4 Best Step-by-Step Recipes for Cooking Winter King Cucumbers and Storage Conditions

Homemakers prepare a variety of cucumber preserves for the winter. A particularly popular cucumber recipe is called "Winter King." It's often modified with additional seasonings and spices. Before beginning, carefully select the ingredients for the preserves and prepare the containers. After all, this step determines the shelf life and taste of the preserves.

Taste features of the dish

One of the advantages of preparing this salad for the winter, according to home cooks, is that the cucumbers are practically fresh and have a unique aroma and flavor. You can also enhance the recipe by adding additional seasonings to suit your taste.

Select and prepare ingredients and containers

Buy medium-sized, young cucumbers. They should be free of rot or other damage. It is not recommended to take large vegetables, as they contain too large and hard seeds. Coarse salt is used for preservation; iodized salt should never be used, as it will spoil the taste of the product.

Prepare 0.5- or 1-liter containers and heat them. Each housewife chooses the most convenient option: in a saucepan of boiling water, on the spout of a simmering kettle, in a microwave, or in a conventional oven. Lids are thoroughly washed with baking soda and boiled in the saucepan for 5 minutes.

The Best Recipes for "Winter King" Cucumbers

Every woman will find a favorite version of this salad in the collection of recipes. However, we recommend trying a few jars of each to decide on your favorite.

Classic method of preparation

To prepare the preparation according to the classic recipe, prepare the following ingredients:

• 5 kg of cucumbers;
• 1 kg of onions;
• 2 bunches of fresh dill;
• 2 tablespoons of rock salt;
• 100 ml of 9% vinegar;
• 5 tablespoons of granulated sugar;
• 8-10 black peppercorns.

Wash and dry the cucumbers, cut them into thin slices. Chop the onion into half rings. Combine the vegetables, sugar, and salt in a large enamel bowl and let them steep for about an hour and a half. Add the remaining ingredients (finely chop the herbs with a knife).

Place the salad over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat as soon as the cucumbers begin to change color, otherwise the delicious crunch will be lost. Place the salad in prepared jars, seal with metal lids, and place under a warm blanket until the preserves have cooled completely.

Garlic and mustard appetizer for the winter

This appetizer not only makes a delicious addition to a side dish, but also serves as a standalone dish, eaten simply with bread.

To create such a preparation you will need the following set of products:

• 2 kg of main ingredient;
• 1 medium head of garlic;
• 1 tbsp. mustard powder;
• 125 ml sunflower oil;
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt;
• 125 ml 9% vinegar;
• a small bunch of fresh dill;
• 100 grams of granulated sugar;
• 1 teaspoon of red and black ground pepper.

Cucumbers are cut into either rounds or small sticks, depending on preference. Crush the cucumber cloves in a garlic press, and simply chop the herbs with a knife. Mix these ingredients together and add the seasonings from the list. Mix the salad thoroughly and let it sit at room temperature for 3 hours to allow the vegetables to release their juices and infuse the flavors of the seasonings.

Don't worry if the brine turns out cloudy—this is normal, as the recipe contains mustard powder.

Place the cucumbers in clean jars (optional) and pour the remaining brine over them. Place the jars with the seals in a wide saucepan and sterilize for 15 minutes after boiling. Then, seal the jars with the lids and set aside to cool. The sterilization time given for the salad is based on half-liter jars.

Spicy cucumber salad with pepper

Those who love spicy appetizers will love this "Winter King" salad recipe. To make it, you'll need the following ingredients:

• 2 kg cucumbers;
• 400 grams of thick-walled bell pepper;
• 400 grams of onions;
• a large bunch of fresh dill;
• 1 pod of hot pepper;
• 200 ml sunflower oil;
• 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar;
• 4 tablespoons of 9% vinegar;
• 1 tablespoon of rock salt.

Soak the cucumbers in cold water for an hour to enhance their crunch. Meanwhile, peel the onion and slice it into thin half-rings; you can also dice it. Seed the bell pepper and cut it into long, thin strips, and dice the chili.

The prepared cucumbers are cut into 5-7 mm thick slices, and the greens are finely chopped with a knife. Combine all the vegetable ingredients in an enamel saucepan, add the seasonings according to the recipe, and mix thoroughly again. Now the future salad is left for 1.5 hours to release its juices and infuse the flavors of the spices.

After this, take sterile jars and spread the salad into them, evenly distributing all the released juice among the containers. jars with preparations in a wide saucepan for sterilization and set a timer for 10 minutes after the water boils. After this, screw on the lids and place the salad under a blanket to cool slowly.

Without sterilization

Any of the above recipes can be made without sterilization. To do this, simmer the salad for 10 minutes over low heat before placing it in the jars.

Helpful tips for storing winter salad

The best place to store canned goods is a basement or cellar. However, they can also be stored indoors if sterilized. The shelf life of such salads is no more than 9 months.