Crispy and sweet pickled cucumbers from home bins, canned for the winter, are a delicious appetizer that can decorate your everyday and holiday table. For such a preparation, it is absolutely not a pity to spend some time, providing your family with pickles for every taste. Made independently, according to the best and time-tested recipes, cucumbers will surpass store-bought ones in all respects.
When marinating sweet marinade, various spices, herbs, leaves of fruit bushes and trees are used. Experienced housewives replace table vinegar with apple cider vinegar, add honey and vodka. In this selection you will find some great craft ideas. Choose and replenish your list of winter supplies. But if you like cucumbers with a slight sourness, I advise you to pay attention to recipes for rolling with red currants .
Sweet pickled cucumbers for the winter without vinegar
A classic version of winter preparation with a sweet marinade. I suggest doing two fills, but you can increase to three if you prefer.
You will need for a 3 liter jar:
- Cucumbers.
- Vinegar 9% - 100 ml.
- Bay leaves (a couple), dill seeds or umbrellas, peppercorns (5 pcs.), clove buds (5 pcs.), currant leaves, cherries.
- Granulated sugar – 5-6 large spoons.
- Salt – 2 tablespoons.
- Garlic cloves – 2 pcs.
Step-by-step photo recipe:
First, soak the cucumbers in cold water. This is a mandatory procedure that should not be ignored. Thanks to it, the vegetables are saturated with water. Holding such a cucumber is a pleasure; it will become crispy, strong, without voids inside.
Wash the soaked greens and trim the ends.
Place all the seasonings listed in the recipe on the bottom of the containers. If desired, it would be nice to add a leaf of horseradish or oak, they will add crispness to the vegetables.
Start filling the jars with cucumbers. Do the first row standing, this will allow more vegetables to fit in. If the garlic was not placed down, then cut into slices and add on top of the vertically laid cucumbers.
Fill the rest of the space with smaller specimens. I usually cover the top with a dill umbrella or a horseradish leaf.
Boil water and pour into jars. Pour slowly, in small portions, so that the glass has time to warm up and crack.
Cover the cylinders with lids and be distracted by other matters for 15-20 minutes.
After the specified time, the greens will warm up, you can drain the water and make a brine.
Pour the cooled water into a saucepan, add sugar and salt. Boil, actively stirring the contents. When the spice crystals dissolve, pour in the vinegar.
Return the brine to the jars, immediately roll them under the iron lid or screw them on.
Place the jars on the lid. Wrap it up warm and leave it until the next day so that it cools down slowly.
The next morning, check the quality of the seaming and roll it up if necessary.
Move the finished preserves to a cold room such as a basement or unheated pantry.
Sour cucumbers for the winter under a nylon lid with cold water
The simpler the recipe, the tastier the end result is sometimes. Let's try to make cucumbers in the fastest way, without boiling and sterilization, without labor-intensive rolling with metal lids. We use a recipe for preparing sour cucumbers for the winter under a nylon lid; the cold water for filling should be either well or well purified.
What should we take:
- Cucumbers - any will do: small, medium, large, most importantly - without signs of spoilage;
- Salt - at the rate of 2 tbsp. l. with a top for a 3 liter jar;
- A set of herbs, spices and herbs is the hostess’s choice, but the constant attribute should be horseradish leaves, dill umbrellas and garlic;
- Mustard powder – 1 tbsp. l. with top;
- Water.
Let's prepare 3 liter glass jars, nylon lids, a basin, and a towel.
- Wash the cucumbers and soak them in cold water in a basin for a couple of hours. We will sort out the greens and herbs, wash them, dry them, peel the garlic and chop them. After soaking, rinse the cucumbers and dry them on a towel.
- Place the prepared herbs and spices, horseradish leaf, dill umbrellas and garlic at the bottom of the jars.
- We sort the cucumbers by size so that the salting occurs evenly in each jar, arrange them in the jars up to the shoulders and cover them with a horseradish leaf on top. Sprinkle salt and mustard directly onto this leaf.
- Fill all the jars with cucumbers to the top with cold water. Immediately close the containers with nylon lids, shake or turn upside down several times to evenly distribute the salt and mustard.
We put the jars in a cool place, placing them in trays to protect against brine leakage during fermentation. Cucumbers will ferment in a cool place for at least a month, but it’s really worth waiting for the results!
You can prepare the same delicious pickles for the winter in another way, which consists of two stages:
- Fermenting cucumbers for 5-6 days in brine.
- Fill changes.
The second filling is prepared in the same way - salt is dissolved in cold water. After the first stage of fermentation, the cucumbers are washed, the brine is poured into the sink, all spices are removed from the jars except peppercorns, the cucumbers are again placed in containers and filled with brine again. After the second filling, the cucumbers are closed under a nylon lid and put into the basement. Such cucumbers last for a year without exploding or softening.
Marinate sweet cucumbers in liter jars
Cucumbers made using this method will be sweet and sour and very tasty. They say that they roll them this way in Germany, although I’m not sure that they even prepare them there. I give the ingredients for one liter jars, which is important if the family is small.
Take for a liter jar:
- Cucumbers – 0.5-0.7 kg.
- Water – 0.5 liters.
- Garlic cloves – 3 pcs.
- Dill – 3 sprigs.
- Salt – 1.5 small spoons.
- Sugar – 3 small spoons.
- Table vinegar – 50 ml.
How to prepare:
- Rinse and soak the vegetables for a couple of hours. Then cut off the butts.
- Fill the jars tightly, adding a sprig of dill and chopped garlic in advance.
- Immediately add salt and sugar, pour in vinegar.
- Pour cold water into each jar.
- Take a wide pan, pour hot water into it, lay a cloth on the bottom, and place the jars.
- When the liquid in the pan boils, process the containers for 5-10 minutes.
- Roll up, cool upside down, wrapping it warmly.
- If you want to roll up the preserves without sterilization, fill them twice as described in the first preparation method.
Crispy sweet cucumbers, pickled without sterilization
Each housewife has her own signature marinating options. A very slight difference in the composition of the recipe, and the cucumbers acquire a completely different taste. Keep a very good variation, in which the spices are calculated for 1 liter of marinade.
Take per liter of marinade:
- Cucumbers.
- Water - liter.
- Garlic – 4 cloves.
- Salt – 1.5 tablespoons.
- Sugar – 2.5 tablespoons.
- Pepper – 4 peas.
- Carnation - a pair of buds.
- Dill, currants, cherries.
- Vinegar essence - 2 teaspoons (if desired, replace with table vinegar, taking 16 small spoons).
Marinate:
- Throw the chopped garlic cloves, dill umbrella, and leaves into the jar.
- Fill containers with pre-soaked vegetables.
- Pour boiling water over it for 10-15 minutes to warm up.
- Pour the cooled water into a saucepan, add sugar, salt, and cook the marinade. Be sure to vigorously stir the liquid to speed up the process of dissolving the spices.
- Return the marinade to the jars and pour the essence under the lid. Seal using any method. Cool slowly under a blanket, then store for winter.
If desired, cucumbers can be supplemented with small carrots, peppers, and onions.
Cooking recipes
Important! In all recipes, the amount of sugar, salt, vinegar is calculated per 1 liter.
Classic “finger lickin’ good” recipe for a 3 liter jar
We are preparing a simple classic recipe for cucumbers called “Finger-lickin’ good.” A 3-liter jar will require 1.5-2 kilograms of greens .
This is interesting: Preserving cucumbers with chili ketchup for the winter in liter jars
Traditional spices:
- garlic – 3 cloves;
- currants – 3 leaves;
- cherry – 3 leaves;
- dill - a bunch or umbrella;
- cloves - 2 pieces;
- parsley - 1 bunch.
For marinade per 1 liter of water:
- salt – 2 tablespoons;
- sugar – 2 tablespoons;
- vinegar 9% - 16 teaspoons.
The vegetables are placed in sterilized jars, poured with marinade and vinegar and the jars are set to sterilize.
Without sterilization
The classic recipe can be simplified even further . To do this, use the 3 fill method. No sterilization is required.
Sweet crispy pickled cucumbers 1 liter
To pickle a 1-liter jar and get sweet, crispy cucumbers, you will need more sugar than in the classic recipe. Spices are selected according to taste : dill umbrella, horseradish leaf, 4 peppercorns, garlic clove, 1 bay leaf.
For the marinade:
- sugar – 150 g;
- salt – 40 g;
- citric acid – 1 teaspoon.
Spices are placed on the bottom, then vegetables. Fill with boiling water . To properly season the marinade, measure the amount of liquid. If there is, for example, 250 milliliters of water, the dosage calculated for 1 liter is divided into 4 parts. Close the preservation using the 3-fill method.
In sweet and sour marinade
Pickled cucumbers will turn out sweet and sour if you add 30 g of salt, 70 g of sugar, 250 milliliters of vinegar 9% to 1 liter of water . Vegetables are prepared using the 3-pour method without sterilization.
Delicious, with mustard
Spicy-tasting cucumbers are made with mustard . Place greens, dill, 1 bay leaf, 5 g mustard seeds at the bottom of 3-liter jars. 5 black peppercorns. A sweet and sour marinade goes well with this recipe.
You can use mustard powder - 1 level tablespoon per 1 liter of marinade. After the water boils, set the container aside and add mustard. Stir until completely dissolved. The canning method is suitable for single and 3 pours.
With citric acid
Some people don't like vinegar; it can easily be replaced with citric acid. In the classic recipe, vinegar is replaced with 1 heaped tablespoon of acid . Add it to the sweet, salty brine for the third time.
With sweet peppers, marinated with onions
Sweet bell pepper gives cucumbers an unusual taste. To prepare it, take 1 kg of cucumbers, cut them into longitudinal pieces, add an onion in half rings, half a teaspoon of mustard, chopped dill, 1 pepper in squares . All products are mixed in one bowl. Throw 2 peas of allspice at the bottom of the jars and add vegetables.
This is interesting: 5 recipes for preparing pickles for the winter in jars using the hot method
Pour boiling marinade over:
- vinegar - glass;
- sugar – 3 cups;
- salt – 4 teaspoons;
- water – 1 liter.
The jars are rolled up and placed under a blanket until they cool.
With horseradish
Cucumbers acquire spicy notes if you add 3 horseradish rings to the classic recipe .
With tomatoes
Pickled cucumbers are prepared with the addition of tomatoes. Each jar contains 50x50 different vegetables and traditional spices . The marinade is chosen according to your taste.
In oil
Sweet cucumbers are prepared with the addition of oil. To do this , cut 4 kg of cucumbers, add sugar - 250 g, salt - 100 g, a glass of vinegar, a head of garlic, 2 tablespoons of ground black pepper, 250 g of refined oil . All ingredients are mixed and left to marinate for 4 hours. Then they are laid out in jars, filled with the released brine and sterilized.
Sweet cucumbers, sliced, with grapes
A substitute for vinegar can be unripe grapes . All the ingredients of the classic recipe are placed on the bottom, then cucumbers, and a glass of grapes on top. Choose a sweet marinade recipe and preserve using the 3-pour method.
Spicy-sweet cucumbers
The combination of sweet taste with bitter notes in pickled cucumbers will appeal to gourmets . To do this, cucumbers are poured with a sweet marinade. The spiciness will be provided by a chili pod.
Sliced sweet cucumbers, pickled in jars
I advise you to pickle large, overgrown cucumbers in Polish, cutting them into thick rings or longitudinal bars. This will not be a salad, but it will turn out to be a very tasty appetizer of crispy and tender vegetables accompanied by vodka, potatoes, and meat dishes.
Take:
- Cucumbers – 2 kg.
- Sunflower oil – ½ cup.
- Granulated sugar - ½ cup.
- Warm water – ½ cup.
- Salt – 2 large spoons.
- Pepper - a large spoon.
- Vinegar 9% - the same.
- Garlic – 5-6 cloves.
How to marinate:
- Soak the greens in cold water. After rinse them, divide them into large rings or longitudinal bars. Place in a saucepan.
- Make the marinade by mixing oil, spices, vinegar and water in a separate bowl. Mix the contents thoroughly.
- Finely chop the garlic cloves and add to the marinade.
- Pour the dressing into the pan and cover with a lid. Take a break for 2 hours to allow the vegetables to release their juice. During this time, stir the contents a couple of times.
- Transfer the vegetables into jars, then add the filling.
- Sterilize the workpiece for 10-15 minutes by placing it in a pan with hot water. Then roll it up under an iron lid, place it on your butt, and cool it under a blanket. Store canned food in a cool place. But the jars are excellent even at room temperature - tested.
Delicious sweet and sour pickled cucumbers
Citric acid is increasingly replacing vinegar. This is justified, not everyone likes the characteristic smell of the essence, and the taste of cucumbers changes dramatically, they become tender, sweet and sour.
Ingredients for one liter of cucumber marinade:
- Vegetables.
- Horseradish leaves – 1-2 pcs.
- Dill – 3 umbrellas.
- Garlic – 3-5 cloves.
- Bay leaf – 2 leaves.
- Regular pepper - 4 peas.
- Allspice – 3 peas.
For the sweet marinade:
- Table salt – 40 gr.
- Citric acid - a small spoon.
- Granulated sugar – 150 gr.
How to marinate:
- Place all the listed spices and seasonings on the bottom of the cylinders. Leave one umbrella, it will go on top of the cans.
- Fill containers with vegetables. Pour boiling water over it, take a break for 15-20 minutes.
- Drain the water and measure its volume. Calculate how much sugar, citric acid and salt are needed to fill all the prepared jars.
- Cook a sufficient amount of marinade. Pour into jars, add citric acid, seal tightly with lids.
- Cool the workpiece, then take it to a cold pantry or basement.
Features of preparing sweet and sour cucumbers
There are two ways of such processing: with sterilization of the product in jars and without additional hot processing. In the latter case, it will take more time to prepare, but the process is less labor-intensive. Canning methods do not affect the shelf life of the finished product. Sterilization time depends on the volume of the container, for a 3 liter jar – 20 minutes, for a liter container 10 minutes is enough.
Only good quality fruits are used, not large and not overripe. The surface should be free of stains, signs of rotting, mechanical damage and soft areas.
It is better to use apple cider vinegar 6%; this type of preservative is softer and without a strong odor. In some recipes it is replaced with citric acid. To get a sweet and sour taste, it is poured into the marinade strictly according to the recommended dosage.
Do not put celery or basil in the preparation; spicy herbs do not go well together, because the brine is not salty, but sweet and sour. Particular attention is paid to salt. Take only table, large, without adding iodine. Seafood is not suitable for canning.
Vegetables are placed in sterilized jars without cracks on the body or chips on the threads and neck.
Important! The lids must be boiled for 15 minutes and left in the water until ready to use.
Recipe for preparing cucumbers per liter of sweet marinade
A simple preservation option, without using herbs, but with garlic.
Necessary:
- Cucumbers – 2 kg.
- Water - liter.
- Salt – 2 large spoons.
- Sugar – 200 gr.
- Apple cider vinegar – 200 ml. (if you don’t find it, take the same amount of canteen).
How to prepare:
- The day before, cook the marinade by adding spices and vinegar. Cool to room temperature.
- Place the cucumbers in a jar, sprinkle with chopped garlic.
- Pour marinade to the top. Let it pasteurize. After the water boils in the pan, note the time. After 7-10 minutes, the jars can be taken out and rolled up. The cucumbers will change color - this is a signal that the workpiece has been sterilized.
- Afterwards, when the jars have cooled, take them to a cool room.
