Recipes for pickling crispy cucumbers with and without aspirin, vinegar, and for the winter in jars

Many housewives preserve cucumbers with aspirin for the winter. This additional ingredient makes the vegetables incredibly delicious and crispy. Using aspirin when preserving extends the shelf life and prevents the bottles from exploding. Besides cucumbers and aspirin, I also add various herbs, spices, and tomatoes.

Why add aspirin? Pros and cons

Adding aspirin to pickled cucumbers is a fairly common method. Homemakers rave about this method, as the cucumbers are delicious and the preparation process is not overly complicated. The resulting product can be used as a snack or added to a salad. The pickled cucumbers retain their quality and nutritional value throughout the winter, thanks to a special marinade.

Aspirin is added to canned goods to create an acidic environment. This method kills bacteria, thereby extending shelf life. While this method has its benefits, it also has some drawbacks. If vegetables are left in this solution for too long, the acidic environment can cause the formation of a phenolic compound, which is considered toxic.

However, if used correctly, the medication will not cause any harm to your health. Just be sure to follow the correct dosage. Also, avoid overuse of the product.

Maintain proportions

There are various recipes for preparing cucumbers with the addition of acetylsalicylic acid. Besides marinating, pickling or adding tomatoes is also used.

Each method requires adherence to the rules for preparing vegetables:

• If using very fresh cucumbers, such as those just picked, they should be soaked in water for at least a few hours. Following these guidelines will make the vegetables crispier.
• When preserving aspirin, it is first crushed and only then added to the jars.

First, wash the cucumbers thoroughly, as they should be free of any dirt. Smaller cucumbers are best. Larger ones will need to be cut. Next, take a 3-liter jar and sterilize it. There are several methods for this process, but the simplest is to sterilize the jars in the oven. The lids are also sterilized, but this time with boiling water.

First, place some herbs on the bottom of the jar. This could be parsley, dill, or horseradish. Garlic is also added. The next step is to layer the vegetables. Place the herbs on top, and then add more garlic.

Place a saucepan with two liters of water on the stove. Once it reaches boiling point, pour the liquid into the jar and cover with a lid. The jar sits for about 30 minutes until it cools. Then drain the water, and repeat the process. Drain the water a second time, and then set the jar with the vegetables and herbs aside.

To prepare the marinade, place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, add sugar, salt, and bay leaves. Some also add allspice.

How many aspirin tablets should be used per bottle? Three tablets are needed per bottle. They are crushed into a powder and added to the water. A sealing machine will help seal the lids. Then the jars are turned upside down, placed on the floor, and covered with a warm cloth.

Basic recipes

Adding aspirin to canned vegetables gives them a unique flavor and crunch. There are a huge number of different recipes. Below are the most popular.

Pickled cucumbers with citric acid for the winter

Citric acid is used to pickle cucumbers. After sealing, the jars are shaken. This action helps mix the spices and other additives. To preserve cucumbers this way, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 2 kilograms of cucumbers;
• 3 aspirin tablets;
• 20 grams of citric acid;
• 10 black peppercorns;
• 2 bay leaves;
• 50 grams of sugar;
• 100 grams of salt;
• 6 cloves of garlic;
• greens: horseradish, parsley, dill (2 each).

Recipe under a nylon lid

To preserve cucumbers this way, you need to lightly salt the vegetables. For one kilogram of cucumbers, you'll need a couple of tablespoons of salt, a liter of water, garlic, and dill.

First, the vegetables are washed, then the ends are trimmed. First, the herbs and spices are placed in the jar, followed by the cucumbers. Salt is added to the mineral water and stirred until completely dissolved. The resulting solution is poured into bottles, which are covered with lids and left to steep for 4 hours. After a while, the cucumbers become salty.

Cucumbers in liter jars with mint

To prepare cucumbers according to this recipe, you will need the following products:

• 2 kilograms of cucumbers;
• 3 pieces of garlic;
• 1 horseradish root;
• 10-15 mint leaves;
• 100 grams of salt;
• 50 grams of sugar;
• green;
• currant leaves;
• 1 aspirin tablet.

Recipe without vinegar

To preserve cucumbers in jars without vinegar, add cherry or currant leaves, horseradish root, and herbs. First, pour boiling water over the vegetables, then plunge them into cold water for a few seconds. This trick will give the cucumbers a crispy texture.

First, place the greens in the bottom of the jar, then the vegetables. Next, prepare the brine. It's made with 50 milliliters of vodka (40°C) and 60 grams of salt per liter of water. Regular vodka will do the job; there's no point in buying an expensive bottle. Pour the resulting solution into the jars and seal.

Cucumbers pickled with aspirin and vinegar

This method is often used for preserving cucumbers. Below are the ingredients that will ensure the preserves last through the winter without losing their edible qualities. Cucumbers pickled this way have a wonderful flavor.

Required products:

• two kilograms of cucumbers;
• two liters of water;
• salt – 40 grams;
• 40 grams of vinegar 9%;
• one head of garlic;
• 4 horseradish leaves;
• dill, pepper;
• 4 aspirin tablets.

Without sterilization

Preserving without sterilization is possible using 1.5-liter jars, which are filled with 700 milliliters of water.

Canning process:

• First, place a pot of water on the stove and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse the jars and prepare the cucumbers (wash and trim the stems).
• First, greens are placed in the bottles.
• Then cucumbers are placed in jars.
• The bottles are filled with brine. To prevent the glass from cracking, the jars are placed on a metal surface. The bottles are covered with lids and left to stand for 20 minutes.

• After 20 minutes, the water is drained and boiled again.
• Now spices are poured into the bottles and the remaining herbs are added.
• After bringing the water back to a boil, pour it into the jars and cover them with lids. Each lid will then need to be sealed with a special tool.
• The preserved bottles are turned upside down and placed in a pre-prepared place. Cover the top of the jars with a warm cloth.

Cucumbers with mustard

To prepare vegetables for canning, they must first be washed and the edges trimmed on both sides. Sometimes, cucumbers are also divided into quarters. This method allows for larger quantities of vegetables to be stored in bottles.

You'll need 2 kilograms of vegetables to preserve them. First, prepare the jars. This requires sterilizing them. Then, add the cucumbers and boiling water. Let the jars sit for about 10 minutes, then drain the water and refill with fresh water.

Next, herbs, spices, and other toppings are added to the cucumbers. Finally, the brine is added, which consists of water, mustard, and two aspirin tablets dissolved in it. Then, the bottles are capped and sealed.

Crispy pickled cucumbers

To achieve the desired effect, you can use a recipe that uses vodka. The alcohol acts as an additional preservative, and since it's used in small quantities, it's not noticeable when eating the vegetables.

To prepare the brine, you can also use herbs, which you don’t need to put into the jars later.

To preserve cucumbers this way, place washed and peeled cucumbers in a saucepan and add herbs. A brine consisting of water and salt dissolved in it is also prepared. The solution is poured into the saucepan, and the vegetables are left to soak for three days.

Once the time is up, remove the cucumbers from the pot and place them in jars. Brine is brought to a boil and then poured into the bottles. Aspirin and vodka are also added.

Cold marinated

If you pickle them this way, you'll end up with cucumbers that taste very much like vegetables straight from a barrel. This method requires clean water, so you'll need to purchase it. Adding tap water to cold pickling is strictly prohibited.

The process begins with distributing the vegetables among the containers. Salt and three aspirin tablets are added, and the mixture is then topped up with cold water. All the containers are capped and stored in a cool place.

How to properly store canned food

After sealing, the jars are turned upside down for a couple of days. Cover them with a blanket or other warm material.

After this period, the cucumbers can be transferred to the basement or cellar.