Most recipes for pickling cucumbers feature vinegar, but it is quite possible to pickle cucumbers without this ingredient, replacing it with citric acid. In order to end up with a delicious snack, it is important not to overdo it with this supplement.
Cucumbers pickled with citric acid taste more delicate and do not smell like vinegar. The acid does not affect the shelf life of the workpiece, the product can be stored for as long as vinegar-based marinades.
As for the amount of citric acid you need to put in the jar, it can vary depending on your taste preferences. However, on average, from 0.5 to 1 teaspoon of this ingredient (5-7 grams) is required per liter of marinade. It is important to understand that such an amount of citric acid is put in the marinade, and not in jars for vegetables. The fact is that when pickling cucumbers, a jar well tamped with fruits holds from 350 to 400 ml of marinade, and if the acid is added directly to the jar, then the finished workpiece will most likely be too acidic.
How to pickle cucumbers with citric acid
Ingredients per liter jar:
- 500-700 grams of cucumbers (it all depends on the size of the fruit);
- dill umbrella;
- cherry leaf;
- 2 cloves of garlic;
- Bay leaf;
- 3-4 peas of black pepper;
- 1/2 horseradish leaf;
- one liter of water;
- 1, 5 tablespoons of sugar (tablespoons);
- 1, 5 tablespoons of salt (tablespoons);
- 5-7 grams of citric acid.
Course of action:
- Soak the cucumbers in ice water for 3-4 hours (this item is required if you need to get dense crispy cucumbers). In parallel with this, prepare the container - wash the cans with soda or mustard, rinse them well.
- At the bottom of the jar, put an umbrella of dill (if you like more spicy cucumbers, then double or triple the amount of dill), horseradish leaf, laurel, cherry (can be replaced with an oak leaf), garlic, black pepper. Cut off the tips of the cucumbers. Fill the jar with vegetables as tightly as possible.
- Boil water and pour boiling water into a jar of vegetables. Cover the jar with a lid and leave for 10 minutes.
- After the indicated time, drain the water, then fill the jar with a new portion of boiling water, cover again and leave for 5-7 minutes.
- After the second steaming, drain the water into the pot where you will prepare the marinade. Bring up the amount of water to a liter. Add salt, sugar, citric acid, bring the mixture to a boil and pour it into a container with cucumbers. Roll up the jar with a sterilized lid and leave to cool completely. For additional sterilization, you can wrap the workpiece, but this is not necessary.
