4 best step-by-step recipes for spicy pickled cucumbers for the winter

There are many options for preparing cucumbers for the winter; depending on the housewife’s preferences, they prepare salted and pickled, sweet and spicy, whole and sliced. They add spice to universal recipes by diversifying the taste by adding hot hot chili peppers, mustard, garlic, and aromatic herbs. In fact, based on the basic marinade, you can prepare an unlimited number of variations of delicious snacks.

Subtleties of preparing spicy cucumbers for the winter

When preparing cucumbers for the winter, the dull taste of the vegetables is enriched with seasonings and herbs. Greens rolled with hot peppers will be spicy and piquant, making an excellent addition to boiled potatoes and other dishes. Adding tannin-containing cherry, oak, and blackcurrant leaves will make the cucumbers dense and crispy.

Selection and preparation of cucumbers

For pickling, young fruits of small size are preferred, the optimal length does not exceed 12 cm. Before harvesting, the cucumbers are thoroughly washed under running water, cleared of soil and sand, dried, the ends are cut off, and if required by the recipe, soaked in water for several hours. For individual twists, vegetables need to be chopped into slices or circles.

How to prepare containers for the start of the process

Glass jars for preparations are thoroughly cleaned with soda and then rinsed with plenty of water to remove any remaining detergent. After this, the container is sterilized by any available method and dried.

Pickling recipes

To prepare preserves, you can use family recipes passed down from generation to generation, or you can try something new by adding unusual ingredients to the basic marinade. The composition and quantity of components of the snack can be varied as much as your imagination allows, or you can choose the most delicious recipe for spicy pickled cucumbers and stick with it.

With chili peppers in cans "You'll lick your fingers"

To prepare a spicy snack with hot red pepper, you need small cucumbers; large and overgrown ones are not suitable. You can add tomatoes if there is room left in the jars, then you will get an assortment of vegetables. Tomatoes must be pierced near the stem to prevent them from cracking.The cucumbers according to this recipe are tasty and crispy.

Ingredients:

• medium-sized cucumbers - 1 kg;
• garlic - 5 cloves;
• chili pepper - 1 pc.;
• salt - 2 level tablespoons;
• sugar - 2 heaped tablespoons;
• water - 1 l.

To prepare spicy pickled cucumbers with hot peppers, you need to follow these steps:

• The jars are filled with washed cucumbers with cut off ends mixed with garlic and pepper.
• The marinade is made from water, salt and sugar.
• Boiling marinade is poured over vegetables.
• Filled jars, covered with lids, are sterilized in a water bath for 20 minutes.
• The processed blanks are filled with water up to the neck and rolled up.
• The jars are turned over, wrapped, and left to cool.

Variation without sterilization

Canned cucumbers can be prepared without sterilization; this will greatly simplify and speed up the preparation process. Vegetables should be cut into small pieces, so they will undergo better heat treatment with boiling water and will be better stored.

To prepare pickled vegetables without sterilization you will need:

• cucumbers - 1 kg;
• chili pepper - 3 pcs.;
• vinegar - 120 ml;
• dill - 1 bunch;
• garlic - 3 heads;
• sugar - 3 teaspoons;
• salt - 1.5 teaspoons.

Prepare a snack without sterilization as follows:

• Place a little washed dill at the bottom of the prepared jar.
• The container is filled to the top with cucumbers cut into 3-4 parts, halves of garlic cloves, hot pepper rings, and herbs.
• Pour boiling water over the contents of the jar, cover with a lid and leave until cool.
• A marinade is prepared from the cooled liquid; to do this, pour it into a saucepan, mix with salt, sugar and vinegar, then boil for 3 minutes.
• The brine is poured into the vegetables and the lid is screwed on.
• The jar is wrapped and, after cooling, put into the pantry.

With mustard seeds

You can stock up on spicy cucumbers for the winter if you add mustard seeds to the vegetables. A savory appetizer is made from vegetables cut lengthwise - they pickle quickly and are ready to eat within a week. Ground black pepper will add additional spiciness.

For the mustard preparation you will need:

• cucumbers - 2 kg;
• vinegar - 0.5 cups;
• sugar - 0.5 cups;
• vegetable oil - 0.5 cups;
• mustard seeds - 1 tablespoon;
• salt - 50 g;
• ground black pepper - 0.5 teaspoon.

You can prepare spicy cucumbers with mustard seeds as follows:

• Place cucumbers cut lengthwise into 4 pieces into a bowl.
• Spices, oil and vinegar are added to the vegetables, everything is thoroughly mixed and left to marinate at room temperature for about 5 hours.
• Vegetables are vertically packaged in pre-prepared jars; the packing should be quite tight.
• The juice released during the pickling process is poured into jars filled with cucumbers; the brine should cover the vegetables entirely.
• Sterilize jars in a water bath for 40 minutes.
• Seal the containers with lids, wrap them until they cool, and take them to the pantry.

With aromatic marinade

A universal basic recipe for an aromatic marinade is suitable for any vegetables; it will perfectly marinate cucumbers - moderately crispy, sweetish and with the degree of spiciness that the owners and guests prefer. The secret to the aroma of the marinade is the addition of herbs and favorite spices; the spiciness is regulated by the amount of garlic, pepper and horseradish.

In order to prepare a fragrant and moderately spicy snack for the winter, you need to take the following ingredients:

• water - 1 l;
• sugar - 1 tablespoon;
• salt - 1 tablespoon;
• vinegar - half a glass;
• horseradish root - to taste;
• bay leaf - to taste;
• parsley, dill, other favorite greens - 1 bunch;
• garlic - to taste;
• allspice peas - to taste;
• hot pepper, cut into rings and freed from seeds - to taste.

The components are indicated per 1 liter of water. A three-liter jar will require up to one and a half liters of brine; the total amount is calculated by already distributing the cucumbers into containers and knowing how much liquid is needed.

Prepare spicy cucumbers in a fragrant marinade as follows:

• A marinade is prepared from water, salt, sugar, vinegar, pepper, bay leaf, and herbs. After a quarter of an hour, the greens are removed from the boiling liquid.
• Sprigs of selected herbs, a bay leaf, several peppercorns, chopped horseradish root, hot pepper rings, and garlic are placed at the bottom of the prepared jars.
• Fill the containers to the top with tightly packed cucumbers.
• Pour marinade over vegetables.
• Sterilize the jars for 20 minutes and roll them up.
• The container is turned over, wrapped, cooled and stored in the pantry.

Further storage of cucumbers

If the preservation is prepared according to all the rules, then further storage of the cans does not present any difficulty. In country houses, it is convenient to keep pickled delicacies in the cellar, basement or underground.

In apartment buildings, storage rooms, specially equipped lockers, or just free space under the bed are suitable.

The main thing is to follow a few simple conditions:

• Cans should not be placed near heating devices.
• Conservation does not tolerate direct sunlight.
• Frost is detrimental to pickled cucumbers.

Shelf life of blanks

Cucumbers pickled in glass jars should not be kept for more than two years. During this period, you need to periodically inspect them and safely throw them away if the lids are swollen or the brine becomes cloudy. After the jar is opened, its contents are stored in the refrigerator for no more than three days.

Any housewife is pleased to receive compliments for skillful homemade preservation. Various versions of spicy pickled cucumbers will please even the most demanding gourmets without much difficulty.