Providing your family with pickled cucumbers, spending some time, is quite possible. Prepared independently according to the best proven recipes, homemade preparations will definitely surpass store-bought ones. We present to your attention a selection of the best recipes for sweet, crispy pickled cucumbers for the winter.
Today, marinated preparations are presented in large quantities on the shelves. We must pay tribute that many manufacturers of canned cucumbers deserve all sorts of praise, but... Rarely does a product you like retain its original taste and quality. What often happens is that when you go out into the world, a jar of cucumbers is akin to homemade pickles and marinades, and later it becomes an inedible, sour, overcooked product.
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Sweet, crispy homemade pickled cucumbers are a delicious appetizer that will brighten up both holiday and everyday meals. And the preparation is no more difficult than other marinades. The main thing is to strictly follow a few simple but mandatory rules:
- cucumbers are taken 8-10 cm in size, dense, small-seeded, of special “pickling” varieties, ideally from the garden;
- pre-treatment of fruits is required: washing under running water and soaking for 3-5 hours;
- discard damaged cucumbers or greens;
- carefully process containers and lids for workpieces (boiling, sterilization):
- provide ready-made canned food with gradual cooling (wrapping in a blanket or blanket).
When pickling sweet cucumbers, herbs, spices, leaves of fruit trees and shrubs are used. Various types of vinegar, honey and even vodka are used, and the proportion of sugar is almost always twice that of salt.
So, using your imagination, it is possible to diversify basic recipes in accordance with your taste preferences. The main thing is not to be afraid to experiment.
Sweet cucumbers for the winter - the most delicious recipe for a liter jar
That year, on the Internet, I saw a very interesting recipe for marinushki with onions and carrots. As an avid experimenter, I decided to try it. Did I like it? Very! Firstly, the brine is so clear and appetizing (and delicious, by the way). And the greens are just the bomb! Crispy, sweet, moderately salty.
I tried it myself and now I recommend it to everyone!
Ingredients:
Marinade for 1 liter of water:
- Salt without additives – 1 tbsp.
- Acetic acid 70% - 1 tbsp.
- Granulated sugar – 3 tbsp.
For each liter jar:
- Onions - several half rings
- Carrots – 3-4 circles
- Garlic – 3-4 cloves
- Hot pepper optional
- Dill (greens or umbrellas) to taste
- Leaves of cherry, currant, etc. for aroma - 1-2 leaves
Preparation:
1. Wash the cucumbers and soak them in very cold water for 3 hours, or even more.
2. Prepare the brine immediately. We put water to boil, add salt and granulated sugar. When the liquid boils and the grains of sand dissolve, turn it off. Pour in vinegar, stir and let cool.
For a liter jar you will need about 0.5 ml. brine.
3. We use small, liter containers. Small cucumbers are suitable here. The containers need to be washed; sterilization is not necessary.
4. Peel the onion and cut into fairly large half rings. We put a couple in each jar.
5. If the garlic cloves are large, they need to be chopped. Small ones can be sent whole to the jar. Dill, currant leaves and other aromatic green stuff are also sent here.
6. We peel the carrots, cut them into circles, about 0.5-1 cm thick. We also put them in jars.
For spiciness, you can add a small piece of chili pepper.
6. You can cut off the ends of the greens, or you don’t have to. Place them vertically in jars. You can put a little more garlic on top. If there is room, add small, hooked cucumbers. For flavor, cover it all with another sprig of dill.
7. Fill with cooled brine to the very top. Then cover with a lid without clogging.
8. Take a wide saucepan. Place a cloth napkin or towel on the bottom. We place jars of cucumbers here. Pour warm (not hot!) water into the pan. Approximately up to the hanger of glass containers.
We put it on fire. After the water has boiled, time it for exactly 3 minutes.
For two-liter jars, the sterilization time is 4 minutes, and for 3-liter jars – 5-6 minutes.
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9. Carefully remove the workpieces. It is safest to do this with special forceps. Seal tightly and turn over. Check for tightness so that not a drop is leaking. If it suddenly leaks, the cap needs to be replaced.
Turn the containers over and cover them with something warm. When they cool down, put them away for storage. They can be kept even at room temperature, in a dark place.
Pickled sweet and crispy cucumbers - recipe for 1 liter of water
This is my recipe, which I have perfected over several years. That is, after each new batch I made my own conclusions - “... I should add a little sugar/salt/spices here” or, on the contrary, I would like to subtract something. And the next year it got better. In the end, I am completely satisfied with this recipe.
You look at yourself. The main thing is that the cucumbers turn out moderately sweet and very tasty. I add various greenflies. If you don't have any of this on hand, don't add it. In general, many people cook without greens.
In general, I'm showing my favorite recipe! And you can improve it for yourself.
Ingredients:
For one two-liter jar
- cucumbers
- 1-2 cherry leaves
- 1 blackcurrant leaf
- 1 red currant leaf
- 2 apple leaves
- 1 sprig of carrot tops
- Garlic – 2-3 cloves
- Hot pepper to taste
- 1-2 cloves
- 2-3 peas of allspice
- 5-7 black peppercorns
- 1-2 dill umbrellas
A 2 liter jar takes approximately 1.2-1.3 kg. Zelentsov. And this includes about 1 liter of marinade.
Per liter of water:
- 1 tbsp. with a heap of salt
- 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 100 ml. 9% vinegar
Preparation:
1. Place the cucumbers in a bowl or bucket. Fill with cold, preferably even ice water. This bath will help them become more elastic and crispy. This is especially important to do with long-harvested crops.
To prevent vegetables from floating, cover with a dish on top, submerging them. Leave it like this for 4 hours or even overnight.
2. This is the set of greenfinches that goes into every jar I have. There are 2 leaves each of cherry, currant (red and black), and apple tree. I also always add some carrot tops. It gives an appetizing color to the brine.
If you have a horseradish leaf or root, add that too. I didn't have them.
3. Wash jars with soda solution. I don’t sterilize them additionally, because then they will be filled with boiling water three more times. But if you want, you can warm it up additionally. Just pour boiling water over the lids.
Fill them with the prepared green pillow. Chop 2-3 cloves of garlic here. I cut each clove into 2-3 parts.
4. Cut off the ends of the greens. We put them in jars. As a rule, we put larger fruits on the bottom, and smaller ones on top. I have them all large, so I topped the container with chopped vegetables.
5. Place an umbrella of dill on top. I also add 1-2 chili peppers. If you don't like it spicy, you can exclude it from the composition. Add cloves and peppercorns.
6. Let the water boil. One two-liter jar contains approximately 1 liter of liquid. Therefore, count by the number of glass containers. I have 2 of them, so I put about 3 liters of water, with a reserve.
After the first fill, you will already know exactly how much water you will use.
7. Fill the contents of the jars with boiling water to the very brim, you can even overfill it a little. Just do this very carefully so as not to damage the container. After all, a sharp temperature change will cause the glass to immediately burst.
I first pour a little water into each jar in a thin stream (literally 50 ml). Thus, I fill the containers one third at a time. While I’m pouring into the last container, the first one is already warming up well from the steam. And only then you can pour more boldly.
Cover with lids and leave as is for 20-30 minutes. The jars should cool to a warm state that is tolerable to your hands.
8. Now we drain all the liquid and measure the displacement. As a result, I got about 750 ml into a two-liter jar. water from two containers - 1.5 liters. It’s convenient to drain with a lid like this with holes.
9. Place on the fire again and bring to a boil. Then we return it to the banks again. Let the cucumbers warm up a second time, another 20-30 minutes.
For the third time, drain the liquid. Now we will prepare a marinade based on it. I have one and a half liters of water, so I add 1.5 tbsp. salt and 4.5 tbsp. granulated sugar. Put on fire, stir.
When everything boils again, pour in the required amount of vinegar (in my case, 150 ml), stir and pour into jars. Seal with lids.
10. I put a towel on the floor and turn the jars on top there. At this point, check to see if brine is leaking through the threads. If this happens, it needs to be drained, boiled and rolled again.
Cover with a warm jacket or blanket. Leave it in this form for a day (approximately) until the contents have cooled. I store them in a cool cellar.
Sweet and crispy cucumbers with citric acid for the winter
Citric acid is an excellent alternative to vinegar. If you don’t like the specific vinegar taste, then feel free to replace it with lemon. It also turns out very tasty and safe to store.
Ingredients:
For 1 liter of water:
- Granulated sugar – 3 tbsp. no slide
- Salt – 2 tbsp. no slide
To banks:
- cucumbers
- Green currants, cherries, horseradish if possible
- Dill umbrellas
- Garlic
- Black and allspice peas
- Carnation
- Citric acid – 1 tsp. with a slide for a 2 liter jar
Preparation:
1. This time, I collected cucumbers from the garden and immediately began pickling. Therefore, they did not have time to die. This means they won't need a cold bath. But I still filled them with water for 15 minutes to soften the dry soil.
Then rinse thoroughly.
2. There is no need to sterilize jars. I just wash them with baking soda, rinse them well and turn them over on a towel to drain all the water.
3. We prepare all possible green stuff - cherry, horseradish, currant leaves, dill caps (with stems) and so on. We wash all this beauty and shake off the moisture. We place it on the bottom as a fragrant pillow for our greens.
4. If desired, trim the ends of the cucumbers. Place them vertically, quite tightly, in prepared glass containers.
I chopped 2 cloves of garlic into each 2 liter container on top. I added 2 allspice peas and a pinch of black pepper (also in balls). I also added 2 clove buds. You can adjust these spices to suit your taste. They are not necessary here; you can do without them altogether.
5. Boil clean drinking water. We fill the contents of the jars with it, to the very edges.
The liquid should completely cover the vegetables.
6. Cover with lids, which must first be doused with boiling water. Let stand for about 15 minutes. During this time, the vegetables will warm up and acquire an olive tint.
Then pour all this liquid back into the pan. Place on the fire, bring to a boil and return to the cucumbers. If this time there is not enough to fill the brim, add boiling water from the kettle.
7. Let it warm up for another 20 minutes, covered. Then, for the final time, drain the brine and measure its quantity. If it’s just a little short of an even count, it’s better to add water. The main thing is not to leak, otherwise we won’t have enough marinade later.
At the rate of 1 liter, add salt and sugar. Stir and place on the stove. As soon as everything boils, the grains of sand dissolve, remove from heat.
8. Final - pour the required amount of citric acid into each jar and pour in the boiling marinade.
For 1 liter jar you will need 0.5 tsp. citric acid. For a 2 liter bottle - 1 tsp, and for a 3 liter bottle, respectively, 1.5 tsp.
9. Seal with lids, turn over and cover with a blanket. The next day, vegetables and brine cool to room temperature. If the room is warm, this may take more than a day. Then they can be put away in the cellar for storage.
Sweet and sour pickled cucumbers “Globus” in a 3 liter jar
Remember those same cucumbers like in stores during the USSR? They were called "Globe". I think this unforgettable sweet and sour taste is impossible to forget! Now I will offer you this recipe!
Ingredients:
- Horseradish root
- Dill umbrellas
- Currant casting
- Garlic – 8-10 cloves
- Black peppercorns – 15-20 pcs.
- Allspice peas - 3-4 pcs.
Marinade for 1 liter of water:
- Granulated sugar - 4.5 tablespoons
- Nine percent vinegar – 145 gr.
- Salt – 2.5 tablespoons
Preparation:
1. I pre-soak the greens overnight in ice water. If I plan to preserve in the evening, I fill them in the morning. If possible, the water should be changed periodically to keep it cold at all times.
This bath will make the vegetables more elastic. Accordingly, they will be crispy later.
2. If the jars are new, just wash them with soda and then rinse well. It is better to sterilize previously used ones - it will not be superfluous. Pour boiling water over the lids for 5 minutes.
3. Place all the prepared greens at the bottom of the cooled containers. Instead of dill umbrellas, you can easily take young green branches. We also add garlic, peeling it and cutting it into large pieces.
If you have horseradish root, be sure to cut a small root into a jar. This plant gives a special taste and crunch to vegetables.
4. If you are sure that your vegetables are not bitter, you don’t have to trim the ends. But I’m not entirely sure about this, so I remove them and try - if everything is fine, the cucumber goes into the jar. Bitter fruits are immediately discarded.
Thus, we fill the containers tightly, to the very top. At the bottom, as a rule, larger fruits are located horizontally. Closer to the neck, you can fold small and even twisted ones.
I didn't have enough cucumbers for one jar. That’s why I supplemented it with zucchini – it’s also very tasty. On top I also put an umbrella of dill and a circle of hot pepper - but this is optional.
Sprinkle peppercorns and, if desired, cloves on top.
5. Now there are 2 ways. Firstly, the brine can be boiled immediately, poured into containers and sterilized. That is, when the water in the pan boils and the cucumbers acquire an olive color, from this moment you need to boil three-liter jars for 5-7 minutes.
But I’m more accustomed to another method. I fill them to the top with boiling water (we do this slowly, at intervals, so as not to crack the glass). Cover with lids and let stand for 20 minutes.
6. Then I drain all the liquid, boil it and return it to the jars. Let it cool again for 20 minutes.
The third time, the water is poured back into the pan. At this stage we already introduce sugar, vinegar and salt.
Be sure to measure the amount of brine coming out. If a little is not enough to achieve an even count, add a little hot water. This will make it easier to calculate the required amount of sugar, salt and vinegar.
7. Now the final stage - when the brine boils, pour it back into the jars. It needs to be poured a little over the edges, then there will be no air left in the container.
Roll up the lids. Place bottom up on a lined towel and cover with something warm. I have an old jacket that I keep specifically for these purposes.
Three-liter jars cool for about 2 days. And then you can immediately transfer it to the cellar.
Peculiarities
Sweet and sour cucumbers are not “friendly” with all ingredients . So, for example, horseradish root will be superfluous, the same applies to oak leaves and horseradish leaves. It is better to stick to currant or cherry leaves. Sweet and sour cucumbers are not suitable for proximity to celery and basil.
What in the recipe gives the sweet and sour taste?
The answer here is simple: a combination of vinegar and sugar. The amount of salt is usually minimal . But the proportions of sugar and vinegar are responsible for the sweet and sour taste. Therefore, be careful. If you suddenly think that there is too much sugar in the recipe, do not hesitate and follow the recipe exactly.
Citric acid is often used instead of vinegar. It should be a little more than for a recipe for just pickled cucumbers.
Video recipe for pickled cucumbers without sterilization with vinegar
I offer you a very simple and tasty recipe. There are no greens in the composition, which will especially please some. After all, not everyone has the opportunity to pick dill umbrellas or bush leaves. As a result, the snack turns out very tasty and crispy.
Ingredients:
For 3 cans of 1 liter each
- Cucumbers – 2 kg.
- Granulated sugar – 200 gr.
- Water – 1 l.
- Salt – 2 tbsp.
- Garlic – 6 cloves
- Vinegar 6 or 9% - 200 ml.
Learn more from the video! Enjoy watching!
Selection and preparation of main ingredients
The main products in canning are cucumbers. Select vegetables without damage, with firm pulp and small size. In order for the fruit to crunch, the skin must be thick.
Additional vegetables and fruits are selected according to the same principle. Choose greens that are bright, fresh, and have a pronounced aroma.
Before storing, vegetables are soaked in water for 2-6 hours, cutting off the ends on both sides.
The most delicious recipe for pickled cucumbers for 3 liters with aspirin
I also found this recipe on the Internet. I just didn’t have vinegar on hand, so I decided to try sealing the cucumbers with aspirin. This is also a very good preservative. For a three-liter jar you will need only 1 tablet, so it will not harm your health. But for some, on the contrary, it will be useful. But in any case, you shouldn’t overeat this preparation!
At first I was tormented by doubts: would the cucumbers be bitter if aspirin was added to the marinade?! No, they are not bitter at all, as it turns out. The taste is very piquant, and the vegetables themselves are incredibly crispy. Well, in line with today’s story, let’s make them sweet.
Ingredients:
For a 3 liter jar:
- Cucumbers - as many as you like
- Garlic – 1-2 cloves
- Dill umbrellas - optional
- Currant leaves – 2-3 pcs. if possible
- Salt – 2 tbsp.
- Granulated sugar – 2 tbsp.
- Aspirin – 1 tablet
- Allspice – 3-5 peas
- Black pepper – 3-5 peas
- Citric acid - on the tip of a knife
- Water
Preparation:
1. Wash the greens and put them in a bowl. Fill with cold (better even ice) water. Leave for 3 hours, or better yet overnight.
2. Boil the lids for 2 minutes, sterilize the jars.
Before you start filling the glass container, immediately put water in a saucepan to boil. One 3 liter jar contains approximately 1.5 liters. marinade
3. After sterilization, the dishes must cool down. At the bottom we put all the prepared greens - currant leaves and dill. If you don't have any of this, you don't have to add it at all.
4. We lay the greens tightly. First you need to cut off the ends. Approximately in the middle of the bookmark, you can layer it with an umbrella of dill and currant leaves. And so, fill it to the top.
5. Cut the garlic into large slices. We send it to the vegetables.
I don't recommend adding too much garlic. After all, it provokes softening of greens, after which they can lose their crunch and become soft. But 1-2 slices definitely won’t do any harm.
6. When the water in the pan boils, pour it into filled containers. Do this carefully, slowly, in a thin stream. Top up to the very edges. Cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes.
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7. Pour the liquid back into the pan. Place on the fire and bring to a boil.
8. Place peppercorns in each glass container. Add salt, citric acid and granulated sugar here. Add aspirin. There is no need to crush the tablet first.
9. Pour the boiled brine over the workpieces again. Immediately roll up, turn over and wrap. Under a warm shelter they will slowly warm up, then cool down. Then we put it in a cellar or pantry.
Let's sum it up
Sweet and sour cucumbers for the winter are not at all difficult. Sugar and vinegar or citric acid are responsible for the sweet and sour taste, so it is strictly not recommended to change their ratio indicated in the recipe. Such vegetables go well with onions, garlic, tomatoes, mustard, dill, and parsley. It is better to avoid celery and horseradish. You can prepare cucumbers with or without sterilization. In the second case, triple filling will be required.
For the first 24-72 hours, store the cucumbers upside down under warm material. After the time specified in the recipe, transfer the preparations to a cool and dark place.
Sweet and sour cucumbers. Cucumbers recipes. Cucumbers for the winter. Canned cucumbers.
How to pickle cucumbers with mustard to make them sweet
I can’t help but share with you another find of mine. Cucumbers are just the bomb! Crispy, spicy, sweet and moderately salty.
The brine, of course, does not look very appetizing, it is cloudy. It's because of the mustard. But the taste is finger-licking good! It's very easy to prepare. I advise you to.
Ingredients:
- cucumbers
- Greens at the bottom of the jar to taste
- Garlic
Per liter of marinade:
- 1 liter of water
- 300 gr. Sahara
- 5 tbsp. table mustard (in this case, American)
- 3 tbsp. salt
- 1 cup (200 ml) vinegar 9%
Preparation:
1. First of all, let's prepare the marinade. Let the water boil. Add granulated sugar and salt here. We introduce soft table mustard (that is, not dry, but in the form of a sauce). Stir until all the mustard is completely dissolved. If a few lumps remain, no problem.
Know that the marinade in any jar takes about half of its volume. For example, for a liter - half a liter of liquid, for a 2 liter - 1 liter and so on.
2. As soon as the brine boils, pour in the vinegar, stir and turn off the heat. Let the composition cool.
3. We wash the jars thoroughly. Sterilization is not necessary. At the bottom we put any greens of your choice - currant leaves, horseradish, carrot tops, dill and so on. Add 1-3 cloves of garlic to each container, after cutting it.
4. Wash the cucumbers and cut off the ends. We place them tightly in each glass container, to the top.
5. When the marinade has cooled, you can pour it into our preparations. First, be sure to mix it, then fill the containers, just short of filling to the brim.
6. Cover with lids, but do not seal yet. Line the bottom of the pan with a cloth napkin or towel. Here we place the jars and pour water into the saucepan. The liquid should reach approximately the “shoulders” of the glass container.
7. From the moment the water boils, boil for 5-7 minutes. Then very carefully we take it out, cork it, turn it over and wrap it up.
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After cooling, transfer to the basement or other storage location.
A small cheat sheet about why cucumbers are bitter
Cucumber plants that are stressed during the growing season may produce bitter-tasting fruit. Usually due to lack of water or temperatures that are too cold or too hot, cucumbers taste bitter.
But some varieties and hybrids may have a bitter aftertaste no matter how they are cared for. Cucumbers contain organic compounds called cucurbitacins, which can cause a bitter taste. If you are a beginner, try to avoid varieties and hybrids that are too demanding in terms of growing conditions and plan your seed purchases more carefully.
Provide even watering for cucumbers
