Preserved cucumbers for the winter are in demand among almost every housewife. The product has a long shelf life and will serve as a side dish or appetizer at holiday feasts. Preparing spicy pickles for the winter does not take much time. To successfully cope with the salting process, you should familiarize yourself with the tips below.
Features of pickling spicy cucumbers for the winter
Before pickling cucumbers, they need to be sorted by size, washed, and soaked in cold water for 5 hours.
Thanks to these manipulations, during the salting process, they will not wrinkle, they will become elastic, without internal gaps. It is advisable to take 6-8% brine; you will need 600-800 g of salt per bucket of water. Spices must be fresh, then they have bactericidal properties and contain many vitamins.
During preservation, accumulated mold should be removed from cucumbers daily.
Required Ingredients
The recipe for canned cucumbers with hot peppers involves preparing the following products. For 2 liters of brine, you need:
- cucumbers - their quantity depends on how many jars are available;
- 2 liters of water;
- 2-3 laurel leaves;
- 2-3 sprigs of dill;
- 1 head of garlic;
- 8 peas of allspice;
- 1 tsp mustard;
- mixture of black and red pepper – 1 tsp;
- 2 tbsp. salt and granulated sugar;
- 1 tsp lemons per 3-liter jar.
You can reduce the amount of spices, depending on the desired spiciness of the pickles.
Rules for selecting and preparing vegetables
Not all varieties are suitable for canning, but those with large dots on the skin and black thorns. Small cucumbers with whitish, small pimples, suitable only for fresh consumption.
Overripe yellow or brown fruits are not suitable for harvesting for the winter, since their peel is very hard and the flesh is loose.
You can use them as a base for brine, peel and grate. It is advisable to choose medium-sized cucumbers, 7-9 cm long. Gherkins are also widely used. To make the preserves sharp and spicy, you should add currant, cherry, oak, horseradish, mint and mustard leaves to the jars.
Preparing containers
In two-liter jars, or another volume, rinse the soda. It effectively removes dust and minor contaminants and does not leave a chemical film on the glass surface. The containers are rubbed with sodium carbonate, rinsed with warm water, and allowed to dry. Afterwards, the containers are sterilized.
Cooking process
The classic recipe involves adding vinegar essence or closing without it. Instead of vinegar, you can add citric acid. Then the cucumbers will turn out crispy, tasty, and healthy. For safety reasons, you can fill the marinade three or two times.
How to salt cucumbers: step-by-step steps.
- Remove the cucumbers that have been pre-soaked in water and cut off the ends. Then they will marinate faster and the brine will disperse evenly.
- Remove the peel from the garlic and cut each clove in half.
- Place all the seasonings on the list in sterilized containers.
- Place the cucumbers vertically into containers.
Heat 1 liter of boiling water in the jars, to the brim, wait 15 minutes. Pour the water back into the container. Add salt and sugar to it and bring to a boil. To prevent the glass container from cracking when pouring boiling water, place a metal knife or fork in its center. Pour boiling brine over the preserves, add 1 tsp. lemons for each container. Screw on sterilized lids. Place the jars upside down and let cool for 1 day. Afterwards, place it in a cool place like a cellar or basement.
Variation without sterilization
You can pickle cucumbers without sterilizing the jars. You will need the following products:
- cucumbers;
- 1 tbsp. salt;
- 2 tbsp. Sahara;
- 3 tbsp. 9% vinegar;
- 2 bay leaves;
- horseradish root or leaf - 1 piece;
- currant/cherry leaves – 1-2 pieces;
- 5 peppercorns;
- 2 garlic heads;
- 2 bunches of dill.
Wash the cucumbers and soak in salted water for 5 hours. Rinse jars and lids with soda. Place washed cucumbers with cut off butts and herbs into prepared containers. Pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil. Pour into jars, cover with lids. Bring the second portion of water to boil. Repeat the manipulation with containers. Close them with lids again and wrap them up.
The third time, carry out the event with boiling water, then put salt, vinegar and sugar in containers.
Place the lid into the boiling liquid, remove and close the jars. Take to a warm place, turning up and down, to dissolve the salt and sugar. Place upside down until cool and take to the cellar.
How to properly store workpieces
Preserved cucumbers should be stored in a dark room with temperatures up to +10 degrees. At sub-zero temperatures, products may freeze. The jars should not come into contact with sunlight, or the cucumbers will turn yellow. The average shelf life of pickles is 1 year.
