Why do pickles in the jar become soft and empty inside?

Harvested for future use salted cucumbers lovers of this product are not always pleased with their quality and for some reason often become soft, not sufficiently crunchy, hollow in the jar. There can be several reasons for this negative result, and it is not difficult to fix it, if you follow the basic rules of salting.

Mistakes can be made at different stages of salting, during storage and even earlier - in the process of growing this popular garden crop. Various tips, tricks, secrets and time-tested recipes will help prevent culinary failure and get next time dense, fragrant, very tasty canned pickles.

Why pickles in a jar become soft over time

There can be several reasons for softening a canned product. Such factors negatively affect:

1. Not very clean dishes for salting. Traditionally used oak barrels or tubs, which were thoroughly washed and scalded with boiling water. This option is still considered optimal. However, in modern everyday life, glass or enameled glassware is more often used. It must be washed very well (preferably with baking soda) and sterilized in an oven or over steam.
2. Large capacity. The cucumbers located in its lower part gradually become soft due to increased pressure.
3. Water quality for salting. Too soft water reduces the elasticity of vegetables, and very hard gives them a metallic taste.

   

4. Wrong selection of cucumbers. Yellowish growths for conservation are not suitable. Zelenets should be small or medium in size, the seed chamber is small, the seeds are underdeveloped, the flesh is dense and elastic, and the fruit's sugar content is at least 2% (sugar helps the formation of lactic acid). It is precisely these special pickling varieties (Nezhinsky, Rodnichok, etc.) that correspond to these qualities. Universal varieties are also suitable, but not salad.
5. Stale Cucumbers. It is advisable that the collected vegetable does not lie in front of pickling for more than a day.
6. Ignoring spices. They not only give aroma and special taste to the product, but also hinder the development of harmful microflora. It is no coincidence that oak barrels were used as pickling containers, and now oak leaves are often put in jars.
7. Wrong ratio of brine and fruit in the container as a result of not very tight packing of the product.
8. Inadequate saline concentration. Optimum - 6-9%. When salt is low, extraneous microflora turns the brine into mucus and softens the fruits.

   

9. Violation of the tightness of salting dishes and penetration into the air.
10. High temperature during storage. Optimal - from 0 to + 30C. It is better to store in a dry and cold basement or in the cellar.
11. Long-term storage. Pectolytic enzymes over time contribute to the softening of the vegetable.

What to do so that pickles do not turn into porridge after closing

The key to successful salting is not only the taste, but also the dense state of the cucumbers, which emit a delicious crunch when bitten.So that they do not turn into porridge, the housewives use different methods.

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Common Tricks and Secrets

The main secret of cooking high-quality cucumbers is a good mood and warmth. Not all attach importance to this, but many argue that blanks without positive will turn out to be unsuccessful. In addition, you can arm yourself with such practical tips:

• salt should be cooked, large and clean, not iodized;
• cucumbers should be washed thoroughly and kept for 3-4 hours in cold water;
• spices must also be washed well;
• so that mold does not form, you need to add a little mustard or planed horseradish to the brine;

  

• cucumbers should be placed as tightly as possible in the dish;
• Zelentsy must be sorted by size;
• the contents of the container should be covered with 3-4 cm brine;
• after the procedure of pouring the saline solution, the cucumbers should be covered with a boiled cloth, put a wooden circle on them, and on top - a clean load that does not exceed 10% of the mass of vegetables;
• alcohol or vodka is often added to the brine (50 g is enough for a 3 liter can);
• a special folk sign: if you pick up cucumbers in the full moon or in the first quarter of the moon, they will be crispy.

Crispy Cucumber Salting Recipes

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Recipe number 1. You will need:

• cucumbers - 1 kg;
• oak, cherry and blackcurrant leaves - 1 pc.;
• mustard grains - 2-3 pcs.;
• horseradish root - 50 g;
• dill - 30-40 g;
• dill seeds - 2-3 pcs.;
• cloves of garlic - 2-3 pcs.

For brine:

• water - 1 l;
• table salt - 2 tbsp. l .;

Then pour the brine into the pan and send it to the fire. Extract greens from cans, rinse well with cold water and lay back with spices and spices. Then pour them with boiling brine and sterilize the jars at 80-90 ° C (1 l capacity - 20 minutes, 3 l - 40 minutes).

Recipe number 2. Would need:

• cucumbers - how much will fit;
• leaves of cherry and blackcurrant - 3 pcs.;
• horseradish leaves - 1 pc.;
• dill umbrellas - 3 pcs.;
• allspice - 6 peas;
• garlic cloves - 3 pcs.

For brine:

• water - 1.5 l;
• salt - 90 g;
• laurel leaves - 1 pc.

Then fill the remaining space with cucumbers and cover them with a dill umbrella. It remains only to fill everything with boiling brine and tightly roll up the cans.

Recipe number 3. You will need:

• cucumbers - how much will fit;
• blackcurrant leaves - 8-10 pcs.;
• dill and tarragon to taste.

For brine:

• water - 1 l;
• salt - 50 g.

This is a cold way. First, prepare the brine: stir the salt in a glass or enamel bowl. When the brine will settle (3-4 hours), you can begin to densely compact the greens in jars.

Next, you need to top up the cans with brine, cover with a cloth and place in a warm place for 2-3 days, then send for 1.5-2 weeks in a cold place. There, under tissue cover, fermentation will gradually decrease. If mold appears, remove it and add mustard powder. When gas evolution stops, the cans can be corked with metal or nylon caps and stored in a cool place.

What does it mean if pickles are empty inside?

The formation of voids in the prepared product can be triggered by the choice of substandard raw materials and mistakes made during salting.

Using Overripe Fruits

As is the case with the softening of pickles, the incorrectly picked fruits become empty inside. Zelentsy should have the qualities listed above (size, density, sugar content, etc.). Harvesting of overripe vegetables is unacceptable.

Long-term storage

Raw materials for salting should be fresh, as over time the nutritional value and taste of cucumbers decrease. Therefore, within 24 hours after collection (the sooner the better) they should be prepared in accordance with the selected recipe.

Long cooking process

The salting process consists of 3 stages, each of which must take place at a certain pace:

1. At stage I, due to the preparation of microflora, fermentation starts. Cucumbers accumulate salt, and the brine absorbs sugar and other nutrients, and lactic acid bacteria multiply rapidly in it. If this stage is delayed, then pathogenic substances will also increase, which threatens to spoil the product.

   

2. Stage II, when lactic acid and alcohol are produced during fermentation, on the contrary, it must be slow. For this, the product needs cold. If the proper conditions are not provided, then the yeast and bacteria emit excess gas. He inflates cucumbers (forms voids), getting inside.
3. At stage III, sugar processing by yeast and bacteria ends.

Mistakes in growing cucumbers

Cucumbers are sensitive to the smallest changes in agricultural technology, which is noticeable in the quality of the collected fruits - they can be bitter or empty inside.

Irrigation

Along with heat, a sufficient amount of moisture in the soil and in the air is important for the vegetable. With its shortage, cucumbers become hollow. If in the heat water does not enter all the organs of the plant, then cucurbitacin is intensively produced in the fruits. It gives a special bitterness to the peel.

Incorrect fertilizer application

Cucumbers love nutritious soil. It is important to timely fertilize:

• organic and nitrogen - before planting and in small volumes at the initial stages of plant development;
• to the beginning of the fruiting period - potash and phosphorus with micro and macro elements (iron, manganese, boron, copper, molybdenum, zinc, magnesium and calcium).

The quality of the product is affected by both their deficit and excess. For example, cucumbers become loose and hollow due to the high nitrogen content in the form of ammonium salts. This usually occurs due to the introduction of fresh manure, overfeeding with urea, etc.

Problem soil

Cucurbitacin is especially actively produced in cucumbers grown on clay soils. It is necessary to provide the vegetable with a light and loose soil, with high air and moisture permeability, as well as neutral acidity in the range of pH 6.4-7.

Temperature changes

Representatives of the Pumpkin family experience stress during sudden temperature fluctuations. Sudden swings that exceed 3-5 ° C must be avoided. This is especially important at the stage of laying the fruit.

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Common questions

The reasons for getting soft and hollow pickles are many. Among them - improper selection and preparation of fruits, containers, saline, poor water quality, violation of the tightness of cans, temperature and timing of salting, as well as storage. They can affect separately or in combination, so it is important to exclude every negative factor.