Small cucumbers that have not yet reached maturity can be used to make delicious preserves. Such cucumbers are called gherkins. They are not suitable raw for salads, as they lack juiciness.

But with proper preservation, they turn into a real delicacy. We are often tempted to buy small crispy cucumbers at exorbitant prices in supermarkets. Such gherkins marinated for the winter at home, then, can be used as an independent dish, and also, they are used in the preparation of salads and snack dishes. And so, in my recipe I will tell you how to pickle gherkins like in a store.

As a combo, but with starchy varieties of vegetables, they are the top! And where is there another method of preservation that preserves vital substances and even creates new ones? Because vegetables are not heated or otherwise processed other than being cut, sliced, or built, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes remain creaky and even increase during the fermentation process.

Depending on the variety of vegetables, even vitamin C, various B vitamins and a huge number of bacteria, the good ones have a symbiotic, harmonious intestinal community and thus keep a healthy or healthy digestive system to do.

When canning, we will calculate the number of products for 5 cans of 1.5 liters:

  • 1.5-2 kg of gherkins;
  • 1.7 cups of salt;
  • 0.85 cups of sugar;
  • 8.5 liters of clean water;
  • 3 sheets of horseradish;
  • 150 gr dill (leaves, trunks, tops);
  • 50 grams of garlic;
  • hot red pepper 0.5-1 pc.;
  • 10 cherry leaves;
  • 200 ml of vinegar (40 ml per 1.5 liter jar);
  • 10 leaves of black currant.

How to pickle gherkins for the winter

Before we begin to make a blank, wash our small cucumbers. Trim off both ends.

But what happens during fermentation?

On the surface of every plant - as well as on our skin and in our intestines - lactic bacteria live. Little friends are completely invisible to us, but they do great things because they prevent the development of pathogenic fungi or bacteria. If vegetables are mixed with special salt water in a sealed container, a small parallel world is created in the glass: for valuable lactic acid bacteria on vegetables, the oxygen-white and salty environment is an absolutely safe and active environment.

In doing so, they report bad, unwanted bacteria that inevitably fall as well - fighting and evading their survival base: oxygen. Gradually, the pH value in glass vessels and the safe death of bad microorganisms such as germs and bacteria are already programmed, because this environment is too acidic for them. Carbohydrates, such as starch and sugars from vegetables, are well chewed by lactic acid bacteria and thus transformed, decomposed and processed. So the little friends are already doing some of our digestion work, because they break down large molecules into smaller ones and release vital important substances from their complex molecular cells and make them available for bioavailability.


We lay out the gherkins on the banks so that they are stacked in orderly rows. It is clear that banks should be before carrying out conservation.


Cut the spice-leaf mixture.

It is important that the enzyme matures within a certain amount of time so that the "milks" have time for their digestive work because this produces lactic acid and other valuable by-products. This great lactic acid is a superhero in fermentation and is incredibly healthy because it preserves vegetables and gives them a unique, refreshing and sour taste. Not only the taste of the vegetable changes, but also the internal values. Enzymes are real relatives! Since carbohydrates and sugars are fed, that is, degraded, vegetables are now especially stomach-friendly, low-calorie and low-sugar, and for a healthy diet, an absolute food.

We clean the garlic. We do not cut or crush teeth.

We put chopped leaves, garlic, pieces of pepper in jars to the gherkins.


During the fermentation process, the ambient temperature significantly affects the fermentation process. This temperature is almost a wake-up call for the still dormant lactic acid bacteria, and then really is the first action in the declared glass, and because it can sometimes streak and bubble! In summer, maintaining this temperature is not a problem, but in winter, the enzyme should be stored on a shelf in a warm kitchen. However, this should be no more than 30 degrees, otherwise unpleasant odors can develop quickly.

Recipe for pickled cucumbers for the winter in jars

A stairway or a rather dark basement are ideal maturation chambers. The longer the enzymes are allowed to mature here, the more lactic acid, flavors and different strains of bacteria are created, and the more valuable, balanced and delicious it becomes! Fermentation is a holistic process that does not stop after a while, but only slows down as a result of lower temperatures. Good enzymes still last six months or more. Don't worry, you don't have to be patient.

We boil water. We salt it.

Be sure to add sugar, otherwise the taste of preservation will be terrible.


Pour cucumbers in jars with this solution of salt and sugar. We leave for a few minutes.

In principle, vegetables can be eaten after the first phase of fermentation 3-4 days, but over time it becomes more spicy and more aromatic. Spa instructions in a glass. You don't necessarily need a gardening tool or a special tool to be able to attach an enzyme.

For this, a simple jar with a rubber ring and a strap is enough. If this is not available, an empty, well-cleaned screw-top jar can be used. Special clay pots are real monsters and are not suitable for small living spaces and disposable parts. On the other hand, glasses have the advantage that many different enzymes can be placed in the wildest creations and then easily go into the refrigerator. Yes, according to consistency and preference, vegetables are either diced or planted, planed, endured, or otherwise wrapped and sprinkled in a large bowl of salt and - whoever likes - spices.


Drain the brine again into the same pan using a special lid with holes.


We boil the brine and again pour the cucumbers in the jars.


It is important to use high quality salt. For this purpose, thin, unrefined stone or sea ​​salt, but in no case is filled with drip, fluoridated or iodized salt, for fermentation is difficult to develop in the passages and is not full strength. In particular, very fine salt dissolves evenly in water, so coarse or coarse salt grains must be pre-ground with a solution. Since the salt content affects the degree of crispiness, 2% is a good value for harder vegetables such as white cabbage or carrots.

Again, we drain the already more saturated solution.


Boil this beautiful fragrant solution again.

While waiting for the boil, pour the vinegar into required quantity by banks.


For milder varieties such as cucumbers or zucchini, it is recommended to work with 3% so as not to experience cloudy disappointment later. If vegetables are mixed with salt, little force is required because it must be massaged, pressed, kneaded, or even rubbed. Salt draws liquid from plant cells and a kind of "juice", the so-called "saline solution" appears. It is then further processed and kneaded until the vegetable is in full juice and coated. This may take a few minutes, but it's important!

Spicy pickled gherkins

Under this "salt lake" Fermentier-Welt is fine. Safe fermentation without unwanted "blackheads" is guaranteed only if the vegetables are completely covered with this liquid and do not come into contact with oxygen. In the air, yeast hides, which can interfere with the fermentation process and lead to white deposits. When there is a danger that some voracious vegetables will appear and float to the surface, special weights will help to cope. Brine can also be produced "artificially" by mixing good spring water or boiled water with salt and tipping vegetables.

Pour pickled gherkins in a jar with brine. Roll up the lids. We turn over all the jars, wrap them with a warm blanket.


The next day, you can move ready-made canned gherkins to the cellar.

This is especially useful when pressure-sensitive vegetables such as peppers, mushrooms or zucchini or vegetables need to be placed in large pieces or in general, as in the case of roots or young carrots, or simply do not want to get mixed up. Masturbation has. The result, however, is not as fragrant and tasteless. “Air comes out”, and vegetables dipped under a salt lake is only one thing: cover it - and act! And when it's still bubbling and sizzling and frothing, you know there's only a live health club to come!

Mix the salt and spices and rinse until enough cell sap is released to cover the vegetables in the glass. Wash the vegetables, peel them and cut them into the desired shape. . Dissolve alternative salt in water and pour vegetables with this lake.

As you can see from the recipe, making delicious crispy pickled gherkins for the winter can be quite simple. Canning occurs without sterilization, which is an undoubted advantage of the recipe.

For the fourth year now, every summer I have been doing homemade preparations. Initially, my grandmother on my father's side prepared cucumbers, tomatoes and jam in the family. Then the parents bought a dacha and began to slowly get involved in all the delights of country life. Dad began to teach mom how to do things in the garden, because she had never been fond of such things. Parents have a lot of flowers, apple trees, plums, cherries, viburnum, berry bushes, this year they also planted cherry plums. Our bed is small, but different greens, rhubarb and some carrots grow on it. Now more tomatoes and cucumbers. But we use all this wealth fresh, except for currants and apples in season.

More organic lactic acid bacteria live on organically grown vegetables, plants are not fertilized, less water contains "more vegetables" and therefore more flavor. And we want to keep and enhance this, but not water and pesticides! Sweet vegetables are more aromatic than fermentation, because sugar is the favorite food of lactic acid bacteria: it remains full-bodied, minds like the taste that evokes that incomparable "Mmm" feeling on the tongue.

Generally, the sugar content of vegetables is higher the more sunlight has spiky it. Varieties such as Chinese cabbage, mushrooms, cabbage, celery or cauliflower have very little sugar; better "twitch complex" with matching ingredients such as onion rings.

Of course, earlier home canning was done in order to save money. The garden was a great help to some. My grandparents, on the other hand, grew and harvested vegetables and fruits rather because they liked it. Grandmother still believes that pickled cucumbers are good snack in winter and “turns” them in summer, but this is far from a deplorable situation, thank God. Apparently, I passed on such a passion for canning through my father's line.

Pickled Gherkins: Recipe

Beauty Elixir and Digestive Cocktail: Fermented Vegetable Juices! Vegetable juice, mix with salt and be patient! Lake vegetables are not thrown away after fermentation! It's also full of good bacteria, like vegetables on their own, and great for smoothies, soups, and sauces!

SMALL Time Accelerators: The less vegetables you cut, the faster the main fermentation starts! Is the fermentation getting soft and mellow? The glass does not get solid, loose, so that "bacteria air" escapes and no overpressure can occur.

On my mother's side, the situation is also interesting. My great-great-grandfather was a very wealthy and intelligent man, our family owned a post office in the city. But the revolution did not tolerate any intellectuals, much less prosperous intellectuals. Great-great-grandfather was taken away at night, and great-great-grandmother was deprived of everything except life and children. I can’t imagine how hard it was for her alone, and even with such a changed social status. Before that, she had never worn less than two petticoats, but was left without anything. But my great-grandmother knew how to do everything around the house herself and also excellent preparations, she could not allow hunger in the family.

Force not to the top, but leave 2-3 cm of air up. Complaining with the scales should not be done if a vessel with a lid is used, but should prevail to lift it up and then cover the vegetables with a large cabbage leaf. Leave about 4-6 weeks, root vegetables 6-8 weeks, watery vegetables fermentation 1 week: SMALL rule: sauerkraut.

Pickled gherkins recipe for a liter jar

Imagination knows no bounds when fermentation! Quiet little bold and experiment! Cauliflower apple and orange salad. fermented cauliflower and fresh about it. And since you have to save anything that does good mood: glasses are ready to go!

Now I'm canning not because of a shortage of food, rather, on the contrary. As soon as my grandmother found out that I rolled cucumbers myself, she became a stable and generous supplier of various vegetables. Even if we ate only vegetables in the summer, we would not be able to physically eat so many cucumbers and peppers. Yes, and I like the whole thing, apparently, it was transmitted through the blood that it was necessary to make preparations, all of a sudden ...

Our product recommendations and advice about the book "Canned Lactic Acid" and "Make It Yourself Fermented". I have in normal sauerkraut or pickles, always serious problems with the teeth behind it. When a vegetable is fermented only "short" acidity is not as strong as it is built if it can ripen for several weeks. valuable bacteria were still formed.

Another possibility is to rinse the fermentation before serving briefly with water. Although it is some of the valuable materials are washed away, although some of them are still preserved. During fermentation, vegetables go through different phases. At each stage, the composition of the bacteria is different, while different substances are also produced. It is a legitimate and logical consideration to use starter cultures to start fermentation quickly. However, if in sauerkraut whey is added as a starter, it doesn't mix well: the bacteria in dairy is different from the bacteria in sauerkraut.

This recipe worked for me, the gherkins are crispy, spicy. They are for lovers of strongly pickled, with a pronounced taste of cucumbers. So far I have only cooked gherkins on it, but I will definitely try to cook large cucumbers this summer as well.

Ingredients for 1 liter jar:

Small cucumbers (as many as you like)

1 st. l. salt

2-2.5 st. l. Sahara

3 art. l. 9% vinegar

2 dill umbrellas

1 bay leaf

4 sheets black currant and cherries

Piece of horseradish

A small piece of chili pepper

5 allspice peas

5 black peppercorns

1 garlic clove

A pinch of mustard seeds

Cooking

Wash cucumbers thoroughly and soak in cold water for no more than 6 hours. Wash cucumbers again.

Put at the bottom of a sterile jar: currant and cherry leaves, a piece of horseradish leaf, lavrushka, black and allspice pepper, mustard seeds, chili, chopped garlic and dill umbrellas.

Fill jar with cucumbers.

Boil water in a kettle and pour cucumbers in a jar with boiling water for 7 minutes. How much water will fit - so much will fit, the calculation of salt and vinegar is not per liter of water, but per liter jar.

Drain the water into a saucepan, add salt and sugar, bring to a boil.

Pour cucumbers with boiling brine, add vinegar to the jar and roll up.