8 Best Recipes for Preserving Crispy Pickled Cucumbers in Jars for the Winter

Despite the modern diversity of vegetable preserving methods, traditional recipes for crispy pickled cucumbers in jars for the winter remain popular. There's something uniquely appealing about these preparations, often technologically dating back to the 19th century. Even a novice cook can prepare a wide variety of them for the winter, and experienced cooks will find plenty of culinary inspiration in the instructions below.

What are the benefits of pickled cucumbers?

They are always crispy and especially piquant, retaining a distinct cucumber flavor, unlike pickled cucumbers. But most importantly, according to scientists, fermented cucumbers retain significantly more vitamins and are easier to digest.

Selecting and preparing vegetables

Pickling cucumber varieties are recommended—they have thin, yet firm, spiky skins. If you're growing your own cucumbers, it's best to harvest them in dry weather.

At home, it is advisable to soak cucumbers in ice water for a couple of hours before canning to ensure greater density.

Delicious pickled cucumber recipes

To diversify recipes, you can use the same additives as when pickling/marinating cucumbers in general. It is recommended to pay attention, for example, to horseradish root, sliced ​​lemon, and sprigs of tarragon.

Crispy under a nylon lid

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg cucumbers;
• 45 g of table salt;
• 4 cloves of garlic;
• 1 horseradish leaf;
• 3 dill umbrellas;
• 10 black peppercorns;
• 1 liter of water.

Method of preparation:

• To prepare this snack, mix cucumbers with all the ingredients in jars;
• fill with water and leave under the lid for 5 days;
• skim the foam off the brine;
• You can throw away the leaves with umbrellas, put the cucumbers with pepper and garlic into several liter jars;
• fill with brine and close with lids.

Pickled in jars with mustard

Required products:

• 2 kg of cucumbers;
• 1.5 l of water;
• 100 g rock salt;
• 8 cloves of garlic;
• 5 dill umbrellas;
• 6 oak leaves;
• 5 tsp mustard powder.

Procedure:

• To make these pickles, place vegetables and other ingredients in a container;
• fill with salt water and leave under pressure for 4 days;
• Place the cucumbers with brine and spices in jars with iron lids.

Recipe without sterilization

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg cucumbers;
• 1 liter of water;
• 3 dill umbrellas;
• 8 pcs. horseradish leaves, bay leaves, cherry leaves, blackcurrant leaves;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 40 g table salt.

Method of preparation:

• Place cucumbers with leaves and chopped garlic in a container;
• fill with salt water and keep under pressure for exactly 4 days;
• boil the brine;
• Scald the cucumbers with boiling water, place them in a container, pour in the brine for 5 minutes;
• Before rolling up the cucumbers, boil the liquid again, pour it into the container - now you can screw on the lids.

A variant of preparing pickled cucumbers as barrel ones

Required products:

• 1.5 kg cucumbers;
• 1 liter of water;
• 40 g of table salt;
• 6 allspice peas;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 2 dill umbrellas;
• 6 pcs. currant, horseradish and cherry leaves;
• 0.5 tsp citric acid.

Procedure:

• Place cucumbers mixed with chopped garlic and herbs in a jar;
• fill with ice-cold salted water and, starting canning, leave for 3 days;
• pour water into a saucepan, bring to a boil and add citric acid;
• Pour the brine into the jars, all that's left is to roll up the lids.

Cold method with vodka

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg cucumbers;
• 1 liter of water;
• 30 ml vodka;
• 25 g sugar;
• 40 g rock salt;
• 5 peppercorns;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 4 dill umbrellas;
• 3 pcs. cherry leaves.

Method of preparation:

• To prepare these cucumbers without boiling the brine, put dill, cherries, and chopped garlic into the jars;
• fill the container with cucumbers;
• dissolve salt and sugar in a saucepan with ice water;
• Pour vodka into a container and fill it with brine;
• Keep it in the room for 2 days and this completes the salting process, take the pickled cucumbers to a cold place.

Hot method

Required products:

• 2 kg of cucumbers;
• 1.5 l of water;
• 4 dill umbrellas;
• 6 horseradish and cherry leaves;
• 1 fresh chili;
• 40 g of rock salt.

Procedure:

• Place dill and leaves, seeded and sliced ​​chili into jars;
• fill the jars with cucumbers;
• cover the vegetables with salted water and leave covered for 3 days;
• Now you need to do the following: drain the brine into a saucepan and bring to a boil;
• rinse the contents of the container with water and return it back;
• Pour hot liquid into the container and roll up the lids.

A quick way to make sourdough

Ingredients:

• 1.5 kg cucumbers;
• 1.5 l of water;
• 500 g garlic shoots;
• 20 g sugar;
• 4 sprigs of dill;
• 45 g table salt;
• 6 allspice peas.

Method of preparation:

• place cucumbers, chopped garlic shoots, pepper and dill in jars;
• dissolve salt and sugar in water, pour it into jars and leave under the lid for 24 hours;
• Bring the brine to a boil in a saucepan;
• wash the cucumbers and shoots with water;
• Pour hot brine into the container with vegetables, now you can close the lids.

Recipe with onions without vinegar

Required products:

• 2 kg of cucumbers;
• 2 large onions;
• 1.5 l of water;
• 1 tsp citric acid;
• 40 g of table salt;
• 8 black peppercorns;
• 3 cloves of garlic;
• 2 horseradish leaves.

Procedure:

• Place herbs, pepper, chopped garlic and shredded onion into jars;
• fill the container with cucumbers;
• pour salted water over them and to ferment them properly, leave them for 2 days;
• drain the liquid into a saucepan and bring to a boil;
• This grandma's recipe has a pleasant sourness - add citric acid to the jars;
• At the end of cooking, pour the brine into the jars and screw on the lids.

Tips and recommendations

When cucumbers are left to ferment for several days, it's important to be able to track this process—it's indicated by the brine turning cloudy, as if milk has been splashed into it. Foam also forms—when this is complete, the fermentation process is complete.

Why do pickled cucumbers become soft?

The reasons for this are quite varied:

• the container is not washed well enough or is not sealed;
• there is little salt in the brine;
• the cucumbers in the jar are not packed tightly enough;
• Canned goods are stored at temperatures above normal.

Is it possible to ferment overripe cucumbers?

The vegetable's characteristics no longer allow it to be preserved whole, so it is customary to chop it at the beginning or end of the recipe, turning it into an appetizer like a salad.

Duration and storage rules

It is recommended to keep pickled cucumbers at a temperature between 0 and +3 °C, in which case they will be suitable for 6-8 months.