Can you preserve and pickle Zozulya cucumbers? The best winter recipes with tomatoes, peppers, and rowan berries.

Zozulya is a variety of cucumber, intended primarily for fresh salads. The vegetable grows and develops well both indoors and outdoors. After planting the seedlings, the first cucumbers can be enjoyed within a month. Gardeners wonder whether the Zozulya variety can be preserved and whether the cucumbers will spoil.

Can Zozulya cucumbers be pickled for the winter?

Many gardeners eat cucumbers exclusively fresh. It's commonly believed that this variety isn't suitable for pickling or canning, but this isn't true. Cucumbers are suitable for any type of preservation. If you have cucumbers growing in your garden, it's important to pick them and preserve them to prevent them from becoming overgrown.

Selecting and preparing cucumbers

For canning or pickling, select young, medium-sized cucumbers. The skin covering the flesh should be firm, and the cucumber itself should be elastic. Damaged cucumbers should be discarded. Also select smooth cucumbers free of any signs of deformation.

Before canning, cucumbers must be cleaned of dust and dirt. Wash the cucumbers by hand or with a soft cloth to remove the small pimples. Repeat the washing process twice. Pour ice water over the clean cucumbers and let them sit for no more than 15 minutes. This will make them crispier.

Recipes for pickling cucumbers Zozulya

There are numerous recipes that allow you to prepare not only varied but also delicious winter preserves. This includes not only whole cucumbers in a jar, but also salads, vegetable platters, and other equally interesting dishes. Cucumbers can be preserved separately or combined with other vegetables.

Spices and even berries can help improve the taste and aroma of a dish.

Rassolnik

Pickled cucumbers are a form of cucumber preserves used in salads and hot entrees. To pickle cucumbers, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 1 kg of cucumbers;
• 2 medium-sized carrots;
• 2 onions;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 55 ml vinegar;
• a bunch of greens (to taste);
• 2 teaspoons of salt.

Cooking steps:

• First, prepare the jars. The glass containers are sterilized, and the lids are soaked in water.
• Wash the cucumbers and trim off the ends. Peel the carrots and wash them as well.
• Vegetables are grated on a large grater or a special food processor is used for chopping.
• Peel the onion and garlic and wash them in water along with the herbs.
• Then they are cut into small cubes.

• A bunch of green branches is finely chopped.
• All chopped ingredients are mixed in a large bowl, covered with vinegar and salt.
• The mixture is left for 3 hours at room temperature.
• The chopped vegetables will blend and release their juices. Then, they are poured into a saucepan and cooked over medium heat.
• Bring the vegetable mixture to a boil and cook, stirring thoroughly, for 10 minutes.

The boiling mixture is poured into jars and sealed. After checking for leaks, the jars are turned upside down and covered with a blanket. Allow the jars to cool completely, which usually takes overnight. In the morning, the jars with the rassolnik are taken to the basement, cellar, or refrigerator.

Sandwich cucumbers

Using the same old recipes for winter preserves gets boring after a while. At times like these, every homemaker craves something new and unusual. So why not make sandwich cucumbers? This light dish can be used as its name suggests, and added to salads.

Components:

• 1 kg of cucumbers;
• 3 pcs. sweet pepper;
• 2 onions;
• 2 tsp mustard seeds;
• 2 cups of sugar;
• 2 tbsp. salt;
• 5 allspice peas;
• 3 buds of cloves;
• 2.5 cups of vinegar.

Pickling sandwich cucumbers is carried out as follows:

• Clean cucumbers, without any remaining liquid, are sliced ​​into thin slices. This can be done using a sharp knife or a special grater.
• The onion is also cut into slices and added to the cucumbers in a deep bowl.
• The pepper is cut into strips and added to the other vegetables.

• Sprinkle all ingredients with salt and mix thoroughly. This process is done very carefully to avoid damaging the thin slices of vegetables.
• Cover the bowl with a lid and place it in a cool place for at least 12 hours. For convenience, do this overnight.
• In the morning, remove excess liquid that has come out of the vegetables.
• In a separate saucepan, combine the vinegar, spices, and sugar to make the dressing. Bring the mixture to a boil, making sure the sugar dissolves completely.
• Place the cucumber mixture into the hot brine and cook for 5 minutes.

The cucumbers are sealed in the standard way in pre-prepared jars. After preparing the sandwich filling, the marinade remains. It should never be thrown away. The aromatic dressing is added to salads along with sunflower oil. Store the dressing in the refrigerator in a glass jar, sealed tightly with a plastic lid.

Bell peppers for this recipe can be any color. The key is juiciness and rich flavor.

Without vinegar

Many housewives are surprised when they see Recipe for preserving cucumbers without vinegarIndeed, this method of canning cucumbers is quite common. The only drawback of this recipe is that the vegetables can become soft, which will negatively affect their flavor. To avoid this, experienced home cooks recommend soaking the cucumbers in ice water before canning. This will help them stay firm and crisp for as long as possible.

In tomato juice

The dish is very simple to prepare. You'll need standard vegetable preserving ingredients: cucumbers, garlic, onions, black pepper, cloves, bay leaves, and any herbs. The new ingredient is tomato juice. Place all ingredients in a jar except the juice. Bring the juice to a boil, pour it into the jars, and let it steep for at least 25 minutes.

After this, pour the juice back into the pan and bring it to a boil again, then pour it over the cucumbers. This process is repeated twice more. After the third boil, pour the juice over the cucumbers and seal the jars. Before sealing, add 0.5 teaspoon of vinegar to each jar.

With tomatoes and peppers

This dish is a vegetable platter. Onions, garlic, and herbs can also be added to the main ingredients. All ingredients can be chopped or preserved whole in jars. Either way, it's delicious.

With peas

One of the most original recipes. This dish uses whole cucumbers and peeled peas. Canned vegetables are a popular winter snack. If you preserve cucumbers and peas this way, you'll always have ingredients for Olivier salad and vinaigrette on hand.

With rowan berries

Green cucumbers and red rowan berries look beautiful in a jar. The recipe for preserving them is standard: make a brine and pour it over the jar's contents. The filling is done as follows: first, add the cucumbers, then a layer of berries.

Alternate the ingredients until the jar is full. You'll only need one rowan sprig per glass container.

These cucumbers can be eaten on their own, added to everyday dishes, or used as a salad ingredient. Some cooks make the mistake of throwing away the berries. Rowan berries can also be eaten after pickling. They also make a stunning garnish for any dish.

This preparation has such an intriguing flavor that not everyone can pinpoint it. If you serve only cucumbers without berries, your guests will surely ask for the recipe for this aromatic dish.

How and how long can pickled cucumbers be stored?

To ensure high-quality storage of cucumber preserves, three rules must be followed:

1. Following the recipe.
2. Sterilization.
3. Good sealing.

If all instructions are followed, canned food can be stored anywhere. However, the thermometer should not exceed 15°C. The storage area should be dry and cool. It is not recommended to place jars near heat sources.

At high temperatures, cucumbers in jars can turn sour, causing the lid to explode. Low temperatures also negatively impact the product and the container it's stored in. Cold temperatures make the vegetables limp and inedible. If the container isn't airtight, it's best to store cucumbers at +10°C.