garlic, bay leaf to taste. For each liter jar take 1 tablespoon of salt. It is poured with boiling water and left to infuse for 2 days. Then the brine is drained and boiled. Add 100 milliliters of vodka to each jar, and then fill it with brine again. After this, they are rolled up and put away for storage.

With apple juice

This option is especially popular with those who love apples. Cucumbers are treated with boiling water and the ends are removed from both sides. Boil 1 liter of apple juice with 1 tablespoon of salt. This unusual marinade is poured over prepared cucumbers. Then they begin seaming and sterilization.

Information! To enhance the taste, add blanched apple quarters to the preparation. Select fruits of sour varieties.

Further storage of workpieces

An important requirement during storage is preparation according to all the rules. Sterilized preparations are stored for 6 months or more.Too long storage is not recommended due to inevitable chemical reactions inside the workpiece. Rooms with stable low temperatures and relative humidity are suitable for storage.

In addition, there are general rules for storing preserved food:

• pickles and marinades are not left near heating appliances;
• do not store on open balconies at sub-zero temperatures;
• Store away from sunlight.

If the preparation and storage rules are followed, marinades can be stored for up to 2 years.