Selection and preparation of cucumbers
To make the preserves aromatic, tasty and crispy, it is important to choose the right main ingredient. Attention is paid to the appearance of the vegetable and its aroma.
Rules for choosing cucumbers for pickling:
- The vegetable must be fresh and ripe. Overripe fruits are too soft and practically do not crunch, so they are not suitable for canning.
- It is recommended to give preference to vegetables that have a uniform, rich green color. Light spots on the peel and a dark green tint indicate that the fruit is overripe.
- It is optimal to use small-sized vegetables for pickling, up to 12-15 cm. But larger specimens that need to be chopped are also suitable for preparing a salad.
- A suitable vegetable has a pleasant fresh aroma, and when lightly squeezed in your hand, you will feel its elasticity. When cutting, there should be no voids or overly large seeds in the pulp.
Preparing vegetables for pickling is usually done before canning.
Preparation stages:
- the washing up;
- drying;
- trimming stems and dried flowers;
- cutting large specimens, if necessary, into circles or slices.
If the vegetables have been sitting for a while and have withered, they are soaked in cool water for about three hours.
Important! If vegetables for pickling were purchased for future use, it is recommended to store them at a temperature no higher than +10°C. The ideal place is a cellar or a department for vegetables and fruits in the refrigerator.
Sliced cucumbers with mustard: a recipe for the winter under iron lids
For seaming you need to choose even, identical cucumbers. It is better that the vegetables are not overgrown. As you can see in the recipe there is a large amount of garlic and mustard, so the cucumbers in the salad will be spicy.
Ingredients needed to prepare sliced cucumbers according to this recipe:
- 1.5 kg of small cucumbers;
- 12 cloves of garlic;
- 1.5 tbsp. spoons of table salt:
- Vegetable oil – 1.5 teaspoons;
- Granulated sugar – 3 tbsp. spoons;
- 9% vinegar - 3 tbsp. spoons;
- Mustard powder – 3 teaspoons;
- 1.5 teaspoons ground black pepper.
Step-by-step instructions on how to prepare the salad:
- Wash the cucumbers with water and cut them into circles (about 1 cm thick). Place the vegetables in a deep plate.
- Peel the garlic. We wash it with water and rub it through a grater.
- Add garlic, sugar, ground pepper, salt, mustard powder, vegetable oil and vinegar to a bowl with cucumbers. Mix the ingredients. Let the vegetables sit for two hours. During this time, the cucumbers will give juice.
- Then put the salad in a ladle along with the brine and put it on the stove. The appetizer should simmer for 10 minutes. We put it in sterilized jars and seal them with screw caps. Cover the workpieces with a blanket.
When they have cooled, we put the seaming under the iron lids in a cool and dark place.
More deliciousness:
7 very good recipes for pickled cucumbers in tomato juice
How to properly prepare cucumbers with mustard in jars in a cold way
Preserving vegetables with mustard without hot marinade is quite simple and quick . The main feature of preparing such pickling is the need to keep it at room temperature for several days and only after that can you move the jar with the preparation to a cool place.
Ingredients
For a three-liter jar you will need:
- medium-sized cucumbers – 1.5-2 kg;
- mustard powder - 3 tbsp. l.;
- water – 2 l;
- salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
- greens - currant, cherry, raspberry leaves, bay or oak leaf, dill, parsley - 1-2 pcs. everyone;
- garlic – 3 cloves.
Step-by-step instruction
Before you start pickling, you need to prepare the container - sterilize it. Vegetables and herbs - wash and dry.
Preparation:
- Place most of the greens and peeled garlic with whole cloves on the bottom of the container.
- Next, send the cucumbers, placing them closer to each other.
- Fill the workpiece with clean cold water.
- Add mustard and the rest of the herbs on top.
- Close the container with a nylon lid and leave it in the room for 5-7 days. The place should be protected from direct sunlight.
- After a few days, the fruits will darken and the brine will stop leaking from under the closed lid.
- Move the container to the main storage location.
For added spiciness, you can also use black peppercorns in this recipe.
Other ways to prepare cucumbers:
Recipes for crispy cucumbers without sterilization for the winter
How to pickle large cucumbers: the most delicious recipes
Crispy pickled gherkins in a jar
Crispy pickled cucumbers: a winter recipe with mustard seeds
Cucumbers pickled in jars with mustard for the winter will turn out crispy. My grandmother gave me this simple recipe.
Ingredients for a three-liter jar:
- Cucumbers – 1.7 kg;
- Laurel leaves – 2 pcs.;
- One horseradish leaf;
- 2 dill inflorescences;
- 1.5 tsp. mustard seeds;
- Black pepper – 2 peas;
- 1.5 tbsp. spoons of table salt;
- 1 teaspoon 70% vinegar;
- 2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- Garlic – 4 cloves.
Step-by-step preservation of cucumbers:
- Wash the cucumbers in clean water. We cut off the “butts” from them.
- Peel the garlic and wash it with water.
- Place dill inflorescences, horseradish leaves, cucumbers, garlic, and pepper in a sterilized jar. Pour boiling water over them.
- When the water becomes warm, pour it into a saucepan and add salt, mustard and sugar. Place the container on the stove.
- Pour boiling brine into cucumbers. Add vinegar to the jar. Seal the vegetables with a sterilized lid. Place the jars upside down and cover them with a towel. When the seaming has cooled, we put it in the cellar.
More deliciousness:
How to cook cucumbers in tomato juice for the winter: 7 best recipes
Other formulation options
In addition to the main method, there are several variations of this preparation, which differ mainly in the set of ingredients. The salting method itself is the same.
In three-liter jars without vinegar
Preservation of fresh cucumbers with mustard can be carried out without adding acetic acid, since when these vegetables are pickled, lactic acid, a natural preservative, will be released.
Required Ingredients:
- cucumbers – 1-2 kg;
- water – 1 l;
- salt – 3.5 tbsp. l.;
- mustard – 2-3 tbsp. l.;
- currant and cherry leaves - 3 pcs.;
- bay leaf – 1 pc.;
- garlic - 3 large cloves.
Cooking method:
- Place all ingredients except water and salt into a glass container.
- Dissolve salt in water and pour the salted liquid over the vegetables.
- Close the jar with a lid.
- After 5 days, open the container and drain the brine.
- Rinse the pickling with filtered water, collecting it in a jar and draining it several times.
- When the water comes out clean, without sediment, fill the container with water again and close the lid again.
- Place in a cool place.
In this recipe, it is advisable to roll up the containers with iron lids.
Pickled cucumbers with mustard powder
Pickling prepared using this method has a piquant taste and is suitable for further use in pickle soups, salads and appetizers.
Required Products:
- cucumbers – 1.5 kg;
- water – 1 l;
- dill, parsley and oak leaves - 1-2 pcs.;
- mustard powder – 1 tsp;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- garlic - a couple of cloves.
How to cook:
- Prepare the marinade by diluting salt in water. Let it brew.
- Place herbs, garlic and vegetables into a container. Then add mustard.
- Pour in salted water.
- Roll up with soft plastic lids and leave in the room for several days.
- If necessary, add water to the brine. This should be done if the marinade is absorbed by the vegetables and there is not enough of it to cover all the ingredients.
- Move to a cool place for storage.
The preparation can be made more spicy and hot by adding a few black peppercorns, red chili pepper or chopped horseradish.
Spicy cucumbers with mustard
The recipe has a spicy, spicy taste. This pickling is best used as a side dish for vegetable or fish dishes.
Required Products:
- cucumbers – 1 kg;
- water – 1 l;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- dry mustard – 2 tbsp. l.;
- garlic – 7-8 cloves.
Preparation:
- Grate half a cucumber on a coarse grater or cut into thin slices.
- Place whole vegetables into a container, then add cucumber puree.
- Add salt and mustard.
- Add garlic cloves.
- Pour in water and close the lid.
Before sending the pickling mixture to a cool place for long-term storage, the jar should be shaken several times to mix the contents.
With the addition of vodka
Using vodka will help you avoid sterilizing the container and speed up the preservation process.
What you will need:
- cucumbers – about 1 kg;
- spices - currant leaves, cherries, dill, celery, garlic, allspice;
- mustard – 2 tbsp. l.;
- vodka – 4-5 tbsp. l.;
- salt – 3 tbsp. l.;
- water – 1.5 l.
How to cook:
- Wash the vegetables, cut off the ends.
- Wash and dry the herbs and spices.
- Place the greens in the jar, then the cucumbers.
- Pour in vodka, add salt, mustard and cold water.
- Roll up with a soft plastic lid.
- After 3-4 days, put it in the cellar.
This preservation will be ready for use within a week.
Canned cucumber salad with mustard seeds
The original canned salad will surprise guests and decorate the festive table, and will perfectly complement hot dishes.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers – 1 kg;
- water – 1 l;
- salt – 1 tbsp. l.;
- sugar – 2 tbsp. l.;
- mustard beans – 0.5 tsp;
- acetic acid 9% – 3-4 tbsp. l.;
- Sunflower oil – 3-4 tbsp. l.;
- ground black pepper – 1/4 tsp;
- dill, parsley, bay and cherry leaves - 1-2 pcs.;
- garlic – 3 cloves.
Cooking method:
- Cut vegetables into pieces or bars. Do not cut off the peel unless it is too thick and bitter.
- Crush the garlic in a garlic press and mix with salt, sugar, mustard and pepper. Pour in vegetable oil and vinegar. Mix everything thoroughly.
- Season the sliced cucumbers with the resulting mixture.
- Chop all the greens, except the leaves, and add to the vegetables.
- Let it brew and soak in the marinade.
- After a couple of hours, place the leaves in a glass container, then the cucumbers along with the juice that they released during marinating.
- Pour water to the brim of the jar and roll up the lid.
Cucumbers under a nylon cover
We must approach the choice of cucumbers responsibly. Selecting them according to criteria. Needed with thin skin and pimples.
Size is an important factor; for uniform salting, they should be approximately the same size. When canning store-bought cucumbers, it is advisable to cut off the ends, so we can avoid excess nitrates.
Required:
- Cucumbers – 2 kg
- Garlic – 3 cloves
- Red hot pepper – 3 small pieces
- Salt – 3 – 4 tbsp.
- Black currant foliage – 5 – 6 pieces
- Cherry leaves – 5 – 6 pieces
- Dill (umbrellas with branches) – 3 pieces
- Horseradish leaf – 1 piece
- Black pepper – 10 pieces
Cooking process:
Let's start by washing and soaking the cucumbers for three hours. Let's prepare the containers and process the leaves
Rinse the dill umbrellas well. Shake them to remove excess moisture. Thereby drying the greens
Peel and thoroughly rinse each clove of garlic. Not a single grain of dirt should get in. Because otherwise everything will turn sour
When everything is ready, we have washed the jars and our cucumbers have already settled, let's start putting them in the jar. We arrange it beautifully alternating with leaves and spices; you can put more spices in quantity as they add aroma and crunchy properties.
Dissolve salt in a liter of cold clean water. Stir and pour into a jar; if there is not enough liquid, add it, but there is no need to add salt.
We pack under a tight nylon lid. There is no need to compact the cucumbers too much. Since when packed tightly they will not crunch and will lose this property, which is important. When preparing leaves, we carefully check them for quality. After all, they can provoke the formation of mold.
We put the cucumbers in the refrigerator or cellar for storage. In the warmth, they can deteriorate on the second day, and all the work will be in vain.
This simple method gives us the opportunity to taste wonderful cucumbers with a loud crunch. Bon appetit, quality preparations!
Tips from experienced housewives
Cold preservation is considered the fastest and easiest way of pickling. Experienced housewives know several tricks that will help make this snack even tastier and more aromatic :
- using filtered or spring water will significantly improve the taste of the pickling;
- It is best to pickle fruits with delicate thin skin;
- if the vegetable has a thick skin, it should be pierced in several places with a fork before marinating;
- cucumbers that have a bitter taste need to cut off the ends - this will help get rid of the bitter taste when pickling;
- For preservation, it is advisable to choose regular table salt, coarsely ground.
An insufficient amount of salt can cause spoilage of preserved food due to the growth of bacteria and the softness of vegetables.
Marinating cucumbers with mustard and sunflower oil
Ingredients calculated for two three-liter jars:
- 4 kg of cucumbers;
- One glass of sunflower oil;
- 1 glass 9% vinegar;
- 3 tbsp. spoons of table salt;
- 1 cup granulated sugar;
- 1 garlic head;
- Mustard powder – 2 tbsp. l.;
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper (black).
Step-by-step preparation of pickled cucumbers:
- We wash the cucumbers with water and cut off the “butts”. Cut the gherkins into slices. Place the pieces in a deep bowl.
- Peel the garlic. We wash it with water to remove dirt. We grate it. Add chopped garlic to the container with cucumbers.
- Add ground pepper, salt, sunflower oil, sugar, vinegar, mustard powder to the vegetables. Mix the ingredients and leave the cucumbers to steep at room temperature for 2 hours.
- Place the container with vegetables on the stove and boil for 15 minutes.
- Place the cucumbers in jars (sterilized) and screw on the iron lids. We turn the rolls upside down and wrap them in a warm blanket.
After cooling, put the pickled cucumbers with sunflower oil in the refrigerator or cellar.
More deliciousness:
Quick recipes for lightly salted cucumbers: crispy, amazingly tasty!
Cucumbers in mustard sauce for the winter
Number of servings: 40
Cooking time: 1.5 hours
Another recipe for spicy cucumbers, albeit in the new company of carrots and garlic. This layout is designed for 4 kg of greens, but don’t let this figure scare you. Even if the family is small, the stock will be the first to sell out.
Energy value
- calorie content - 96.7 kcal
- proteins - 0.8 g;
- fats - 6.2 g;
- carbohydrates - 9.3 g.
Ingredients
- medium cucumbers - 4 kg;
- large carrots - 2-3 pcs.;
- garlic cloves - 5-7 pcs.;
- mustard powder - 4 tbsp;
- rock salt - 4 tbsp;
- sunflower oil - 250 g;
- table vinegar (9%) - 250 ml;
- granulated sugar - 250 g;
- dill, herbs to taste;
- lavrushka
Step-by-step preparation
- Remove the ends of the cucumbers and send them to swim for 60 minutes in a bowl of ice water.
- Cut into lengthwise pieces.
- Peel the carrots and arrange in a similar way or grate on a coarse grater.
- Pass the garlic through a garlic press.
- Chop the dill sprigs as finely as possible.
- Stir the vegetables, pour oil and vinegar into them (if you don’t have scales, then a glass at a time) and add the remaining ingredients. Don't forget the spices.
- Leave the workpiece overnight to form the gravy and pre-marinate.
- The next morning, spread the vegetable mixture into sterilized containers and boil for 15 minutes in a saucepan, placing lids on the neck so that liquid does not get inside the jars.
- Screw the jars with a key, wrap them in a “fur coat” until they cool completely.
What does adding mustard do to a roll?
Mustard has antiseptic properties and prevents the growth of bacteria. It can extend the shelf life of a dish. The seasoning gives the dish a specific pungent taste and aroma.
Powder dry
Mustard powder is sold in every grocery store. It must be used for pickling with special care. The slightest violation of the recipe will make the dish too bitter and spoil the taste of the snack.
Grain
It is preferable to use grain mustard. Even if you add too much seasoning, the taste of the snack will not spoil, but, on the contrary, it will turn out more piquant and aromatic.
For cucumbers it is better to use mustard beans
Cold pickled cucumbers: classic recipe
The cold method has several advantages over the hot method. Firstly, it’s faster and more convenient – there’s no need to boil the water first. In addition, cold water preserves all the beneficial substances of cucumbers, while boiling water destroys some of them.
Many more pickle lovers claim that such cucumbers are more tasty and fragrant. Finally, there is a practical side to the issue - cold pickled cucumbers for the winter can be placed in any jar without fear that it will crack due to boiling water.
Based on the calculation, we will take the products in this quantity.
Ingredients for a 3-liter jar
- 1.5 kg of medium-sized vegetables (10-15 cm in length);
- 1.5 liters of water;
- 3 level tablespoons of salt;
- a teaspoon of sugar;
- a few peppercorns;
- and several dill umbrellas.
The jars must first be sterilized by keeping them in the microwave for 3-4 minutes or over boiling water for 10-15 minutes. The recipe itself is very simple and consists of the following steps:
Preparation progress
Step 1. The basis for the success of any recipe is choosing the best ingredients and following the cooking technology. First you need to carefully select the cucumbers. They should be the same size, with fairly dark but not too hard skin.
When pickling cucumbers using a cold method, it is preferable to use spring or well water. Another option is proven bottled or filtered water. You can prepare the brine using tap water, but it is advisable to let it sit for a day beforehand.
So, water is poured into a jar, where spices and herbs are first placed.
Step 2. Then the cucumbers themselves are placed quite tightly and filled with water so that the level completely covers the contents.
Step 3. Let it sit for 2-3 days at room temperature in a dark place - for example, under a table, covered with a thick cloth. During this time, the cucumbers will ferment, after which foam will periodically appear on the surface, which is normal.
It can be removed and water can be gradually added - literally a few tablespoons. After 3 days, roll up with iron or cover with nylon lids, put in the cellar or in the refrigerator.