If you’re the lucky owner of a small crop of firm baby cucumbers, you can pickle them, as Russian housewives do.
Yulia MulinoСucumbers have been cultivated since the beginning of the third millennium BC in India and Mesopotamia, but they came to Russia much later, via Byzantium. It’s said that the vegetable seemed tasteless, so Russians began to salt it.
A barrel-brined cucumber is considered not only a tasty appetizer, but also a healthy food because of the live bacteria that’s involved during the fermentation process. This brine is used in the preparation of some traditional dishes.
In modern cooking, pickled cucumbers remain popular. However, they’re inferior in healthy qualities because the live microflora is neutralized by the vinegar solution, which gives a more piquant flavor. In addition, sugar and mustard seeds are added to the marinade.
I find homemade pickled cucumbers to be a special dish. Visits to the dacha and growing my own cucumbers were common features of my childhood. Today, gardening is my hobby, and I allocate part of my cucumber harvest specially for pickling - they’re small, firm, slightly prickly ones. You can buy small snack cucumbers in the store, of course, but if there’s an opportunity to grow your own, it will be just perfect.
The pickling process is pretty simple. In addition to the main ingredients — salt, sugar, vinegar and mustard seed — it’s customary to add allspice, coriander, garlic, bay leaf and aromatic black currant leaves; (it’s important that the leaves are aromatic).
Dill umbrellas.
Yulia MulinoOf course, you should not forget about dill seeds (or dill umbrellas) - they’re what gives this crunchy delight of summer its unique dacha flavor of pickled cucumbers, in contrast to store-bought pickles. For me, there’s nothing better than to serve such fragrant, spicy, crunchy pickles with boiled young potatoes and a dollop of butter. You should try it, too!
1. Rinse the cucumbers and spice leaves thoroughly.
2. Sterilize the jar. To do this, pour water into a large saucepan, put a metal colander on it. Place the jar and the lid on top. When the water boils, hold the jar like this for about 10 minutes. I use a clip jar, since I won't be storing my pickles for long. If you want to stock up for the winter, it’s better to use jars with metal lids that are suitable for canning.
3. Place some clean bay and currant leaves, garlic and dill seeds (dill umbrellas) in the bottom of a sterilized jar.
4. Add the spices.
5. Tightly pack the cucumbers into the jar.
6. Place more leaves on top.
7. Fill the jar with boiling water and leave it like this for 15-20 minutes.
8. In the meantime, prepare the brine. Mix hot water with salt, sugar and vinegar. Boil it for a few minutes.
9. Drain the boiling water from the cucumbers.
10. Turn off the heat under the brine and pour the cucumbers with hot brine to the edges. Close the jar tightly.
11. Turn it upside down.
12. Cover it with something warm and let it cool.
13. Store it in a cool, dark place. I will store mine for a very short time in the refrigerator because I can't resist these delicious summer delights! If you have more self-control, then keep them until winter. Enjoy!
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