How to pickle bitter cucumbers for the winter and is it possible to do it?

Cucumbers are one of the main vegetables that summer residents grow in their gardens, but often the harvest is bitter and unfit for food. The main reasons for this are: sudden changes in weather conditions, temperature changes, poor-quality seed material, and errors in agricultural technology.

Let's consider whether it is possible to pickle bitter cucumbers for the winter.

What to do with bitter cucumbers

There are several options for removing bitterness from vegetables. To prepare the salad, they are soaked in cold water and peeled.. To pickle, just cut off the ends.

If the harvest still turns out to be bitter, vegetables canned, pouring hot brine: Cucurbitacin, a substance that gives fruits bitterness, is broken down during heat treatment.

Important! The largest amount of this substance is contained in the ends of cucumbers, so when pickling they are cut off, and the fruits are pre-soaked in water for 10 hours.

Is it possible to salt for the winter?

When vegetables are soaked in a salt solution, cucurbitacin dissolves.. Subsequent heat treatment promotes complete breakdown of the substance. That's why bitter cucumbers Perfect for winter pickling. Even pickled and lightly salted fruits have almost no unpleasant aftertaste.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

Before you start canning, you sort out the vegetables. Only smooth cucumbers without cracks, stains or rot are suitable for pickling.. The fruits are soaked and thoroughly washed: first, immerse in a bowl of cold water for about 12 hours, periodically refreshing the water, then clean each vegetable with a sponge.

Attention! Pickling jars are sterilized before use.

Recipes

In addition to the standard methods of pickling vegetables with garlic, pepper, horseradish or currant leaves, there are also original options that the whole family will enjoy.

In tomato

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 4 or 4.5 kg;
• garlic - 5 small heads or 3 large ones;
• tomato paste - 1/2 cup;
• sugar - 5 tbsp. l.;
• water - 100 ml;
• sunflower oil - 250 ml;
• table vinegar 6% - 1/2 tbsp.;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l.;
• ground black pepper - 1 tbsp. l.;
• spices (paprika) - 1 tsp.

Preparation:

1. Clean vegetables are cut without ends into several pieces along their entire length and placed in a large container.
2. Cover the contents with grated garlic, spices, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir.
3. Add sunflower oil and tomato paste.
4. The resulting mixture is simmered over low heat for about half an hour. Without removing the pan from the stove, add water and vinegar and cook covered for 15 minutes.
5. The cucumbers are distributed into sterilized jars and filled with the brine in which they were boiled. The banks are being rolled up.
6. The containers are turned over and covered with a warm blanket. Keep until completely cool.
7. Place the workpieces in a dark, cool place.

Before filling the jars, not only them, but also the lids are washed and sterilized.

Spicy

For a savory snack for the winter you will need:

• cucumbers - 1 kg;
• water - 1.5 l;
• sugar - 2 tbsp. l.;
• salt - 3 tbsp. l.;
• table vinegar 9% - 100 ml;
• red onion - 1 piece;
• black peppercorns - 10 pcs.;
• sweet pepper - 1 pc.;
• garlic - 2 medium cloves;
• horseradish root or its leaves - 2 pcs.;
• black currant leaves - 5 pcs.;
• bay leaf - to taste;
• umbrella dill - 5 pcs.

How to cook:

1. Only the ends of washed cucumbers are cut off, the fruits themselves are left whole.
2. Wash and peel the bell pepper from seeds, cut it into small pieces.
3. Peel the horseradish root and chop it.
4. Peeled onions are cut into rings.
5. Dill umbrellas are placed at the bottom of a sterilized jar, then cucumbers, peppers, onions, garlic, horseradish, currant leaves, and laurel are compacted tightly.
6. Boiling water is poured into a jar for 5 minutes, then poured into a separate pan and heated over low heat.
7. Vinegar, sugar, salt and black pepper are added to this water.
8. As soon as the marinade boils, pour it back into the jar.
9. The containers are rolled up, turned over and covered with a warm blanket. Keep until completely cool.

Acute

Spicy lovers will love this recipe.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 1.5 kg;
• garlic - 2 medium cloves;
• hot pepper - 1 pod;
• allspice - 4 peas;
• bay leaf - 2 pieces;
• vinegar 9% - 6 tbsp. l.;
• water - 2 l;
• salt - 4 tbsp. l.;
• sugar - 6 tbsp. l.;
• mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp;
• currant leaves - 3 pcs.

Preparation:

1. Vegetables are thoroughly washed and pre-soaked in cold water for several hours.
2. Cut off the ends of the cucumbers.
3. Grate the garlic, finely chop the hot pepper.
4. Allspice, bay leaves, mustard seeds, garlic and hot pepper are placed in a sterilized jar. Cucumbers are compacted on top.
5. Pour boiling water over all ingredients for half an hour. Afterwards the water is poured into a saucepan and put on fire.
6. Add salt and sugar to the brine and bring to a boil.
7. Pour everything into a jar with vegetables and spices, leaving a little space. Add vinegar and seal the container.
8. Keep the workpiece in a warm blanket until it cools completely and store it in the cellar.

How to store blanks

So that the contents in the jars do not spoil and the work is not in vain, workpieces are held in the coldest places in the apartment: on the balcony or in the refrigerator. The most favorable option is a basement, cellar or closet. At a temperature of +1...+4°C and air humidity of 80–90%, cucumbers remain suitable for consumption for 8–9 months.

How to prevent bitterness

The bitterness of cucumbers is often inherited from their predecessors. Such a taste defect with improper care occurs in some varieties: Muromsky, Vyaznikovsky and Nezhinsky. The culture does not tolerate heat, exposure to direct sunlight, excess or lack of water, and sudden changes in temperature.

To ensure that the harvest is rich and edible, agrotechnical practices are followed:

1. Plantings are watered with a sufficient amount of water: before flowering, apply about 5 liters per 1 m², after - about 12 liters.
2. The beds are shaded from direct sunlight.
3. Ripe fruits are harvested on time: the older the cucumber, the more cucurbitacin it contains.
4. For irrigation, only warm, settled water is used. The beds should be moistened 15 cm deep.

Varieties and hybrids with minimal amounts of cucurbitacin in vegetables are grown: Gerasim, Doka, Garland, Egoza, Mumu, Round dance, Harmonist, Lilliputian, Quadrille, Shchedrik, Berendey.

Conclusion

Bitter cucumbers are not a reason to refuse to use them. Such vegetables are excellent for pickling: under the influence of salty brine and heat treatment, the compound cucurbitacin, which gives bitterness, dissolves. To ensure that the harvest is tasty, the crop is properly cared for: the level of humidity, light, and temperature are monitored.