Is it possible to pickle cucumbers if they are bitter and how to do it

So popular in Russian summer cottages, due to dry weather and infrequent watering, they can taste bitter. Don't despair and throw away your harvest. There are ways and secrets pickling, which will allow you to make excellent preparations even from bitter fruits.

Is it possible to pickle cucumbers if they are bitter?

Yes, you can - bitter cucumbers quite suitable for pickling. The cause of bitterness is the content of cucurbitacin. The compound is destroyed during heat treatment, when the fruits are poured with hot marinade followed by sterilization.

Reference. Despite the unpleasant taste, bitter cucumbers beneficial for the body. Cucurbitacin has anti-inflammatory properties, prevents the appearance of tumors, and normalizes blood sugar.

Will the taste of the preparations be different?

The taste of such preparations is the same as that of cucumbers without bitterness. In addition, when marinating, spices, herbs and other additives are used to make them tastier.

Preparing bitter fruits for pickling

For pickling, select straight, smooth fruits without damage, 5-12 cm long. Color - dark green, without yellow spots. The vegetables are thoroughly washed, the top that is attached to the stem is cut off, and soaked in cold water for 12 hours. The water is changed periodically.

Important! Soaking will help not only get rid of bitterness, but also make the fruit crispy and elastic.

How to remove bitterness

There are several ways to remove bitterness from cucumbers.

Rubbing

Cut off the tail part of the cucumber and quickly rub the cut area with it until white foam appears. Do this until there is less foam. Then the fruits are thoroughly washed.

Salt

Sliced ​​cucumbers are sprinkled or rubbed with salt and left for 30 minutes. Then wash it and leave it to dry.

Filling

The first two methods are suitable if cucumbers are needed in small quantities, for example, for a salad. But if there are more than a kilogram of cucumbers, then it is better to use the pouring method, which is used mainly before canning.

Pour boiling water over the cucumbers and let cool naturally. Or soak in an aqueous salt solution for 6 hours, after cutting off the ends on both sides. The latter method is more effective than the usual 12-hour soaking.

Recipes for pickling bitter cucumbers

The recipes presented below are perfect for pickling cucumbers with bitterness.

Classic pickled cucumbers

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of fresh cucumbers;
• a small head of red onion;
• two cloves of garlic;
• two leaves of horseradish and one root;
• five blackcurrant leaves;
• 10 black peppercorns;
• five dill umbrellas;
• Bay leaf;
• 3 tbsp. l. salt;
• 2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 100 ml vinegar 9%.

Preparation:

1. Cucumbers are prepared for pickling using the methods described above.
2. The pepper is peeled from seeds and cut into 2-3 parts, the garlic and horseradish root into rings, the onion into half rings.
3. Currant and horseradish leaves are placed at the bottom of the jars, dill umbrellas are added. 10% of the spices from the jar capacity is enough.
4. Place the cucumbers in jars and top with onions, garlic, sweet peppers and horseradish root. Pour boiling water over for 5 minutes.
5. Pour boiling water from cans into a saucepan and add salt, sugar, pepper and vinegar and bring to a boil again.
6. The marinade is poured into jars, which are rolled up, turned over and left to cool.

Before canning, jars and lids are thoroughly washed with soda or mustard. Then the jars are sterilized over steam or in a microwave oven, the lids are boiled or simply left in boiling water for 5 minutes.

Spicy pickled gherkins

You will need:

• 10 kg gherkins or small cucumbers;
• 0.5 kg sugar;
• 1.5 liters of vinegar 9%;
• 0.5 kg salt;
• one bunch of dill and tarragon;
• 1 tbsp. l. mustard seeds;
• 10 cloves of medium-sized garlic;
• 10 peas of allspice;
• 1 tbsp. l. grated horseradish root;
• 8 liters of water.

Preparation:

1. The greens are finely chopped, the garlic is chopped using a knife or grater.
2. Vegetables and spices are placed in jars.
3. Bring the water to a boil, add salt and sugar and boil until dissolved.
4. Pour vinegar, let it boil again and remove from heat.
5. The resulting marinade is poured over the cucumbers.
6. Jars with lids are sterilized for 20 minutes and rolled up.

With tomato paste

For the recipe you need the following products:

• 4-4.5 kg of cucumbers;
• 5 medium heads of garlic;
• ½ tbsp. water, vinegar and tomato paste;
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil;
• 5 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 3 tbsp. l. coarse salt;
• 1 tbsp. l. ground black pepper;
• 1 tsp. paprika powder.

How to cook:

1. The fruits are cut into two or four parts, placed in a saucepan, covered with spices and sugar, and paste and butter are added.
2. The mixture is simmered over low heat for half an hour.
3. Add water and vinegar and cook for another quarter of an hour.
4. Cucumbers from the pan are laid out in jars, poured with the marinade in which they were simmered, sterilized and rolled up.

Spicy cucumbers

To prepare take:

• 1.5 kg of cucumbers;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• ½ pod of hot pepper;
• 4 allspice peas;
• 3 bay leaves;
• 6 tbsp. l. vinegar 9%;
• 2 liters of water;
• 4 tbsp.l. salt;
• 6 tbsp. l. granulated sugar;
• ½ tsp. mustard seeds;
• currant leaves.

Pickling:

1. The garlic is crushed and placed in jars along with spices and fruits. Pour boiling water over them, leave for 20 minutes and pour into a saucepan.
2. Add salt and sugar to the water and bring to a boil over medium heat.
3. Boiling brine is poured into jars, leaving a little space. Vinegar is poured on top. They're rolling up.

Advice from experienced housewives on preparation and storage

Every housewife has her own secret on how to get rid of bitterness in cucumbers when pickling. So, when canning, oak or cherry leaves are added to the marinade. They not only improve the taste of vegetables, but also make them strong and crispy.

Before sealing, add 50 g of vodka or 25 g of alcohol to each jar, acting on the principle of “knocking out a wedge with a wedge.” This additive disinfects and prevents marinade from clouding and jars from exploding. Instead of vodka, they also use powdered “Streptocide” - 1-2 tablets for each jar.

Experienced housewives advise pickling cucumbers along with carrots and beets, which will give them an interesting taste, with a handful of sweet or sweet and sour berries. The peel of the fruit is cut off, since cucurbitacin, which imparts bitterness, accumulates there.

Reference. In a private house, blanks are usually stored in the cellar. The apartment uses a pantry, a glazed loggia or balcony, as well as several shelves in a regular wardrobe. If the apartment opens onto a common closed corridor, a special closet is built there for storing workpieces.

How to Prevent Bitterness When Growing

To prevent the appearance of bitterness in cucumbers, it is important to follow the following growing rules:

1. Water according to the weather, in hot weather - generously. Make sure the soil is moist.
2. Humidify the air in the greenhouse.
3. Feed the cucumbers with potassium nitrate and complex fertilizers. In this case, it is best to first try this or that fertilizer on one bush and observe its condition. And only after making sure of its effectiveness, apply it to other plants.
4. When harvesting, make sure that the cucumber vines do not twist.
5. Whenever possible, use hybrid and self-pollinating greenhouse varieties, which are usually labeled F1. For example, Tempo F1, Gerasim F1, Garland F1 and others.

Conclusion

Bitter cucumbers are just as healthy as sweet ones, and at the same time they are quite suitable for pickling. Preliminary preparation of fruits, proven recipes and advice from housewives will get rid of the bitter taste. However, the best way to get rid of bitterness is proper plant care and abundant watering.