Cucumbers for pickling for the winter - the best varieties and which ones are suitable?

Crispy cucumbers are one of our people's most beloved pickles. This familiar winter preparation is actually the result of long and painstaking work. Few people know that the quality of the dish depends not only on the properly prepared brine, but also on the type of vegetables used.

The best varieties of cucumbers Pickling vegetables for winter have their own distinctive characteristics, from their appearance to their flavor. The famous cucumber crunch cannot be achieved by using vegetables that are not suitable for pickling. Pickling vegetables can be grown in open ground or greenhouses. By following the basic rules of pickling, even an inexperienced home cook can create delicious, crispy cucumbers.

Selecting cucumbers for pickling based on shape and appearance

All known varieties can be roughly divided into 3 types:

1. Versatile. Used for both canning and raw consumption.
2. Pickled. Characterized by a rough, pimply skin that's difficult to chew when fresh, but completely transforms when brined.
3. Salad. They have a special type of skin that prevents brine from penetrating into the flesh.

Their flesh retains its firmness and crispness for a long period of time. They typically meet the following external characteristics:

• cylindrical shape;
• dark green color with pale streaks or stripes;
• dense skin;
• very bumpy surface (it is the bumps that provide the famous cucumber crunch);
• dark, almost black, thorns.

Small-fruited varieties are preferable for pickling. These cucumbers are easier to place and remove from the pickling containers. Furthermore, smaller cucumbers fit much more easily, saving on both container space and brine. Larger cucumbers tend to be more watery and less crisp.

Hybrids should be high-yielding. It's best to use varieties whose fruits ripen almost simultaneously. This saves a lot of time, as canning is a lengthy process, and it's much easier to do everything at once than to spread the pleasure out over weeks.

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Another important factor when choosing a cucumber variety for pickling is its flavor. If a variety is bitter when raw, the bitterness will only intensify after pickling. Therefore, only varieties with completely free of bitterness are selected for pickling.

The best varieties of cucumbers for pickling for the winter

Not all varieties are suitable for pickling. It's worth remembering the distinguishing characteristics of the most common hybrids suitable for pickling.

Grown in open ground

Of the plants grown in open areas, preference is given to the following varieties:

1. Barrel pickling. This variety is characterized by high yields and is resistant to various diseases, including anthracnose. The fruits are green with barely noticeable whitish stripes. The surface is heavily bumpy. The taste is not bitter.

   

2. Far Eastern. This hybrid is a mid-season cucumber. It has good natural immunity. The fruits are light green with white stripes. The bumps are sparse but large. There is no bitterness.

   

3. Zasolochny F1. A late-ripening hybrid with bright green fruits covered with faint light stripes. The tubercles are prominent. The flavor is pleasant, without bitterness.

   

4. Zozulya F1. A high-yielding variety that belongs to the early-ripening cucumber category. Resistant to viral infections. The fruits are bright green with few tubercles.

   

5. Parisian Gherkin. Mid-season plants pollinated by bees. Characterized by high yields. Resistant to many cucumber diseases. The hybrid is not susceptible to mosaic virus. Dark green cucumbers with pronounced tubercles have excellent flavor.

   

6. Rodnichok F1. Mid-early cucumbers pollinated by bees. This variety is disease and weather resistant. The fruits are bright green, with longitudinal whitish stripes extending to the middle. The tubercles are faintly visible.

   

7. Phoenix. Highly resistant to various diseases and adverse environmental conditions. The fruits are a rich shade of green with distinct white stripes. The surface is densely covered with large tubercles.

   

The above hybrids have the following anatomical characteristics:

The most popular among housewives is the Parisian gherkin.

Greenhouses

The following hybrid varieties are considered the most suitable for greenhouse pickling:

1. Vesyolye Rebyata (Funny Guys). An early-ripening variety known for its high yields. Resistant to a number of common diseases. Dark green cucumbers with short stripes are covered with frequent, prominent tubercles.

   

2. German F1. This variety is characterized by high yield and early ripening. The large-tuberculate fruits have a pleasant, non-bitter flavor.

   

3. Kurazh F1. An early-ripening hybrid with increased yield. Light green fruits with closely spaced tubercles are covered with white spines. The cucumbers are very aromatic and completely free of bitterness.

   

The above varieties have the following characteristics:

The "Khrustyashchiy" variety, bred specifically for pickling, deserves special attention. The fruits are spindle-shaped. Thanks to the combination of coarsely ridged skin and firm flesh, these cucumbers retain their firmness even after a year.

The hybrid is resistant to most common diseases, including the incurable bacterial blight. The fruits are very bumpy and bright green with predominantly dark shades. There are vertical whitish streaks along the fruit.

The fruits ripen 56-65 days after planting. They are no more than 10 cm long and weigh 120 g. Up to three cucumbers can form on a single node.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01iteVYSWL4

General rules and best methods for pickling cucumbers for the winter

The rules of salting can be briefly summarized in the following theses:

1. Do not use overgrown parts.
2. It is preferable to use fruits up to 5-7 cm in length.
3. It is best to salt freshly picked vegetables.
4. Cucumbers purchased at the market are pre-soaked in cold water.
5. For uniform salting, place fruits of the same size in one container.
6. Hooked and yellowing specimens are rejected.
7. Do not use soft, damaged or rotten vegetables for pickling.
8. Only coarse rock salt may be used.
9. The amount of garlic in the brine should be minimal.
10. The proportions for preparing the brine must be strictly observed, otherwise the pickle may turn sour and become unfit for consumption.

Pickled cucumber recipes so diverse that it is practically impossible to single out one of them and call it a classic.

The salting process consists of the following stages:

1. Washed cucumbers are placed in sterilized jars. The fruits should be tightly packed, but the brine should wash them on all sides.
2. To prepare the brine, add salt to boiling water. The amount of salt required for 1 liter of water is 1 level tablespoon.
3. The cucumbers are poured with boiling brine and sealed with lids.
4. The hot jars are turned upside down and wrapped in a warm blanket. They are left in this position until they have cooled completely.
5. The cooled jars are turned upside down and stored in the cellar.

In addition to cucumbers, you can also add horseradish leaves, black currant leaves, cherry leaves, as well as black peppercorns, dill herbs or umbrellas, garlic, and oak bark to the jars.

To store pickles under normal conditions, use 1.5-2 tablespoons of salt per liter of water. Cucumbers also need to be treated with boiling water. To do this, fill the filled jars with boiling water, let them sit for 5-10 minutes, and then drain the water through a special lid with drain holes. Repeat this process 2-3 times.

Some housewives add vinegar and sugar to the brine. However, many protest this, as the taste of this pickle is more reminiscent of pickled fruit.

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Frequently asked questions about growing

Pickled cucumbers are a staple of winter feasts. But not all cucumbers are suitable for pickling. Choose only those specifically designed for this purpose, so your winter supplies will be delicious and truly enjoyable.