Recipes for pickling spicy cucumbers at home for the winter, choosing ingredients and shelf life

In the summer, many women prepare food for the winter, and their husbands and children help them with this difficult task. Those without a garden head to the market for tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. Every housewife tries to stock up on savory cucumbers for the winter, but not everyone gets them right, and they don't always have the right crunch. This appetizer, though, will grace any table. It can be used in salads, as a base for rassolnik (a soup made with pickle soup), complement main courses, and pairs beautifully with mashed potatoes or fried potatoes.

What does "Spicy Pickles" mean?

Pickled cucumbers differ from salted ones not only in the preparation method but also in their spiciness, aroma, and flavor. For pickling, select fresh, firm cucumbers about 10 cm long, season with oak and horseradish leaves, and add ground hot pepper.

Various spices, herbs, and vinegar contribute to the crispiness of cucumbers, which impart a rich, tangy flavor. These cucumbers are called "piquant." Garlic and various seasonings are used for pickled vegetables, but in small quantities, otherwise the natural flavor of the cucumbers can be overpowered.

How to select and prepare cucumbers for canning

If you don't have your own dacha or garden, it's better to go to the market rather than the supermarket to buy vegetables for winter preservation. Early in the morning, these products are sold by the growers. Cucumbers left out until evening will lose their freshness.

Avoid wilted cucumbers; they've been on sale for a while now, and they certainly won't crunch when canned.

Not all varieties of vegetables are suitable for pickling. Salad cucumbers often look fresh from the garden for a long time, but their thick skin prevents brine or marinade from penetrating the flesh.

Versatile varieties of gherkins can be jarred, eaten fresh in salads, or eaten fresh. Special pickling cucumbers have been bred with almost black spines and thin skin that can be easily pierced with a fingernail. Pickling cucumbers should be selected for those with:

• oblong shape;
• bright green color;
• with lighter sides.

A vegetable with cracks and dents on its surface will not produce piquant cucumbers. For canning, it's recommended to use fruits up to 12 cm long; larger specimens are best cut into rings. Before canning, the cucumbers should be soaked for about 5 hours.

Recipes for pickled "Spicy cucumbers"

Oak, cherry, and currant leaves are placed in the jar to ensure that the preserves last longer and that the fruit does not soften, but has a firm consistency.

Cucumbers can be seasoned with various spices, but use them sparingly, otherwise they will become bitter and lose their flavor. Savvy home cooks don't preserve cucumbers without hot pepper and garlic. These two ingredients add a spiciness and zest, enhancing the flavor. To preserve the green color, mustard seeds are added to the jars.

A simple way for beginners

After selecting firm, juicy vegetables with small seeds, rinse them under running water and trim off the stems. To ensure crisp and tangy cucumbers, for 4 kg of cucumbers you'll need:

• hot pepper - 10 grams;
• salt - 3 tablespoons;
• sugar - 250 g;
• sunflower oil - 250 ml;
• vinegar - 1 glass.

The garlic should be finely chopped. You'll need several heads to get 3 tablespoons of minced garlic. Grind the peppercorns in a grinder just before making the savory pickles, which gives the vegetables a rich, spicy flavor.

Place the cucumbers in a bowl, add the spices, salt, and sugar, then pour in the sunflower oil and vinegar. After mixing all the ingredients, let them sit for 2 hours to allow the spices to infuse.

Place the vegetables and liquid into jars heated over steam. Sterilize for 15–25 minutes, depending on the capacity of the jars (0.5 liters or a liter).

With horseradish

Spicy pickled cucumbers Everyone in the family and guests will love it if you use not only spices but also herbs, cherry and walnut leaves, currants, and horseradish, using 4-5 of each. You'll also need other ingredients:

• dill - bunch;
• sugar - half a glass;
• salt - 30 g;
• allspice - 5 peas, 1 hot;
• vinegar - spoon;
• garlic - 6 or 7 cloves;
• onion - 1 pc.;
• coriander.

To remove bitterness, cucumbers are soaked in cool water for at least 6 hours. Washed leaves, dill, and chopped hot peppers should be placed at the bottom of sterile jars, with the cucumbers arranged in columns above them.

Pour boiling water into the jars for 20 minutes, then drain. Add garlic, onion, and the remaining ingredients and return to the heat. Fill the jars with hot brine and vinegar. Seal the vegetables with lids.

With a slice of lemon

Savory cucumbers are easy to prepare for the winter, without many ingredients. Some cooks preserve young cucumbers without using vinegar or essence, using:

• onion;
• lemon and a packet of acid;
• pepper and cloves;
• garlic;
• bay leaf;
• salt and sugar.

Place the spices in the bottom of the jar, and slice the onion into rings. Place the stemless cucumbers on top, and a lemon slice on the side. Fill the jars with boiling water and cover. After 15 minutes, drain the liquid and simmer it with salt and sugar, then add a packet of citric acid. Pour the hot solution into the jars, and cover the bottoms with cheesecloth. After 24 hours, store the prepared cucumbers in the cellar or basement. The whole family will love these crispy and spicy cucumbers with potatoes.

With mustard

Cucumbers often change color when cooked. Homemakers know how to pickle vegetables to ensure they're tasty, flavorful, and retain their natural color. If cucumbers aren't picked from the garden but bought at the market, they need to be soaked in cool water for at least 3 hours; fresh cucumbers only need to be soaked for 60 minutes. To use this simple recipe, take:

• horseradish, cherry, currant leaves;
• salt and granulated sugar;
• hot and allspice;
• mustard seeds;
• vinegar and garlic.

Cut off the stems and tops of the cucumbers. Place the leaves in boiling water for a couple of minutes, then add them to the bottom of the jars along with garlic cloves, hot peppercorns, and allspice. Pack the cucumbers tightly in rows. Cover the jars with boiling water. After 20 minutes, pour the water into a saucepan. For every liter of water, use 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of salt. Add mustard seeds to the jar, season the vegetables with the marinade, and 20 grams of vinegar.

Pickled cucumbers retain their beautiful, vibrant color and will develop a spicy, tangy flavor after 20 days. Savvy home cooks, when preserving vegetables for the winter, never add too much garlic, as it can become soft, but they do use a variety of leaves.

Rules and terms for storing cucumbers

Cucumbers pickled or preserved with vinegar or citric acid retain their aroma and flavor for up to 2 years. However, such preserves should be stored in a cellar or basement. Pickled cucumbers should be refrigerated for no more than 8 months. After opening, it's best to consume these savory cucumbers within a few days.