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Only experienced gardeners know that not all varieties of cucumbers are suitable for conservation. It turns out that in order to get delicious and crispy pickles, it is not enough to know the "magic" recipe for marinade. Much, of course, depends on the brine, but not all. No less important factors are: the variety of cucumber and the technology of its cultivation. So, what varieties of cucumbers for pickling and preservation do you still need to use, and how to properly care for such plants?
Varieties of cucumbers by pollination method
Cucumbers are not such an easy vegetable as it might seem at first glance. There are many 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 carrying pollen at all, since they are hermaphrodites (male and female characters in one flower). And there is even self-pollinated cucumbers, which themselves do an excellent job of transporting pollen.
The question of the method of pollination is also 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 the planting of such varieties mainly in open ground - such a "natural" combination provides cucumbers with a strong taste and smell. So, the first rule for choosing a pickling variety is that the cucumber must be bee-pollinated.
What is written on the packaging
A bag of seeds is a treasure trove of useful information. There is not much text, when buying seeds, it is better to read it to the last letter. Each package of seeds has one of these marks:
- cucumber for salads;
- the variety is suitable for salting and preservation;
- universal hybrid.
Salad cucumber has a thin and delicate skin. It can be easily identified by its elongated shape and glossy surface. There are no bumps and thorns on the salad cucumber. It is very tasty fresh (in salad or in okroshka), but completely unsuitable for conservation.
It's all about the thin skin and loose flesh. Eating it straight from the garden is a pleasure - the cucumber is crispy and juicy. But, if you put a cucumber for a salad in a jar of brine (especially hot), it will shrink, lose color, turning into a brown "something". Having opened such a jar in winter, you will not be able to enjoy a crunchy vegetable, the cucumbers will become soft and loose.
It is quite another matter when it says "for preservation" on the package with seeds. These cucumbers are made for pickling and pickling.
Distinctive features of pickled cucumber
The best varieties of cucumbers for pickling and canning are adapted to local climatic conditions. Delicious cucumbers can be grown only at the right temperature, humidity, fertilized, loose soil.
Pickling varieties are easy to distinguish by the appearance of the fruit - such a cucumber has a rich green hue. And most importantly - the peel of the greenery is dense with tubercles and pimples, decorated with thorns.
The pickling qualities of cucumbers to a greater extent depend on the thorn. There are three types of thorns:
- white;
- brown;
- black.
The black color of the needles indicates that the cucumber has released all excess moisture into the atmosphere. This means that the pulp of the fruit is elastic and dense.It is such a cucumber that will best show itself after salting.
The versatile varieties are tasty both fresh and salted. Therefore, they can also be chosen for preparations for the winter.
Rules for the care and collection of cucumbers for conservation
In order to better understand what cucumbers intended for conservation need, you need to understand their structure. Cucumber cells divide only until the moment when green leaves appear. After that, the cells do not multiply, but grow with the cucumber.
The more the cell is stretched, the more juicy and friable the flesh will be in a mature vegetable (just such a structure is observed in salad cucumbers). AND pickling varieties are distinguished by the density and elasticity of the pulp, these also include small hybrids - gherkins and pickles.
Before picking cucumbers for preservation, they must be thoroughly 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 warms up, the cucumbers are harvested.
You need to pick cucumbers very carefully, the whips cannot be turned over and injured, otherwise the plant may become infected.
Choosing the best variety
After evaluating all the factors and your own capabilities, you can buy cucumber seeds for pickling. The general requirements for such varieties are as follows:
- On the packaging of seeds should be marked "for pickling, preservation" or "universal cucumbers".
- It is better to give preference to bee-pollinated varieties and hybrids, they retain their taste more fully.
- For conservation, it is recommended to use medium and late varieties grown in the open field. Early greenhouse cucumbers are preferred for salads.
- The size of the cucumber should be small or medium - 6-15 cm.
- Canned cucumbers you need to choose the correct cylindrical shape, so it is more convenient to put them in jars.
- The peel of the greenery should be dense without damage, have black thorns and large pimples.
- It's better to cut a cucumber and see what's inside. There should be no voids, seeds inside pickled cucumbers are welcome, but in small quantities.
- For preservation, you need tasty, crispy cucumbers without bitterness.
Based on the above, a variety is selected.
"Nezhinsky"
One of the most famous and oldest varieties for pickling is "Nezhinsky". This is a mid-season bee-pollinated cucumber for open ground. The first cucumbers in the southern regions appear on the 50th day after planting, in the northern latitudes you will have to wait even longer for the harvest - up to 60 days.
But the cucumbers of the "Nezhinsky" variety satisfy all the requirements for pickling greens: they are small (11 cm), firm and crunchy, with a dense lumpy skin and black thorns.
Fruits have absolutely no bitterness, perfectly retain their taste and crispness after pickling or pickling.
This variety belongs to the tall ones - the "Nezhinsky" cucumber lashes must be tied to a trellis.
"Muromsky"
The variety is super early, however, this does not in any way affect its pickling qualities. Ripe cucumbers appear 35 days after planting seeds in the ground. Zelentsy are small - 6-8 cm, their shape is elliptical. The peel 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 Muromsky variety is the rapid overripening of cucumbers.The crop must be harvested daily, otherwise the fruits will turn yellow and coarse.
Voronezh
One of the most productive varieties of pickled cucumbers is "Voronezh". Cucumbers grow in 50 days after sowing the seeds.
Fruits are even cylindrical in shape with small ribs. The mass of an average greenery is 100 grams. The skin of these cucumbers is dark green with small pimples and thorns. Bushes of the "Voronezh" variety of medium size, with large and thick leaves. The plant perfectly tolerates drought and short cold weather.
"Kustovoy"
One of the representatives of universal cucumbers (suitable for both salad and pickling) is the Kustovoy variety. Cucumbers grow in small bushes, densely hung with fruits. The variety belongs to the mid-season - the first zelents appear on the 48th day.
The cucumbers themselves are dark green, oblong in shape, with numerous black thorns. The size of the zelents is small - up to 10 cm. The advantage of the "Kustovoy" variety is the good "keeping quality" of the fruits. Cucumbers retain their presentation for a long time and remain juicy and crispy.
The variety is very resistant to various diseases, unpretentious in care, tolerates cold snaps well, has a high yield.
"Spring F1"
Not only varietal cucumbers are good for pickling, there are a lot of hybrids suitable for this. One of the best is "Spring F1". It belongs to the mid-season - it bears fruit on the 50th day after planting. Productivity is high, disease resistance is excellent.
The cucumbers are fragrant and crispy. The average size of zelents is 12 cm, and the weight is about 100 grams. The pulp is firm and without voids, and the taste is rich, without bitterness.
Conclusions and summaries
It cannot be said unequivocally that certain types and varieties of cucumbers are more suitable for pickling. Both among hybrids and in greenhouse varieties there are many vegetables that can be perfectly preserved. The main rule is to read what is written on the seed package. If the inscription says that the variety is universal or varieties of cucumbers for pickling and canning, such seeds can be safely taken.
