Canned cucumbers are one of the most favorite dishes, almost no meal can do without them. Pickles are often used as an ingredient in other dishes. If we talk in more detail about cucumbers, then we can distinguish pickled, salted and lightly salted. They will differ not only in their taste, but also in the way they are prepared.
Not everyone knows that the secret to making crispy cucumbers lies in vodka. It is with the help of it that cucumbers turn out to be strong, crispy, do not fall apart, but are stored longer without the appearance of mold.
In our article we will get acquainted with some recipes, find out what vodka in brine gives, and how it affects the taste.
What cucumbers should be chosen for such salting
For pickling cucumbers for the winter, it is always better to choose pickling varieties. If the cucumbers are small, then they can be salted whole. The most suitable varieties with strong fruits are: Vyazemsky, Nezhinsky, Khrustyushchiy, German, Parisian gherkin, Zozulya, Muromsky and many others.
Important: if you want to be 100% sure of the quality of the product, that it was grown correctly and there are no nitrates in it, then such cucumbers should come from your own garden.
With what we pickle cucumbers
As a rule, when you choose the rest of the ingredients for pickling cucumbers, everything will depend on the recipe and your preferences. Most often they put in jars with cucumbers:
- dill umbrellas;
- black peas;
- lavrushka;
- garlic;
- currant or cherry leaves;
- horseradish root;
- allspice.
But it happens when recipes include foods such as carrots, celery, parsley, caraway seeds, onions. The amount of alcohol in the recipe will depend on what products are added to the preservation.
Choosing and preparing fruits
When you choose which cucumbers to pickle, then it is better to follow some recommendations here:
- Do not use fruit with a dry stalk.
- Don't use soft cucumbers, they should all be hard.
- We pay attention only to those places that were burnt out by the sun. It is these cucumbers that cannot be rolled up. And their color can be either light green or dark green.
- Don't try to use rotten cucumbers in your pickles.
When you have already selected the best options for salting, we proceed to the preparation stage. It includes several stages.
- We wash the cucumbers very carefully. It often happens that the dirt from the garden bed is difficult to wash off the bumpy skin. In this case, it is better to use a soft sponge.
- When there are already clean and dry cucumbers in front of you, they need to trim the ends on both sides.
What does vodka in brine give
The main property of vodka in this recipe is its disinfectant property. Thanks to this property of vodka, your pickles will be stored for a long time. The vodka will not spoil the taste of cucumbers, but it will prevent the lids from swelling and fermentation processes. This will allow you to store the canned food at home at room temperature.
Interesting: we know many recipes with the addition of vinegar, but it softens the fruit a little, and this deprives our cucumbers of the usual crunch.
The best cucumber recipes
We hope that our delicious recipes will delight you and your loved ones, and you will add them to your cookbook.
The easiest pickling recipe - with vodka, garlic and spices
This recipe uses all products common for salting (for a 3-liter jar), namely:
- cucumbers (about 2 kg);
- currant and cherry leaves (5 pieces each);
- cloves of garlic (10 pieces);
- black peppercorns (to taste);
- three tablespoons of vodka;
- half hot chilli pepper;
- horseradish root;
- several dill umbrellas;
- onions - 1 head.
For the brine, it is better to take the following products:
- 1500 ml of water;
- allspice peas;
- lavrushka - 5 pcs.;
- a bunch of parsley;
- 3 tablespoons of salt.
How will we cook
- Cut the already processed clean onions into rings.
- We prepare the jars in advance using the sterilization method.
- Next, put pepper, currant leaves, garlic cloves and cucumbers in these jars. And after that we fill them with cold water. We try to lay the cucumbers horizontally, sprinkling each layer with herbs. And let them brew.
- Add salt, peppercorns, parsley and lavrushka to the water. We leave the cans, covered with a lid, in this form for two days. Then drain the water from these cans, add vodka there.
- When the marinade is ready, pour it back into the jars. Only first you need to fill half the jar, let it brew for about 10 minutes, then add the marinade.
- Banks should be rolled up with a nylon lid.
- Then we put the cans in the cellar or refrigerator. The taste of such cucumbers resembles barrel cucumbers.
The villainess recipe
This recipe will require about 2 kg of cucumbers, a pinch of citric acid, 50 ml of vodka, peppercorns, salt, sugar, 2 cloves, lavrushka, 4 cloves of garlic.
Preparing this recipe is quite simple.
- As in the previous recipe, we lay out the ingredients in sterilized jars. Put cucumbers, chopped parsley, cloves, lavrushka and peppercorns there. Pour boiling water over and let it brew. When the water has cooled down, you can drain it. We will no longer need this water.
- Boil the marinade in a saucepan. Add salt, sugar and citric acid to the water.
- Fill the jars with boiling water, adding a little vodka to each. Let it brew for about 10 minutes. We roll up the cans with lids.
- After a day, the banks can be removed to a dark and cool place.
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