Delicious and crispy pickles are a favorite snack in every family. With the onset of summer, housewives harvest them in large quantities, so that in winter you can open a jar and please your relatives. Moreover, there are a huge number of procurement methods today. Pickled and salted, pickled, crunchy and not very, sour, sweetish. Most often, the fruit is poured with hot marinade. This makes it possible to avoid long sterilization, which means cucumbers will not become soft. But there is another option. Some housewives cold pickle cucumbers for the winter. Let’s take a look today at what it consists in, the pros and cons.
Universal recipe
Once you try this workpiece, you will understand that now you will perform it the only way. This saves a lot of time. It is very easy to roll cucumbers in the winter for the winter, even a novice housewife can do this. There is one subtlety that you need to know. Delicious fruits can be eaten immediately, that is, there will always be light-salted cucumbers to the table. And removing the jar for long-term storage in the refrigerator or cellar, you will then get excellent salting.
Technology
Cold cucumbers for the winter can be prepared in the country, where there is no hot water and canning conditions. They are filled with cold water, stand warm until the brine becomes cloudy, and are closed with plastic covers. This recipe will be loved by your family. Without being subjected to heat treatment, the fruits retain a special crunch. A part is eaten immediately, the rest can be removed in the cold.
Secrets of salting
To cook cucumbers in the cold way for the winter, you need to choose quality products. Of course, the best ones will be those that you have grown yourself. But those bought on the market are quite suitable, especially if you choose them correctly. Cucumbers must be small, in which case they fit nicely into the jar. Little young greens will be the best choice. They have a delicate, sweet taste, and there are no voids inside. Therefore, you are provided with crispy cucumbers.
The variety also matters. If the fruits are smooth, with white spikes, then this is an option for salads. A wat will require small bastards with black spikes and pimples. To the touch, they should be solid, and the light part should not be cast with yellowness. And most importantly, if the fruits are bitter, then you can safely put them aside. Crispy cucumbers from them will not work.
Best water
Already verified by the experience of many housewives, salting with the use of spring water and city, tap water, it turns out completely different. Therefore, it is best to use clean well water. Of course, you first need to make sure its composition. Today, you can easily make an analysis in the laboratory for such a check.
If spring water is not available, then you can buy bottled water. If you are pickling in the country, but there is no well or spring, then you can filter the tap water, boil it or even insist on silver for at least a few hours. In it, pickling cold cucumbers for the winter turns out to be impeccable every time.
Fruit preparation
To make them especially tasty, you must first place the cucumbers in cold water. Even if the fruits were only removed from the garden, this measure would still not be superfluous. Most often, housewives say that this rule does not apply to crops from their garden. But from this, salting cucumbers in a cold way for the winter only benefits. The fruits will become more resilient and stronger. Bought on the market, it is necessary to keep in the water for at least 3 hours, and preferably half a day.
Spices
Each mistress has her own recipe. Some take only allspice. Someone also puts mustard seeds and clove buds. But the classic set is the following: currant leaves, horseradish leaves, dill and pepper. Lovers add oak and cherry leaves, various berries, garlic and mustard. If you want the pickling to be spicy, then you can take horseradish roots, celery and dill, mint and tarragon, lovage and basil. The leaves are cut into large pieces, in this case you do not need to grind anything.
Preparation
In the cold way, many housewives make cucumbers in jars. Now consider the recipe in detail. To start preservation, you need to stock up with suitable size banks and nylon caps. It is very convenient that you do not need to roll anything. At any time, the jar can be opened and closed. By the way, metal covers can also be used, but in this case, be prepared for corrosion of the metal inside and out.
Soak the cucumbers in a bowl, separate the greens separately with boiling water. Experienced housewives recommend doing without a currant leaf, because this can contribute to the formation of mold.
Conservation process
It is very important to prepare a sufficiently concentrated brine. Lack of salt provokes the growth of bacteria, which is why cucumbers quickly become soft and tasteless. About the currant leaf said above. Even if you like this fragrance, it is best to do without it. Now let's follow the steps:
- Soak the cucumbers. So they will collect the necessary amount of water, and will not take it from the brine.
- Clean cans and lids should be rinsed with boiling water.
- Lay vegetables and greens in them.
Preparing the fill. To do this, in a large pan you need to dilute rock salt with water. About 2 tablespoons per liter of water. Mix gently and let stand. Now fill the brine in jars and cover with plastic lids. Such a simple salting of cucumbers for the winter in a cold way sometimes causes distrust. How so, without sterilization and other headaches. It is, everything is very easy.
Fermentation process
Sooner to lower the jars into the cellar. They need to be put in a cool place and checked every two to three days. Interested in the formation of mold. Usually white cucumbers are covered with cucumbers that protrude from the brine. Therefore, it is important to control its amount and add as needed.
The fermentation process is natural. There is absolutely no need to worry about this. At first, the brine becomes cloudy, foam appears, but eventually it will pass. The colder the place where the jars are, the longer this process will take. Therefore, some housewives recommend leaving them in a warm room for complete aging. Jars are best placed in a pan, because a certain amount of brine will run out. It needs to be replaced with fresh. As you can see, cucumbers are prepared for the winter in a cold way without vinegar. This is important for people whose diet prohibits the use of pickled fruits.
Vodka and Cucumber
This is a classic duet. However, today we are not talking about eating vegetables as an appetizer for fogged 100 grams. This is a special recipe for pickles that are good for vinaigrettes and salads. They will be strong and crispy, and cooking will not take much time. So, to cook cucumbers with vodka in the cold way for the winter, you will need a three-liter jar, 50 ml of vodka, four tablespoons of salt, spices and a half liter of water.
Getting down to cooking
In principle, the method is not much different from that described above. Soak the cucumbers for several hours to make them crisp nicely. Put all the fragrant herbs to the bottom and lay the pickles. Try not to choose the largest, so the workpiece will only taste better. Pour salt into each jar and add spring or bottled water. Now cover with a nylon cover and leave to ferment for three days.
Did a film appear on the surface? Very good, now it's time to move on to the next stage. Drain the brine and pour new water. Add a tablespoon of salt with a slide. Pour in the vodka and close the lid. Now you can send for storage. Finally, the cucumbers will be ready in two weeks.
Little tricks
If cans rolled up in a classic way can be stored in an apartment, then these will have to be taken out in the cold. In the heat, they swell, and cucumbers become unsuitable for eating. Usually, the pickle is ready to eat in a month. Do not forget that before putting on the jar, the lids must be heated in hot water. As they cool, they sit tightly in place.
So that the jars do not swell, some housewives add a few pinches of mustard seeds to the brine. Horseradish placed under the lid prevents the formation of mold. A tablespoon of alcohol also effectively prevents an explosion. If you want the cucumbers to be crispy, then add a piece of oak bark. For express salting, if you need to get the result as quickly as possible, cut the tails and chop the fruits themselves with a fork.
Instead of a conclusion
Cold salting can greatly save the time of the hostess. The process is greatly facilitated, a minimum of time is spent in the kitchen, and as a result, excellent cucumbers, which are just waiting to be on your table. If until now you have not practiced such methods, then it's time to start. The only requirement is the availability of cold storage. At room temperature, such pickles explode.