Useful tips
Most often, defrosted pickles are used in making pickle soup or pizza. Cucumbers that are not used immediately after opening the jar can be left in brine in a glass container for a few more days, sending them to the shelf in the refrigerator. If pickles were purchased individually in a supermarket or market, for better storage at home, you can prepare fresh brine and, placing the purchased pickles in a glass container, fill them with freshly prepared liquid.
You should approach pickles with caution if you notice the following signs:
- cloudiness of the brine;
- the appearance of foam and bubbles inside the preserved jar;
- spots of unknown origin became visible;
- the appearance of mold is noted.
It is better to throw away jars with such preservation and not put your health at risk. Pickles are a very popular dish, especially in the autumn-winter period.
The storage of this type of preservation should be approached with care, since compliance with the necessary conditions will allow you to obtain a healthy and tasty product
Which cucumbers are best stored?
Not all cucumbers can be stored for a long time even in the refrigerator. It is easier to preserve fresh cucumbers collected from the garden and grown in the open ground. Their skin should be dense, without damage or rotten areas. They must be dry and clean.
Greenhouse salad varieties with delicate skin can be stored for just a few days. It is better not to open those that are sold in sealed packaging in advance, since they spoil literally in 2-3 days. In the package, surrounded by carbon dioxide, they will last a month or more.
Please note that store-bought cucumbers have already been stored for some time after picking. Therefore, if you want to save them in the refrigerator, make the right choice: buy the densest ones, without damage or signs of rot, and of medium size. Cucumbers that are too small will dry out quickly, and overgrown ones are not as tasty. Limp, discounted cucumbers should be used immediately on the day of purchase.
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Pickled cucumbers for the winter with mustard
There is only one process for preparing cucumbers for winter for storage in an apartment, but the marinade for these cucumbers can be very varied. Pickled cucumbers with mustard are crunchy and slightly spicy, which is perfect for this dish.
Ingredients:
- Fresh cucumbers – 2 kg.
- Salt – 100 gr.
- Garlic – 1/2 head
- Mustard powder – 4 tbsp.
- Allspice – 3-5 pcs.
- Oak bark – 1/2 tsp.
Cooking process:
- Collect fresh cucumbers from the garden, always ground and pimpled. Cucumbers should be of moderate size. Wash the fruits thoroughly to remove sand and dirt, and then, if you have time, soak them in ice water.
- In any case, cut the butts off the cucumbers and place the clean fruits in a thoroughly washed three-liter jar. Peel the garlic, rinse and add to the cucumbers. Pack the cucumbers tightly and pour cold, clean water into the container with them.
- Cover the jar of cucumbers with a plate and place a weight, then place the jar of cucumbers in a dark but warm enough place. This is necessary in order to ferment the cucumbers. The fermentation process can take up to seven days.
- Check the container with cucumbers every day, removing the growing whitish film on the surface of the jar. On the day when the foam stops growing, the cucumbers will be ready for rolling. To do this you will need to prepare a brine.
- Drain the liquid from the cucumbers into a saucepan and add mustard powder and allspice. Turn on the heat and bring the brine to a boil, and in the meantime wash and sterilize the jar and lid for seaming.
- The brine with mustard for cucumbers needs to be boiled for about five minutes, after which you need to compact the cucumbers with garlic into a sterile jar and pour boiling brine over them. Cover the jar of cucumbers with a sterile lid and begin pasteurization.
- Place the jar of cucumbers at the bottom of a large saucepan and fill it with warm water so that it reaches the shoulders of the jar. Bring water to a boil and pasteurize the workpiece for approximately 30-40 minutes, then quickly roll up the workpiece.
- Turn the jar of cucumbers upside down, wrap it in a blanket or rug and let it cool for about a day. After this, you can put the jar of cucumbers in the pantry or an inconspicuous corner. The cucumbers will be ready to eat in about a month and a half. Bon appetit!
How to store pickles in an apartment, optimal conditions and timing
Pickled cucumbers are considered a traditional snack, prepared by almost all housewives. Preserved foods cannot be stored indoors, as they will quickly deteriorate. Therefore, it is recommended to figure out in advance how to store pickles in the apartment.
What is needed for long-term conservation
To ensure that canned cucumbers do not spoil for a long time, you need to understand what is needed for their long-term storage.
Humidity and temperature indicators
It is recommended to decide in advance at what temperature canned cucumbers should be stored. Some people believe that pickles will last a long time at temperatures of 20-25 degrees, but this is far from true. In such conditions, canned vegetables quickly deteriorate, causing the jars to begin to explode.
To store canned vegetables, it is necessary to use cellars where the temperature is at the level of five degrees Celsius. In this case, air humidity should be 85-95 percent.
Room illumination
Some people believe that lighting has no effect on the shelf life of canned vegetables, but in fact this is not the case. Experienced housewives recommend making sure that the room with twists is not too light.
It is recommended to protect canned vegetables from direct sunlight, as they negatively affect the shelf life and taste of the preparations. Therefore, the rooms where jars of cucumbers will be placed must have no windows.
Pickling
Most often, housewives pickle freshly picked cucumbers and close them for the winter. It is recommended to sort out the storage of pickled vegetables in advance so that there are no problems in the future. Such snacks are stored in cellars for two years. However, in room conditions the storage duration is reduced to 3-4 months. To prevent them from spoiling longer, you need to thoroughly sterilize the container before screwing it.
Conservation
Canned lightly salted cucumbers, which are often closed for the winter, are stored the least often. It is recommended to store them only in suitable conditions. In an apartment where the temperature is 18-25 degrees Celsius, preservation is contraindicated. Due to the high temperature, the workpieces will quickly deteriorate.
Preserving barrel cucumbers
Often people preserve cucumber fruits not in glass containers, but in wooden barrels.
In this case, they are filled with a special brine liquid, which must be stored at a temperature of 2-3 degrees.
It is impossible to find such a cool place in an apartment, and therefore they do not last long. However, if you take the barrel out onto the balcony in winter, the shelf life will increase by several months.
The duration of storage of the preparations is affected by whether the jar of pickles has been opened or not.
Before opening the can
Most often, people store canned foods closed. However, even hermetically sealed products have their own shelf life.
Experts recommend eating all rolled vegetable snacks within a year after creating the preparation. However, it is not always possible to do this and you have to leave the closed jars for the second year.
In this case, before consuming the preparations, they are checked for the presence of infections with fungi.
After uncorking
Preserved food in an open jar is stored much shorter, as fungi quickly develop in them. Therefore, opened pickles cannot be stored for a long time, even if they are refrigerated at low temperatures. In such conditions, the snack will spoil within fifteen days. At room temperature, the shelf life will be half as long.
How to properly store lightly salted cucumbers after pickling: where and how much
Cucumbers are a very popular vegetable that is eaten fresh, canned, salted and pickled. In the summer, housewives often prepare lightly salted cucumbers. We will tell you how many and where it is better to store them in the article.
Basic Rules
Lightly salted cucumbers are so called because their preparation uses less salt than regular pickling. They also have a shorter shelf life. Important! No matter what methods are used to extend the shelf life, the cucumbers will either lose salt and will no longer be slightly salted, but salty, or they will begin to ferment and will already be pickled.
But they can still hold out for several days, and possibly more, if:
- place them in a cool place. This could be a cellar or a refrigerator. Heat accelerates the processes of salting and fermentation, and lowering the temperature stops these processes;
- to stop further salting and fermentation, you can remove the fruits from the brine and place them in a plastic bag, sealing them tightly. This option will give you the opportunity to enjoy lightly salted cucumbers a little longer;
- but the best option is to cook in small portions so that the pickles are eaten within a few days. And then, if desired, prepare a new batch, especially since in the summer there are enough cucumbers and there is no need for long-term storage.
How long can you store at home?
How long pickles will be stored depends on the method of preparation and the conditions under which the finished product is kept:
- a product that has not been subjected to heat treatment can be stored at temperatures below +10°C for about 4–6 days (but it will become saltier and sour);
- a temperature of 0...+3°C and a humidity of about 80% will extend storage up to 10 days;
- in a hermetically sealed container at a temperature of about 0°C, fermentation processes will stop and the shelf life will increase to approximately 14 days. But the vegetables will take a little salt;
- In a plastic bag without brine, at a temperature of -1...+1°C, also for about 6-8 days, you can preserve lightly salted cucumbers (but without liquid they will become a little shriveled).
Where is the best place to store
The higher the temperature, the faster the salting and fermentation processes take place, which means the product will quickly become salty and sour. To prevent this from happening so quickly, lightly salted cucumbers should be stored in the refrigerator after pickling.
Access to oxygen accelerates fermentation and putrefactive processes. In a sealed package, fermentation continues, although not as intensely, and putrefactive processes are suspended without access to oxygen.
For this reason, sealed packaging (in a tight bag) will extend shelf life.
Is it possible to store lightly salted cucumbers without brine?
A lightly salted product can not only be stored without brine, but it can also be prepared without liquid. To do this, instead of a glass container, use a thick plastic bag into which the cucumbers are placed. But before pickling, you need to cut off the ends of all fruits so that they release the juice. All spices to taste and salt (1 tbsp) are added to the bag.
per 1 kg of cucumbers). The bag is tightly tied and left at room temperature (+20…+22°C) for 4-5 hours. The lightly salted product is ready. The remaining cucumbers are tightly packed and put in the refrigerator. To speed up pickling, vegetables can be cut into pieces, but in this form they will be usable for about a day.
Find out how to make lightly salted cucumbers quickly and tasty.
Additional Tips
To slightly extend the storage time of lightly salted cucumbers, you can use some tips:
- small fruits pickle faster, so choosing medium-sized vegetables extends not only the pickling time, but also the storage time;
- cutting off the ends of the fruit will speed up pickling, but will reduce the storage time of the finished product;
- pouring hot brine speeds up salting, but shortens storage. Therefore, it is better to use cold pouring;
- Some chefs claim that adding black peppercorns somewhat extends the shelf life of lightly salted cucumbers.
Important! A 2% saline solution does not affect lactic acid fermentation, but stops putrefactive processes (butyric acid fermentation), and a 5-6% salt solution neutralizes putrefaction and slightly inhibits lactic acid fermentation.
Read about the features of preparing lightly salted cucumbers in a bag. Based on the above, it is clear that lightly salted cucumbers can be stored for some time after pickling, using various techniques and tricks. But it’s still better to calculate correctly and cook less in order to eat a fresh product, and not cheat with its further storage.
Source: https://fermer.blog/bok/ogorod/ogurcy/recepty-zagotovok-ogurcov/zasolka-ogurcov/malosolnye-ogurcy/2897-osobennosti-hraneniya-malosolnyh-ogurcov.html
Terms and conditions of storage
How long do lightly salted cucumbers last? The timing depends not only on storage conditions, but also on the method of preparing the dish:
- lightly salted cucumbers, prepared quickly, retain their taste for no longer than two days;
- sliced ones cook in a few hours, but also quickly lose their taste - the next day;
- adding pepper (hot and allspice) extends shelf life;
- in a hermetically sealed container in the refrigerator, cucumbers without brine can be stored for a week;
- salting without water, using a dry method, increases the storage period, and hot pouring shortens it.
Shelf life of lightly salted cucumbers under different conditions and with different cooking methods:
- cold pickling is stored for 4-6 days at a temperature of +10°C, but every day the taste will become saltier or sour;
- at temperatures from 0 to +3°C, cucumbers stand in brine for up to ten days;
- in an airtight container at 0°C, the fermentation processes stop, but the salting continues, the taste of the vegetables will change, they will last for two weeks;
- Lightly salted cucumbers prepared in a bag without water will last for 6-8 days if the temperature is maintained at -1 to +1°C, but will shrink.
How to extend the deadline
Several simple methods will help to extend the short storage of lightly salted cucumbers:
- Place the cucumbers in a cool place after cooking;
- use cold water to pour the product;
- Do not cut off the ends of the cucumbers so that they last longer, but bringing them to readiness in this case will take longer;
- use clean containers for pickling;
- remove the product not with your hands, but with a fork - this will help avoid introducing excess bacteria;
- separate cucumbers by size - larger fruits need more time to absorb salt, which means they will retain their quality longer.
When pickling, lactic acid fermentation occurs in the first days, then it turns into butyric acid fermentation. To preserve the saltiness of cucumbers, you need to prevent the products from going to the second stage of fermentation.
If you track the moment, immediately close the jars hermetically and send them to a cold place, the processes will stop and the fruits will remain lightly salted for several months.
Requirements for the quality of pickled cucumbers
In terms of organoleptic indicators, pickled cucumbers must meet the following requirements: appearance - whole cucumbers corresponding to the given economic and botanical variety, uncrushed, unwrinkled, without mechanical damage. The first grade is cucumbers with an elongated regular shape. Fruits with slight wrinkles and curvatures that do not disfigure the shape of the fruit are allowed, no more than 5% by weight.
Second grade - cucumbers of any shape, including hooks, cubes, and with interceptions. Deformed but not crushed cucumbers are allowed, no more than 10% by weight. Foreign impurities are not allowed. Consistency - cucumbers are strong, the flesh is dense, with underdeveloped watery, skinless seeds, completely soaked in brine, crispy.
Cucumbers with internal voids in the packaging unit are allowed, % by weight, no more: for the first grade - 3; for the second grade - 10. For the second grade, cucumbers with a weakened crunch are allowed. The taste and smell are characteristic of a fermented product, a salty-sour taste with the aroma and flavor of spices, without any foreign taste or smell.
For the second grade, a more salty-sour taste is allowed. The color for the first grade is greenish-olive in different shades, without spots or burns; for the second grade - olive in different shades. Slight yellowing of the ends of the fruit is allowed. Dimensions of cucumbers: length (cm) for the first grade - up to 11.0; diameter (cm)
, no more - 5.5; for the second grade, length - up to 14.0; diameter - 5.5. For gherkins, the ratio of length to greatest transverse diameter must be at least 2.2. Allowed in a packaging unit for cucumbers of one group are fruits with deviations in size from the adjacent group of no more than: 5% by weight. The quality of the brine is cloudy, pleasant aroma, salty-sour taste, somewhat spicier than that of cucumbers.
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According to physical and chemical indicators, pickles must meet the following standards: mass fraction of chlorides in the brine, % - for the first grade - 2.5-3.5; for the second - 2.5-4.5. Mass fraction of titratable acids of brine based on lactic acid,%: for the first grade - 0.6-1.2; for the second - 0.6-1.4.
According to microbiological indicators, the finished product should not have visible signs of microbiological spoilage (mold, rotting).
Useful tips
Recommendations from experienced housewives will help you prepare delicious lightly salted cucumbers:
- Choose your vegetables wisely. There are varieties that are only suitable for fresh salads. Fruits that are covered with black spines and thin skin are suitable. After salting, they will remain strong and tasty.
- Before pickling, try the selected cucumbers - they should not be bitter.
- The fruits should be medium in size. If the cucumbers are large and thick, then cut them into circles. Choose the same ones, then they will cook at the same time.
- If the vegetables are wilted, they are still suitable for lightly salted vegetables, but it is better to soak them in cold water for a couple of hours first. This will help restore moisture and make them crispy, springy and firm.
- Do not use vinegar for lightly salted foods. It will deprive the cucumbers of their classic taste.
- Experiment with spices. When salting, add not only salt, but also sugar, garlic, dill, currant leaves, cherries, and horseradish. But keep in mind that such cucumbers have limited time to absorb the aroma.
- Proper installation is important. Arrange vegetables in layers, alternating them with spices. Do not compact or crush under any circumstances.
- If you use a pan or barrel as a container for salting, then cover the surface with a plate and place a small weight.
- To avoid mold, sprinkle horseradish or mustard powder on top of the food.
Storage methods
You can store fresh cucumbers at home either in the refrigerator or without it. There are several ways to preserve green fruits without refrigeration, but the shelf life of vegetables in this case will be short.
At room temperature
A popular storage method that is suitable for those who want to preserve fruits in large quantities, for example, before pickling, is in a specially selected container. This can be a wooden box, cardboard box or plastic container. Cucumbers must be carefully placed in containers and left in a room where the air temperature does not exceed +15 ℃ and the humidity is at least 90%. If the temperature is reduced to +6 ℃, the vegetables will remain fresh for 8-10 days.
You can store cucumbers in regular cardboard boxes.
To keep the fruits fresh for about a week, you can place them in a damp cloth. Wet a piece of natural fabric and wrap the crop in it. Store the fruits in a cool room (at a temperature of +6...7 ℃), constantly moistening the material.
In a refrigerator
You can store cucumbers in the refrigerator much longer. The easiest method, which requires no prior preparation, is to put them in the vegetable compartment. There the crop can lie unchanged for about 3-5 days. A plastic bag will help extend the storage period to 1-2 weeks. Place the cucumbers in cellophane and cover them with gauze soaked in water. In this form, place the vegetables in the refrigerator without covering anything on top.
Cucumbers can be stored in the refrigerator without additional packaging for 3-5 days.
Fresh fruits are stored in the refrigerator, wrapped in paper. To do this, each copy must be wrapped in a paper towel, napkin or baking paper, then put all the cucumbers in a plastic bag. Vegetables packaged this way can stay fresh for up to 3 weeks.
An unusual storage method for many is in egg white. Cucumbers must be carefully washed and blotted with a towel until dry. Then lightly beat the required amount of egg white and coat each fruit with it. The effectiveness of the method lies in the fact that the protein forms a protective film on the peel, which slows down the evaporation of moisture and wilting. The processed fruits are stored in the refrigerator in a vegetable container.
Plain water will extend the shelf life of cucumbers in the refrigerator to 3-4 weeks. Take a shallow bowl or tray, fill the container with 1-2 cm of water and place the cucumbers in the bottom, tails down. After filling the container completely, place it in the vegetable compartment. The water must be changed at least once a day. The essence of this method is that as cucumbers lose moisture, they will be able to replenish it and stay fresh longer. For storage in water, it is best to choose fruits with thick, dark green skin.
Cucumbers should be stored separately from tomatoes and other vegetables and fruits
It is not recommended to store cucumbers together with other ripe fruits (tomatoes, apples, pears, etc.). At what temperature should fruits not be preserved? If it is below 0 ℃, the greens will quickly soften and become covered with mucus, so you should not place them in the refrigerator close to the freezer.
Fresh cucumbers until the new year
Everyone knows that even with the help of a refrigerator, you can only extend the life of cucumbers by a few days. They dry out quickly, become lethargic and tasteless. But there is a way to store cucumbers at home so that they remain fresh. This can be done without the help of preservatives. It is enough to create conditions of complete vacuum.
To do this, use a dry, sterile three-liter jar. Clean dry cucumbers are placed in it. Vegetables should be selected from pickling varieties: strong, small in size. Cucumbers fill 2/3 of the container. An unscented candle is placed on top of them. Light a fire, which burns the oxygen in the jar. At the end of the candle burning down, the jar is screwed on with a sterile metal lid. The oxygen in the jar will run out and the candle will go out.
Fresh vegetables have their benefits. But many people like to treat themselves even in summer with lightly salted cucumbers. They are very easy to make and you can find many recipes on the Internet. The main advantage is that within a few days after salting you get a delicious snack. The question is how to store lightly salted cucumbers.
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If measures are not taken in time, they will quickly turn sour and lose their taste, and then rot. To prevent this, you need to place the jar of cucumbers in the refrigerator. Do this at a time when you already like the taste of your cucumbers. In the cold, the fermentation process will stop, and you will be able to enjoy the lightly salted product for some time.
Pickled cucumbers according to this recipe are preserved without adding vinegar or other acids. They turn out crispy and very tasty, they are perfectly stored all winter, and even more than one, in an apartment at room temperature!
Our pickles in jars are in no way inferior to real ones in barrels, and there is no need to be afraid that they will sour.
Features and shelf life of various types at home
It is permissible to keep blanks in different forms. This allows each person to choose the best option.
Canned in jars
Pickles that were preserved in the summer can only be stored unopened. Once the jars are opened, the shelf life of the product is significantly reduced. That’s why cucumbers are preserved in small quantities. This will make it possible to quickly eat the product.
The storage temperature should be -1 to +1 degrees. The higher the indicator, the faster the product will become unusable. If jars are kept warm, pathogenic microorganisms quickly multiply in them, causing the liquid to sour. As a result, it may begin to bloom.
In an open jar, gherkins will become unusable in 2 weeks. And this will happen even in the refrigerator. This product will become too sour and soft.
Frozen
If the jar has been opened and the pickles have not been eaten, it is permissible to put them in the freezer. This will help extend the storage period. To allow the fruits to dry, place them on a paper towel. Then put the product in a bag and put it in the freezer.
In barrels
It is recommended to keep barrel cucumbers in brine. It is obtained due to fermentation. Air parameters should be 0…+1 degrees. It is quite difficult to create such conditions in an ordinary apartment. It is permissible to keep barrel cucumbers at room temperature only for a short time.
Subsequently, fermentation continues. As a result, bacteria lead to changes in the composition of the brine, which leads to spoilage of cucumbers. At the same time, they change the taste and acquire a softer consistency. The product develops a sharp and unpleasant aroma and a slimy coating appears. In the case of industrial storage, barrels are placed in special refrigerated compartments. They are folded horizontally or vertically. In this case, the tongue and groove hole must be directed upward.
Lightly salted
This type of pickling is mainly used in summer. Pickling of fresh vegetables is carried out at a fast pace. Depending on the timing, lightly salted cucumbers differ from ordinary pickles. Shelf life depends on the recipe. It is usually recommended to keep lightly salted cucumbers in jars.
To avoid this, you can follow these recommendations:
To stop salting, the product is moved to a cool place. It is recommended to keep the workpiece in the cellar
If this is not possible, it is permissible to use a refrigerator. The temperature of the water used for salting is important. If hot liquid is used, salting speeds up.
Such vegetables cannot be stored for a long time. It is better to use cold water. This helps increase the shelf life of the product. For long-term storage of cucumbers, cutting off their ends is not recommended. Otherwise, salting occurs faster, which reduces the storage period. To ensure even pickling of cucumbers, it is recommended to select them according to variety and size. Gherkins are salted faster and become over-salted in a short time. It is better to use the same vegetables. It is permissible to pickle cucumbers without brine. To do this, you need to put fruits of the same size in the bag, then add salt. The resulting package is placed on the top shelf of the refrigerator.
Pickled
During the preservation process, vinegar and other preservatives are added to the marinade. This helps to increase the shelf life of the product and eliminates the need to strictly observe the temperature regime. This preparation can be kept in an apartment or in a cool cellar. In any case, the following conditions must be observed:
- do not store the product near heat sources;
- do not expose glass jars to frost;
- Avoid exposure to ultraviolet light on the product.
In an apartment, you should choose dark places for conservation. This could be a kitchen cabinet or pantry.
Canning by lactic acid fermentation
Store salted products at temperatures from -1 to 10°. The higher the temperature, the shorter the shelf life; elevated temperatures also improve conditions for the development of side microflora, which deteriorates the quality of the product. Therefore, the best temperature for storage is considered to be from -1 to 1°.
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During fermentation and storage, pickled cucumbers and tomatoes lose weight due to the transfer of soluble substances into the brine and a decrease in the volume of the fruit. When storing pickled cucumbers and tomatoes in non-refrigerated warehouses for up to 30 days and in refrigerated warehouses for up to 60 days, natural loss is assumed to be from 4 to 7%, depending on the variety and storage conditions.
In warehouses with artificial cooling and in various types of glaciers and ice warehouses, barrels of products are placed lying or standing, but in both cases the tongue hole should be at the top. Oak barrels are stacked lying down (up to 4-6 rows in height), laying boards or slats between the rows. In glaciers, trenches and piles, it is advisable to fill the barrels with fine ice.
In both pile and trench storage, barrels and ice are insulated from the effects of external temperatures with straw, sawdust and earth.
At one fruit and vegetable plant, barrels of pickles are stored in the lake. This turned out to be cheaper than storing in warehouses or glaciers.
Piles are driven into the bottom of the lake, between which a wire (cable) is stretched. A set of barrels, tied with wire, consists of four barrels with cucumbers and one rejected barrel filled with sand or gravel (weight for sinking the set). Such a set of barrels is unloaded from the pier into the water, delivered to the site by motor boat and secured to a wire (cable).
With this storage method, high quality products are maintained until the ice melts in the lake.
Quality of finished products.
In accordance with the current GOST, the salt content in the pickled cucumber brine should be from 3 to 5%, and the total acidity, counting lactic acid, for the 1st grade from 0.6 to 1.2%, for the 2nd - from 0 .6 to 1.4%. The weight of cucumbers is at least 53% of the contents of the container.
It must be taken into account that pickles are sometimes greatly softened by the action of pectolytic enzymes of microorganisms. This can be eliminated if the product is stored in a well-closed container and at a temperature close to 0°.
Inside pickled cucumbers, voids filled with brine may form; to avoid this, it is necessary to pickle cucumbers with a small seed chamber, avoid a violent process during fermentation, if possible use brines of high concentrations, store the products at a temperature close to 0°. Some microorganisms cause mucus in cucumbers, mainly of a putrefactive nature; such cucumbers are not suitable for food (you should not mix this with slimy brine, which acquires this property from shaking it in a barrel; the cucumbers retain good quality).
Approximate (four) recipes adopted for pickling cucumbers are given in table. 26 (in kilograms per 1 ton of product).
Now the jars can be stored at a temperature of plus 15 degrees.
How to store pickles in an apartment
For a large number of snacks, there may not be enough space with optimal temperature and humidity. Taking this into account, even at the stage of pickling vegetables, fruits that are least demanding of storage conditions are selected. The preparation technology is also adjusted if the pickles cannot be placed in the cellar or basement.
Salting nuances
How to pickle cucumbers so that you can store them for a long time? When heat treatment, some rules are followed:
- For pickling, choose the freshest fruits, preferably picked from the garden on the same day. They should have a uniform green color and thick skin. Vegetables that are too light, have yellow marks, or are already overripe are not suitable.
- Cucumbers are soaked in cold water (2–12 hours depending on the intensity of bitterness in the fruit).
- They prefer distilled or spring water; do not use running water with a high chlorine content.
- Vegetables of the same size are placed in the jar to distribute the brine evenly.
- The containers themselves must be sterilized.
- Opened jars are kept in the refrigerator for no more than 72 hours.
In order to have time to eat all the cucumbers and prevent them from fermenting, jars with a volume of no more than 1-2 liters are used for pickling.
Cold pickles for the winter in jars without vinegar
I use this simplest and easiest method of cold pickling cucumbers closer to autumn, when I collect, as they say, “the last ones” from the garden. They have the taste of those that were previously salted in barrels. But this wonderful “no hassle recipe” requires storing the pickles in the cellar, basement, or refrigerator.
Ingredients for a three-liter jar:
- fresh cucumbers – more than 2 kg
- dill - 2 sprigs with seeds
- garlic – 2 cloves (cut lengthwise into slices)
- horseradish leaves – 2 pcs.
- black currant and cherry leaves - 2 pcs.
- tarragon (tarragon) – a small sprig for crunchiness
- hot pepper - optional.
Preparation.
It is best to salt freshly picked vegetables from the garden and soak them in cold well water for 30 minutes. Soak not freshly picked ones in cold water for 1 to 2 hours, changing the water several times.
Wash the three-liter jar well, place the listed ingredients on the bottom of the jar and place the largest specimens vertically on them, and place smaller ones tightly on top of them.
For a three-liter jar of tightly packed cucumbers you need to take 100 grams. medium ground rock salt. Dissolve this salt in a small amount of cold, preferably well water, pour it into a jar of vegetables, add cold water to the top and close with a new, clean, tight plastic lid.
The jar must be immediately sent to a cold cellar , and the delicious cucumbers will be stored until the new harvest.
Cold pickled cucumbers in jars for the winter. Author
Storage in barrels
You can store pickled cucumbers in brine, which is formed as a result of fermentation, for a very short time. Bacteria, falling on fertile soil, completely change the chemical composition of the liquid. As a result, the pickles become soft and also acquire an unpleasant smell and taste.
In an apartment building, it is quite difficult to find a place where barrel cucumbers would feel great. This is due to the fact that the optimal temperature regime, which allows vegetables to maintain an elastic consistency and familiar taste, should be within 0°C - +1°C.
Storage options
There are many proven methods for long-term storage. Let's take a closer look at some of them.
In a refrigerator
The easiest storage option is to put the cucumbers in the refrigerator:
- In the compartment for storing vegetables. No additional preparation is required to store cucumbers in this compartment. Place fruits picked from the garden or purchased at the market in the refrigerator without rinsing them with water. They will keep in this state for 3–5 days.
- In a plastic bag. You can increase the shelf life to 1-2 weeks by using a plastic bag. Place dry vegetables in a bag, place damp gauze on top and store in the refrigerator.
- In an egg shell. Brush each fruit separately with egg white and leave to dry. Then put everything in glass jars or plastic containers and place it in the refrigerator. Do not use metal containers for storage. Egg white forms a protective layer on the fruit that does not allow oxygen to pass through, thereby preventing the cucumbers from rotting. With this method you will preserve them for up to 2 months.
- In water. A cucumber is 95% water, so it spoils if it loses moisture. Place the prepared cucumbers, tails down, in a non-metal container and fill with cold water. You should not pour a lot of water; it must be changed every day. As the cucumbers lose moisture, they will replenish it from the water at the bottom of the container. The shelf life of cucumbers in this form is 3-4 weeks.
In the apartment
You can also store vegetables at room temperature. With this storage method, cucumbers remain fresh for 2-3 days. Vegetables should be placed in a wooden box, cardboard box or plastic tray.
The air temperature in the room should not exceed 15 ° C, humidity - 90-95%. At temperatures below 10 °C, vegetables will last up to 10 days.
In the cellar
The longest storage time is provided by the basement. In it, the air temperature does not drop below 0 ° C, so vegetables are not frozen and remain until spring, retaining the maximum amount of nutrients. It is recommended to store the product in the basement in clay containers.
In sand
Place the prepared cucumbers in a bowl and cover with dry sand, cover with a lid and lower into the basement. For such purposes, it is better to dry sand in the oven. After drying, be sure to let it cool. Cucumbers prepared in this way can be stored for up to 7 months.
In a vacuum
Modern technologies make it possible to easily keep vegetables fresh and crispy for up to 3 months in an airless space, that is, a vacuum.
Soak the cucumbers for 6 hours in cold water to remove air. Then place it in a jar and close it with a special lid with a pump. Such a device can be purchased in the departments of appliances and household appliances for kitchens. It is possible to open the jar and close it again, creating a vacuum to continue storage.
In paper
Another storage method is in the basement in paper. Wrap each fruit separately in paper or a paper napkin and place in an open container. In this state, cucumbers will remain until the new year.
In the evaporation of vinegar essence
For this method you will need a non-metallic pan. Pour about one finger's worth of vinegar essence into the bottom of the pan. Place a wire rack on top, place the cucumbers on it in several layers and cover with a lid. The freshness of the fruit will last due to the evaporation of the vinegar essence.
In the bank
You can store cucumbers in a jar without resorting to the preservation process. To do this, rinse the vegetables with boiling water and dry them. Place chopped horseradish at the bottom of a clean, dry jar and fill with cucumbers. Close the lid tightly and lower it to the basement. These cucumbers should be stored for no more than 2 months.
How to preserve lightly salted cucumbers longer
You need to understand that a cucumber becomes lightly salted 3-4 days after it is filled with brine, and then it needs to be put in the refrigerator. So it will retain its properties for 1 week, and then it will begin to deteriorate.
How to preserve lightly salted cucumbers longer
- To keep the preserves longer, stop the fermentation process. To do this, vegetable fruits are removed from the brine and placed in a plastic bag.
- Small cucumbers are selected for pickling. If large fruits were chosen for canning, they will have to be chopped.
Optimal storage conditions
To prevent canned lightly salted vegetables from spoiling longer, you need to familiarize yourself with the optimal conditions for their further storage.
Temperature
The first factor to consider before storing cucumber pickles is temperature.
Temperature readings should not be too high, and therefore it is recommended that they be in the range of 1-2 degrees.
How to keep pickles longer
Andrey Zavarnitsin, chef of Meatless restaurants, answers :
— My opinion is this: lightly salted cucumbers should be eaten immediately. And don't expect anything. In general, it is better to eat freshly prepared foods. I have a great recipe for making quick lightly salted cucumbers.
You need to wash the cucumbers, cut off their stems and put them in a plastic bag. Add salt, sugar, bay leaf and dill there. Close tightly and wait 2-3 hours. The cucumbers will become lightly salted during this time.
For half a kilo of cucumbers you need about 50 grams of coarse salt. There is no need to add water, the cucumbers will give juice themselves.
If you still want to stop the pickling process, then you need to remove the cucumbers from the brine and pack them in a vacuum bag. Keep refrigerated. They will last for several days.
How to preserve lightly salted cucumbers without brine for longer
than in winter conservation. This explains their short shelf life.
No matter what recipe you use to prepare them, as a result, after a while the cucumbers will simply become salty and lose their flavor, or they will sour and turn pickled.
But you can preserve this summer delicacy for several days if you follow the rules :
- store the product in a cool place - refrigerator, cellar, since heat accelerates the processes of salting and fermentation, and cold slows it down;
- transfer the vegetables from the brine into a hermetically sealed bag - this will briefly extend their shelf life and allow you to eat lightly salted cucumbers;
- salt them in small portions.
Taking these nuances into account, you can store cooked cucumbers for several days longer or avoid spoilage.
It is much more convenient to pickle another batch than to throw away the remains of the first.
How to prepare lightly salted cucumbers:
How to simply and deliciously prepare lightly salted cucumbers
How to cook lightly salted cucumbers in a bag
In banks
storage in jars involves the use of cold or hot poured brine .
jars are sterilized to get rid of bacteria that cause rot and mold. The disadvantage will be the area occupied by glass containers, since cucumbers with brine take up more space than vegetables in a bag. but the jars can also be stored at room temperature.
The cooking technology allows you to store lightly salted cucumbers in glass from several days to several months .
in the package
the most convenient way to store.
how to preserve lightly salted cucumbers longer
Cucumbers pickled using the usual method using brine can also be stored in bags. They are packaged after complete readiness. This allows you to extend their shelf life.
In a saucepan
Sometimes housewives prepare cucumber snacks not in glass containers, but in ordinary pans. The main difference between this preparation is that the cucumbers do not have to be salted for too long, since they are eaten lightly salted.
To prepare cucumber fruits, place garlic with spices and pepper on the bottom of the saucepan.
Source: https://sogaz-agro.ru/kak-podolshe-sohranit-malosolnye-ogurtsy
Methods and options for storing various preparations
There are a large number of options for storing cucumbers for the winter, most of them are presented below.
Pickles
Pickled cucumbers can be kept in the cellar for no more than 2 years, but in an apartment the period is reduced. The main thing is to thoroughly sterilize the jars, lids and seal the preparation hermetically for the winter.
Canned in a jar
This twist should be stored indoors for no more than 3 years, if all standards are followed. A cool, dry pantry is ideal for this.
Pickles
When using this method of storing cucumbers, monitor the temperature and humidity in the room so that the brine does not sour.
Important! To prevent pickles from spoiling quickly after opening, it is more convenient to roll them in liter jars
Lightly salted
The workpiece is not stored for long and does not require strict adherence to all conditions. In an apartment where the temperature is high, the cucumbers will be pickled quickly, after which they should be moved to the refrigerator.