August is the hottest season for winter preparations. It is believed that the Russians have excelled in this art, in contrast to the Western countries. That is why, along with the already proven old recipes of our grandmothers, experienced housewives come up with unique combinations of vegetables and fruits in jars every year. It is not surprising that the usual vinegar for canning has recently acquired many competitors.
Vinegar essence is a fairly old preservative that is still relevant today. The only difference is that some recipes require pouring it directly into a jar (1 tsp for 3 liters of boiling water), while others must be diluted beforehand to a concentration of 6 or 9%. Many people simply do not want to change anything, because the tried-and-true recipe is reliable: the cans do not explode, and households like the taste of pickled vegetables. And the truth is, why experiments.
Somewhat later, such an alternative appeared as aspirin tablets. Recipes with his participation were popular for a long time in the 80-90s of the last century, until there were many reasons to admit the harm of this component in the marinade. I must say that this has nothing to do with the preservative properties of aspirin. But scientists have found that too long storage of such pickles causes the formation of a toxic phenolic compound that is completely unacceptable to health.
Another well-known preservative is citric acid. It is used very simply - 1 teaspoon per 3 liters. You can go directly to the jar along with other spices. Probably in many respects success in canning depends on the mistress's faith in the effect of one or another remedy. Someone's lids take off from the "lemon", someone does not hold with vinegar. But badly washed jars or greens can also be the reason. It is possible that the covers have failed or the seaming device has failed. There can be many factors, even human.
All of these preservatives have a right to life. Someone stops their choice on the naturalness of the marinating product, for someone it is more important that the jars stand for more than one year. Fighters for naturalness and safety have come up with a way not to use preservatives at all. To do this, vegetables are not stacked up to the top in a clean, sterile jar. A burning piece of a paraffin candle is placed on them. The can must be rolled up without extinguishing it. If successful, since this option requires skill, the cucumbers will stay fresh throughout the winter.
Regarding naturalness, it is worth noting that vinegar can be both synthetic and the most useful and natural, but citric acid is the result of chemistry. It's just that most people buy vinegar essence, not paying attention to either the manufacturer or the composition. But in vain.
