Only experienced gardeners know that not all varieties of cucumbers are suitable for conservation. It turns out that to get tasty and crunchy pickles, it is not enough to know the "marinade" magic recipe. Much, of course, depends on the brine, but not all. No less important factors are: variety of cucumber and technology of its cultivation. So, what varieties of cucumbers for salting and preservation still need to use, and how to properly care for such plants?
Varieties of cucumbers by the method of pollination
Cucumbers are not such a simple vegetable as it may seem at first glance. There are a lot of nuances and subtleties that you need to know when going to buy seeds. For example, not everyone knows that some cucumbers need bees for pollination, others do without pollen transport, since they are hermaphrodites (male and female signs in one flower). And there are even self-pollinated cucumbers, which themselves do an excellent job with pollen transport.
The question of the method of pollination is quite important when choosing a variety for conservation. Indeed, according to gardeners, there is no tastier cucumber than bee-pollinated. The natural process of pollination is complemented by planting such varieties mainly in open ground - such a "natural" combination provides cucumbers with a pronounced taste and smell. So, the first rule of selection of pickling varieties says - cucumber must be bee-pollinated.
Important! To date, there are many hybrids with excellent taste characteristics. Therefore, even among non-pollinated greenhouse varieties can be found worthy of conservation.What is written on the package
A bag of seeds - a storehouse of useful information. There is not so much text when buying seeds, it is better to read it to the last letter. Each seed package has one of these marks:
- cucumber for salads;
- the grade is suitable for salting and preservation;
- universal hybrid.
Lettuce cucumber has a thin and delicate skin. It can be easily identified by an elongated shape and a glossy surface. On the cucumber no bumps and spines. It is very tasty fresh (in a salad or in okroshka), but it is completely unsuitable for preservation.
It's all about the thin skin and loose flesh. Eating it straight from the garden is a pleasure - a crisp and juicy cucumber. But, if you put a cucumber for a salad in a jar with pickle (especially hot), it will wrinkle, lose its color, turning into a brown “something”. Having opened such a jar in winter, you will not be able to enjoy a crunchy vegetable, cucumbers will become soft and loose.
It is quite another thing when the packaging for seeds says "for conservation." Such cucumbers are created for salting and pickling.
Distinctive features of pickling cucumber
The best varieties of cucumbers for salting and canning - adapted to local climatic conditions. Only with proper temperature, humidity, fertilized, friable soil can you grow tasty cucumbers.
Varieties for pickling are easily distinguished by the appearance of the fruit - such a cucumber has a rich green tint. And most importantly - the green skin is dense with tubercles and pimples, decorated with spikes.
The pickling of cucumbers depends more on the spike. There are three types of spikes:
- whites;
- brown;
- black.
The black color of the needles indicates that the cucumber has given all the excess moisture into the atmosphere. This means that the pulp of the fruit is elastic and dense. It is this cucumber that will best show itself after salting.
Tip! If the cucumbers in the garden have brown thorns, it is better to wait half a day or a day until they get rid of excess moisture. Spikes turn black, and cucumbers can be plucked for preservation.Universal varieties are tasty both fresh and salted. Therefore, they can also be selected for blanks for the winter.
Rules for the care and collection of cucumbers for preservation
In order to better understand what the cucumbers intended for preservation need, you need to understand their structure. Cucumber cells are divided only until the moment when green stuff appears. After this, the cells do not multiply, but grow together with a cucumber.
The more the cell stretches, the more juicy and loose the flesh will be in the mature vegetable (just such a structure is observed in lettuce cucumbers). And pickling varieties are distinguished by the density and elasticity of the pulp, they also include small hybrids - gherkins and pickles.
Before you pick cucumbers for preservation, they must be carefully watered with warm water (these vegetables do not like cold water at all). It is better to do this in the evening, and in the morning, until the sun is warm, cucumbers are harvested.
Tip! It is best to pickle vegetables within two hours after harvest, so they will remain as crisp and fragrant as possible. If it was not immediately possible to preserve, the cucumbers are pre-soaked in cold water, and only then placed in jars.Picking cucumbers must be done very carefully, the lash must not be turned over and injured, otherwise the plant may become infected.
Choosing the best grade
Assessing all the factors and their own capabilities, you can buy cucumber seeds for pickling. General requirements for such varieties are as follows:
- On the packaging of seeds should be the designation "for salting, preservation" or "universal cucumbers".
- It is better to give preference to bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids, they more fully preserve the taste.
- For conservation it is recommended to use medium and late varieties grown in open ground. Early greenhouse cucumbers are preferable for salads.
- The size of the cucumber should be small or medium - 6-15 cm.
- Cucumbers for preservation need to choose the correct cylindrical shape, so it is more convenient to put them in jars.
- Peel greens should be dense without damage, have black spikes and large bumps.
- Cucumber is better to cut and see what's inside. There should be no voids, seeds inside pickling cucumbers are welcome, but in small quantities.
- For preservation you need tasty, crispy cucumbers without bitterness.
Based on the above, and select the grade.
Tip! Brine water is also important. Hard water is best, soft cucumbers soften and lose their “crispiness”. Tap water is better left standing to reduce the chlorine content."Nezhinsky"
One of the most famous, and the oldest, varieties for salting is Nezhinsky. This is a mid-seasoned bee-emitting cucumber for open ground. The first cucumbers in the southern regions appear on the 50th day after disembarkation, in northern latitudes we will have to wait for the crop even longer - up to 60 days.
But cucumbers "Nezhinsky" meet all the requirements for pickling greens: they are small (11 cm), elastic and crunchy, with a dense, hilly skin and black thorns.
Fruits absolutely do not have bitterness, perfectly preserve the taste and "crunchiness" after salting or marinade.
This variety belongs to the high - scourge of cucumber "Nezhinsky" should be tied to the trellis.
"Murom"
The variety belongs to the superearms, however, it does not affect its pickling qualities. Mature cucumbers appear on the 35th day after planting seeds in the ground. Zelentsy are small - 6-8 cm, their shape is ellipsoid. The rind of the fruit is dark green with white veins.
The variety is resistant to low temperatures. The fruits are crispy, without voids, with a pronounced taste and aroma.
An important nuance of the "Murom" variety is the rapid maturing of cucumbers. Harvest must be collected daily, otherwise the fruit will turn yellow and zagrubeyut.
"Voronezh"
One of the most productive varieties of pickling cucumbers is "Voronezh". Cucumbers grow 50 days after seeding.
Fruits have a smooth cylindrical shape with small ribs. The average weight of greengrass is 100 grams. The peel of these cucumbers is dark green with small pimples and spikes. Shrubs varieties "Voronezh" medium size, with large and thick leaves. The plant tolerates drought and short cold.
"Kustovoy"
One of the representatives of universal cucumbers (suitable for both salad and salting) is the Kustovoy variety. Cucumbers grow in small bushes, densely hung with fruits. Variety refers to the mid-season - the first Zelentsy appear on the 48th day.
The cucumbers themselves are dark green, oblong, with numerous black spikes. The size of Zelentsov is small - up to 10 cm. The advantage of the variety “Kustovoy” is a good “keeping quality” of fruits. Cucumbers for a long time keep a trade dress and remain juicy and crackling.
The variety is very resistant to various diseases, unpretentious in care, tolerates a cold snap, has a high yield.
"Spring F1"
Not only varietal cucumbers are good for salting, there are lots of suitable hybrids. One of the best is the "Fontanel F1". It refers to mid-season - gives fruit on the 50th day after planting. Productivity is high, resistance to diseases is excellent.
Cucumber flavored and crunchy. The average size of Zelentsy is 12 cm, and the weight is about 100 grams. The flesh is elastic and without voids, and the taste is saturated, without bitterness.
Conclusions and summary
It is impossible to say unequivocally that certain specific types and varieties of cucumbers are more suitable for salting. And among the hybrids, and in greenhouse varieties there are a lot of vegetables, perfectly susceptible to conservation. The main rule is to read what is written on the package with seeds. If the inscription says that the variety is universal or varieties of cucumbers for salting and canning, such seeds can be safely taken.
