Summer, and especially July, is the time for lightly salted cucumbers. Of course, you can buy them in the store, but how can they compare to homemade cucumbers? Unfortunately, not all cucumbers are hard and crunchy. To do this, you need to know some subtleties.
Cucumbers must be right
For pickling, there are special pickling varieties of cucumbers. "Nezhinsky" is one of the most popular.
Salad varieties with white thorns and smooth skin are not suitable for salting. You need to choose fruits with pimples and black dots. Specimens less than 7 centimeters and more than 13 are not suitable for salting.
Cucumbers should be tasted, they should not be bitter. The color should not be too dark.
It is advisable to pick cucumbers of the same size so that all are salted evenly.
Soak
If the cucumbers are harvested for more than just that, then to restore moisture they need to be soaked for several hours. The strength and elasticity of cucumbers depends on this.
Salt
Only coarse rock salt is suitable for salting. For traditional recipes, 60 grams will be enough per 1 liter of water, about 2 tablespoons.
Salt "Iodized" and fine "Extra" are not suitable for salting. Cucumbers from it can become soft.
Condiments
Dill, currant leaves, cherries, horseradish will give a special taste and aroma to cucumbers. You can add oak leaves; in the old days, cucumbers were salted in oak barrels.
You can experiment and create your own flavor by adding parsley, tarragon, basil, mint, cloves, bay leaves, and other spices.
Fresh herbs are important for salting. Do not have a lot of garlic, as this will affect the firmness of the cucumbers and the crunchy effect. But horseradish will only contribute to this.
Styling
In order for the cucumbers to quickly salted, they need to be cut off at both ends. Lay them side by side, alternating layers of spices and herbal leaves. In order not to spoil the crunchy effect, cucumbers should not be tamped.
If salted in jars, then the cucumbers are stacked vertically for even salting. The container is covered with gauze on top. If salted in a saucepan, then cover the cucumbers with a plate and put a little oppression.
Fill methods
Cucumbers are poured in two ways: cold or hot pouring.
With cold pouring, cucumbers are salted for 2 - 3 days, and if filled with hot pouring, then you can take a sample after 8 hours.
The key to successful salting is water. Chlorinated tap water will not work. Better to use filtered, spring or well, you can even slightly carbonated mineral.
To avoid mold on the brine surface, sprinkle it with mustard or grated horseradish.
