One of the most common questions about winter preservation is related to why cucumbers in jars become cloudy after sealing.
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In this article we will try to understand the reasons for this phenomenon.
The most common causes of cloudiness of cucumbers in jars after seaming
The fact that the brine becomes cloudy can be caused by a variety of factors. Let's try to look at the most common ones among them.
ON A NOTE.
Coloring the brine in a jar with vegetables whitish does not always pose a health hazard.
Cucumbers were prepared incorrectly for pickling
The reason why cucumbers in jars turn cloudy after seaming is most often the fault of the summer resident himself.
Vegetables for canning are prepared strictly using technology that prevents foreign substances from entering the jar.
Also, the liquid may become cloudy due to the fact that salad cucumbers were chosen for rolling.
At this point we can mention the choice of old and soft greens for preservation.
The seal in the jars of cucumbers is broken
To prevent the preservation from being lost, the container must be sealed hermetically. This is necessary so that the outside air does not interact with the brine (marinade).
Otherwise, rotting will begin. This, in turn, will provoke cloudiness, which will cause the can to swell and then completely explode.
You can determine the tightness of the seal by turning the jar upside down.
The seal is broken due to poor-quality lids, cracks and chips on the neck of the jar and a faulty seaming key.
If the cause of the cloudiness is precisely a violation of the tightness, then such preservation should be thrown out.
Cucumbers were poorly washed before seaming
Insufficiently washed cucumbers are a fairly common cause of problems with brine.
Bacteria may remain on the cucumbers and begin to multiply in the jar. This will cause gases to accumulate inside the sealed container.
As a result, the brine will first become cloudy, and then the jar will “explode.”
Poor sterilization of seaming containers
The pickling jar must be completely sterile. Sterilization is usually carried out using steam from boiling water. Although, of course, options are possible.
If the containers were sterilized extremely poorly, then pathogenic microflora will continue to remain on the inner surface, which will release their metabolic products into the brine.
As a result, the seam will be damaged and will have to be thrown away.
Also here we can mention the insufficiently thorough rinsing of cans from dishwashing detergent, soda, etc. This also causes the cucumber pickle to change color.
Presence of chemicals
If you close store-bought cucumbers for the winter, be prepared for the fact that they may become cloudy.
This is due to the fact that they may contain many chemicals (stimulants, growth regulators, etc.).
The fact is that industrially grown cucumbers are mainly intended for fresh consumption and not for preservation.
Improper storage of cans
An error such as improper storage also leads to clouding. The workpieces must be kept in a room with a temperature no higher than 7 degrees. Then there will be no problems with them.
But when storing cans in conditions close to room temperature, excesses are possible. It is recommended to keep the jars at +20 +25 degrees only so that the containers with greens cool down.
Presence of lactic acid
Lactic acid is released when cucumbers are preserved. But, if there is too much of it, the fermentation process will begin, which will lead to cloudiness of the brine in the container with pickles.
Housewives use vinegar and citric acid specifically to suppress lactic acid. But if these ingredients are not enough, the brine will become cloudy.
By the way, this is why it is important to follow the recipe and proportions of ingredients when marinating.
Drawing conclusions
Everyone decides for themselves what to do with cloudy brine in a jar of cucumbers. Even if you have been doing home canning for many years in a row, year after year, from time to time you still come across such treacherous jars.
Many people prefer to simply throw them away and not think later whether it was possible to somehow save something that is already contaminated with germs and bacteria. but rehabilitation, washing and re-canning rarely give positive results. And in the jars, a white coating on the fruit and turbidity in the brine often reappear.
Is it possible to eat cucumbers from a cloudy jar?
It's a shame to see the fruits of your labors go down the drain. Naturally, the question arises: is it possible to somehow use such cucumbers? Is there or can it be used for preparing some dishes?
In general, we do not recommend eating or using cloudy cucumbers for preparing other dishes. But it is worth recognizing that this is not always a sign of their unsuitability.
If the brine has become cloudy, but the cucumbers are visible, there is no swelling of the lid, and sediment appears only after 3-4 days, then the cucumbers can be eaten.
IMPORTANT!
But only after heat treatment. For example, boiling water when added to soup.
In this case, the cloudy liquid is drained, and the greens themselves are placed in a clean plate and placed in the refrigerator.
What to do with a cloudy jar of cucumbers
Now let's figure out what to do with a cloudy jar.
What to do if pickles become cloudy
If the pickles have darkened, then do not rush to do anything. First, place the jars in the refrigerator for a week.
If the brine gradually begins to lighten and sediment appears, and the lid remains intact, then nothing needs to be done.
Cloudy jar of pickled cucumbers
If dregs appear in a jar containing pickled cucumbers, then they should be thrown away without regret.
This is because the causative agent of botulism can survive in jars.
Useful tips for pickling cucumbers
A few practical tips will help you make your preparations more tasty and keep them longer:
- To ensure that the greens crisp and the brine remains transparent, after filling the jar with raw materials, place a clove of garlic and a horseradish leaf on the very top. These products have antiseptic properties and therefore prevent fermentation.
- Use lids made of stainless steel.
- To preserve and improve the taste, always place a few circles of horseradish root or hot pepper at the bottom of the jar.
- Add sour fruits to the jars - they will increase the effect of the preservative. Greenish cherry plum, a slice of sour apple or red currant are suitable.
Find out more about the best recipes for pickling cucumbers in a pan for the winter.
There are several techniques to correct the situation with cloudiness of the brine in pickled cucumbers. However, it is better to carefully follow the process technology and nip such unpleasant surprises in the bud.
Is it possible to remake cloudy cucumbers?
If there are no signs of swelling on the lid (it remains slightly concave inward), there is no mold, then the seaming can be redone.
Please note that only pickled cucumbers can be remade. Marinated ones are not remade.
The algorithm is like this:
- open the lid;
- drain the brine;
- take out the greens;
- pour boiling water;
- put the greens back;
- pour boiling water;
- after 15 minutes, pour the water into the pan;
- add lemon (vinegar), sugar, salt according to the recipe;
- boil;
- pour back into the jar;
- roll up using good new lids.
IMPORTANT!
Only pickled cucumbers can be remade!
What to do if the brine in pickled and pickled cucumbers becomes cloudy
Eating spoiled preparations is very dangerous, but if cucumbers in jars that were completely fresh yesterday become cloudy, then in many cases they can be saved. The main thing is to first inspect the cloudy preparation and make sure that the vegetables have not really lost their quality and deserve resuscitation.
A cloudy workpiece can be redone
How to save cloudy canned cucumbers
If canned cucumbers become cloudy, there is no need to throw them away. A workpiece that has recently lost transparency can be saved as follows:
- open the rolled up jars and pour the cloudy solution into the pan;
- pour boiling water up to the neck into the jars of vegetables and herbs;
- leave the vegetables in hot water, and at this time put the cloudy saline solution on the fire and boil;
- Boil for 5-8 minutes, then add a couple more tablespoons of vinegar to the liquid.
Then the hot water is drained from the jar with the fruit, and the treated brine with increased volumes of vinegar is poured back. The jars are rolled up tightly again, and care must be taken to ensure that the workpiece is completely sealed.
What to do if pickles have fermented
Most often, cucumber fruits become cloudy in a jar during the pickling process, since preservation occurs without the use of additional ingredients. However, even in this case, it is quite possible to save the pickles and stop fermentation in the early stages.
If the cucumbers have fermented in a jar, but the lid does not swell, then resuscitate the pickled vegetables as follows:
- open the jar and pour out the spoiled brine;
- the fruits are removed and scalded with boiling water in a separate container, and then left in it for 10 minutes;
- a new brine is prepared for vegetables, but this time a little vinegar is added to it, which will serve as a natural preservative;
- the vegetables are put back into the jar and filled with fresh salty solution, after which they are tightly closed.
You can save only those workpieces on which the lids are not swollen
Important! After repeated rolling, the fruits may change their taste and become less pleasant. But if they do not ferment in the new brine, and the lid on the container does not swell, then you can eat them, although it is better to put such vegetables in soup rather than eat them as a snack.
How to remake cloudy pickled cucumbers
If the pickled cucumbers in the jar become cloudy, this usually indicates serious violations in the creation of the product. Vinegar in the marinade acts as a good preservative, and if the brine becomes cloudy, despite its presence, it means that quite a lot of microorganisms have entered the jar.
To remake pickled vegetables, you need:
- pour the entire cloudy solution from the jar into the pan and pour the vegetables into a separate container;
- treat the fruits with fresh boiling water, which will help kill possible bacteria;
- leave the vegetables in hot water, and meanwhile boil the solution in a clean saucepan for at least 5 minutes;
- Thoroughly sterilize the jar and lid again.
After this, the fruits are put back into the container and filled with brine, not forgetting to add a little more fresh vinegar to it. You need to roll up the jar the second time especially carefully so that the workpiece is completely sealed.
What to do to prevent cucumbers from turning cloudy
Having understood the causes of the phenomenon, let's move on to recommendations. So, how to avoid a situation where the brine or marinade turns whitish.
Prepare cucumbers and jars thoroughly
Insufficiently thorough washing is one of the main reasons that vegetables become cloudy in a jar.
Do not use store-bought greenhouse greens.
Store-bought greens can retain residues of chemicals and mineral supplements in their tissues.
Their interaction with boiling water and preservatives can cause clouding of the brine.
Follow the recipe
The marinade must be boiled twice, and the vinegar must be poured in immediately before sealing the jar.
Changing the recipe (especially an insufficient amount of vinegar or lemon juice) can cause the color of the liquid in the jar to change to whitish.
Use only table salt
Iodized and sea salt can leave sediment, but table salt works well in preservation.
Use a valid key
With a faulty key, you will not be able to seal the lid. As a result, air will get inside and the can will eventually “explode.”
How to prevent brine cloudiness
There are several ways to prevent cucumber pickle from becoming cloudy:
- soaking greens for several hours before using;
- thorough cleaning of all raw materials used from contaminants, including rinsing whole spices with boiling water;
- washing cans with soda and then sterilizing;
- mandatory use of a preservative in the form of vinegar or citric acid; it is better to avoid aspirin or use it extremely rarely.
Common mistakes
- Using the “wrong” vegetables. For preservation, it is best to use dense varieties with greens covered with many pimples. The length of the greens is no more than 15 cm.
- Using sea or iodized salt. These types of salt produce a precipitate, which leads to cloudiness of the liquid in the jars.
- The marinade is boiled only once. This must be done twice.
- Using low-quality cans. Jars with chips and cracks are not suitable for preservation.
- Poor preparation of vegetables and jars. Before seaming, everything must be thoroughly washed and the jars sterilized.
- Lids are not sterilized. Sometimes they forget about the lids, although they also need to be “boiled in boiling water” or doused with steam.
Answers to frequently asked questions
Can you eat cucumbers from a cloudy jar?
Not recommended. However, in some cases it is allowed to use greens in the preparation of soups and other dishes that require heat treatment.
Why does the jar become cloudy?
There are a lot of reasons. For the most part, this is a violation of cooking recipes, improper preparation for preservation and poor-quality seaming.
What to do with a cloudy jar?
If the lid is swollen, throw it away. If everything is in order with the lid, there is no mold, then put the cucumbers in the cold and look. If a precipitate forms and the liquid turns lighter, then everything is fine.
Spoiled/poorly washed fruits and leafy greens
When preparing ingredients for preservation, you must carefully inspect the cucumbers and leave only fruits that are bright green, smooth, strong, without dents, damage or other defects. Remember that the slightest mistake when choosing vegetables for preparation can cost you a whole jar of crispy cucumbers.
All preservation components must be thoroughly washed to remove sand and other foreign particles. And while washing vegetables is quite easy, you often have to tinker with leafy greens.
- How to rinse greens so that there is no sand left on them
An easy way to get clean greens to the table without much effort.
