5 step-by-step recipes for pickling cucumbers for the winter without sugar
One of the common pickles for the winter is pickled cucumbers. There are many recipes, but sometimes you want to give a familiar dish an unusual taste. For example, you can try pickling cucumbers for the winter without adding sugar.
Features of salting cucumbers without sugar
Most pickle recipes contain sugar. It gives the preservation a sweetish flavor. But you can do without adding this ingredient. Use honey instead of sugar. It sounds strange, but cucumbers go well with this ingredient.
Ingredient selection rules
For pickling, it is best to use young and small cucumbers. They will be crisper and tastier. Overripe cucumbers are not suitable for pickles. To add aroma and taste to conservation, you cannot do without spices, herbs and herbs. The addition of these ingredients depends on your taste preference.
To keep the cucumbers crisp, you can add a few oak leaves to the marinade.
How to prepare containers?
Banks before laying cucumbers are washed with soap and dried. Before laying the workpieces, they are sterilized. Also, wooden barrels are used for salting cucumbers without sugar. They also need to be soaked and steamed beforehand.
Methods for making pickles without sugar
There are many recipes for canning without added sugar. Such cucumbers are no worse than with the addition of this ingredient. If you want the salting to turn out sweetish, you can add a couple of spoons of honey to the marinade.
Freshly salted
A large enamel bucket will work for this recipe. You don't have to mess around with jars.
What you need to make pickles:
- filtered water;
- small young cucumbers;
- salt;
- a few fresh leaves of raspberries, currants and cherries;
- garlic;
- dill with seeds.
How to salt:
- Leaves, dill and peeled garlic cloves are laid out at the bottom of the bucket.
- Then they spread the greens. You don't need to stuff them too tightly, there should be room in the bucket.
- Dissolve salt in water. For 3 liters of water, you will have to take 1 glass of salt. Its amount can be calculated based on the volume of the bucket.
- Pour the greens with brine, cover them with a lid and press down with something heavy. After a while, white foam will appear on the surface, it is regularly removed. The cucumbers will be ready in 5-7 days, depending on what size they are.
In cold water
This recipe will require the same ingredients as the previous one.For spices, you can use mustard seeds, clove stars, or dried dill seeds.
How to salt:
- Soak Zelentsy for two days in cold water to release all the bitterness. They can also be trimmed on both sides.
- Dissolve 1 glass of salt (3 liters) in water, then filter through cheesecloth.
- Put leaves, dill and mustard seeds at the bottom of the jar. Transfer cucumbers.
- Pour with brine and immediately roll up the cans.
- The finished preservation is sent to the cellar.
In a barrel
What you need:
- wooden barrel;
- cucumbers;
- garlic;
- salt.
How to salt cucumbers in barrels:
- The main thing in this recipe is the preparation of the barrel. It is pre-soaked in a large amount of water until water gets inside.
- After that, it is steamed in water with juniper.
- Salt is dissolved in water, greens are laid out in layers together with herbs and spices.
- When the barrel is full, fill it with brine.
- Cover the cucumbers with wooden circles and press down on top.
- A white foam will appear on the surface of the water, which must be removed. In about a week, the cucumbers will be ready.
Pickled gherkins
You can twist gherkins according to the same recipes that are used for salting large cucumbers. In order not to interrupt the taste of gherkins, you do not need to put a lot of spices in jars. Gherkins go well with mustard seeds, fresh basil and cloves. But you can use other spices to your taste.
Tomato recipe
What is required for salting:
- 1 kg of cucumbers;
- 1 kg of medium-sized tomatoes;
- ready-made marinade without sugar (you can put honey or molasses instead);
- spices and herbs to taste.
Wash vegetables thoroughly, spread on a towel and let dry. Prepare the marinade in the usual way. Sterilize the jars before laying, put herbs and spices on the bottom. Then fill them to the top with vegetables. Pour the finished marinade over. Cover with lids, tighten. Wait until the salting has cooled before lowering it to the basement.
How and how long can the workpieces be stored?
The finished preservation should be stored in a room with a low positive temperature. For example, on the lower shelves of the refrigerator (if space permits), in the cellar or on an uninsulated balcony. Pickles have a shelf life of about 2 years, but it is best to eat them within a year of cooking.
