Why pickles become soft in a jar: causes of spoilage, how to prevent

Housewives who often preserve cucumbers often find that they become softer in jars. It is recommended that you familiarize yourself in advance with why pickles become soft in a jar and how to fix this problem.

Why do cucumbers in a jar become soft and spoil after a while?

Many housewives are not satisfied that their barrel cucumbers lose their strength and do not crunch. Most often, this problem appears when vegetables are not fermented properly or because they are poorly treated with cold water. However, there are other reasons for cucumbers to soften.

Sterilization errors

Vegetables often lose their firmness if they are preserved in unsterilized containers. Therefore, experienced housewives recommend that all containers be thoroughly treated with boiling water before use. If glass jars are used to pickle cucumber fruits, they are steamed.

To do this, put a pot of water on the gas stove and bring it to a boil. Then a grid is installed on top, on which the jar is placed upside down. Tank processing should take 20-25 minutes.

Leakage

It's no secret that when s alting, all cucumbers are placed in liter or three-liter jars, which are tightly closed with special seaming lids. Sometimes people do not roll the lids well and because of this, air gets inside. Gradually, because of this, the lids begin to swell, and the vegetables inside deteriorate.Therefore, it is recommended to regularly check the jars so that they do not swell.

Effect of pectolytic enzymes

Sometimes fungi get into the container where pickled cucumbers are located, which lead to the formation of pectin acid and pectin. This causes the vegetables inside to lose their firmness and begin to spoil.

To prevent the pickle from spoiling, you will have to do the following:

• remove mold;
• pour the brine into the pan;
• add s alt to taste;
• boil liquid;
• pour boiled marinade back.

Incorrect brine preparation

People who have not previously made pickles often make mistakes when preserving and preparing marinade. Common mistakes include the following:

• Not enough s alt. It is recommended to use 50-60 grams of s alt per liter jar.
• Lack of vinegar. If vegetables are rolled into a three-liter container, use 60-70 milliliters of vinegar mixture.
• Long fermentation. Cucumbers should ferment for 3-4 days.

Mistakes when laying cucumbers

There are times when cucumbers become soft due to improper packaging. Cucumbers should be stacked in such a way that they fit snugly against each other. It is better to s alt them in three-liter jars.

You should not use too large a container, because cucumber fruits become softer in it due to increased pressure.

Poor quality cucumbers

Sometimes pickles are not tasty due to the use of low-quality or spoiled vegetables. There are several recommendations that are taken into account when choosing fruits:

• cucumbers should be small, 5-7 centimeters long;
• vegetable skin should not be very dense;
• you need to choose cucumbers without damage and signs of decay.

Incorrect storage

Sometimes pickles go bad due to improper winter storage. Lactic acid, which is a preservative, rapidly breaks down under the influence of elevated temperatures. Therefore, experts advise keeping pickles in basements where the temperature does not rise above 10-15 degrees.

Why are cucumbers empty inside when pickled?

Some housewives are faced with the fact that after preservation, cucumbers turn into softened and empty vegetables inside.

Using overripe fruit

Empty inside the fruit may appear due to canning of overripe vegetables. Overripe cucumber fruits spread and deteriorate over time. Therefore, you need to choose green and elastic cucumbers, on the surface of which there are no yellowish spots or darkening.

Long term storage

Sometimes cucumber fruits dissolve, and their inner pulp turns into jelly. This problem appears due to too long storage of s alting in the cellar. S alted vegetables are stored no longer than 2-4 years, after which it is better to throw them away, as they begin to deteriorate.

Long cooking process

To prevent pickled cucumbers from turning into porridge, you can not delay the process of their preparation. The process of s alting vegetables lasts for 2-4 days. However, some people decide to ferment them for 10-12 days. You shouldn't do this, because such a long cooking time will cause the fruits to deteriorate.

Why do cucumbers shrink in jars?

Another problem that many housewives face is wrinkling of canned vegetables.

Cucumbers shriveled due to the following reasons:

• water used for s alting is very soft;
• too much s alt was added to the marinade;
• dried fruits were selected for s alting.

How to prevent problems?

To prevent softening of cucumbers, you must adhere to the following recommendations:

• choose cucumber varieties suitable for canning;
• do not use spoiled fruit;
• store pickles in the cellar;
• follow the rules of canning vegetables.

Conclusion

People who love winter preservation often come across soft pickles. So that in the future the fruits do not spoil quickly, you need to familiarize yourself with the reasons for the spoilage of cucumbers and with tips for eliminating such a problem.

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