Cloudy brine with pickles is a nuisance that every housewife had to face when preparing stocks for the winter. It seems that conservation was carried out in accordance with all the rules, ready-made cans were sent for storage in a dark place. But something went wrong - as time passed, the brine changed. We will help you figure out why cucumbers in jars become cloudy and what to do in this case?

Did you find that the jars were swollen and the brine was cloudy? This means that a mistake was made at one of the stages of preparing the preservation.

This can happen for the following reasons:

1. Cucumbers were poorly washed. If there is even a little dirt left on the surface of the vegetables that has got inside the jar, this causes the development of rot.
2. Preservation jars were dishonestly washed or ordinary detergents were used to clean them. Remember that jars should only be washed with water and soda. Soap remaining on the walls after washing can cause the solution to become cloudy.
3. It is necessary to wash not only the container and cucumbers, but also the herbs used. Pay no less attention to them.
4. If you have used sea or iodized salt instead of regular table salt, this may cause the color of the brine to change later on. In such salt there are special components that affect this factor.
5. You have not properly sterilized jars and lids. This applies to both empty containers and those already filled with cucumbers and brine.
6. You rolled up the cans poorly, or you made a breach of tightness. This could be due to existing chips or cheap and poorly made covers.
7. Do not ignore the process of soaking vegetables before pickling. This will help to replace the air contained in the cucumbers with water, which will negate the process of turbidity of the brine.
8. Sometimes the brine turns white from external circumstances that do not depend on you. For example, it can be cucumbers stuffed with chemicals, which, even after soaking, have not lost all harmful substances.
9. Cans are stored at very high temperatures. Ideally, it should not exceed 5-7 degrees. It is best to keep pickles in a cellar, refrigerator, or any other cold place.

Are pickles with cloudy brine edible?

It is definitely very difficult to answer this question, since even in the freshest preservation there is a possibility of getting botulism bacilli. This can cause serious indigestion, and in the saddest cases, poisoning. First of all, you must determine how badly the pickled cucumbers are spoiled.

If you see a characteristic cloudy solution a couple of days after seaming, you can try to correct the situation. If the lid of the jar is not swollen, you can simply open it and drain the spoiled solution.

Now you can choose two ways to save cucumbers - prepare a new solution or reanimate the old one.

First do the following:

• pour vegetables with boiling water;
• leave them for 5-7 minutes;
• drain the water and add the brine.

Bring the solution to a boil, add to jars and dilute with the indicated dose of vinegar, then carefully roll up. You can do it the other way. If the lids are not swollen, then the pickled vegetables are good to eat. Put the cucumbers in the refrigerator for a week. During this time, all the unpleasant sediment will be at the bottom, and you will notice a clean, transparent brine. Cucumbers can be used for vinaigrette and other dishes where their slightly modified taste will not be felt.

When you notice jars with swollen lids, it's not worth the risk. It is better to immediately get rid of such conservation, since pathogenic bacteria have most likely developed there.

How to revive a cloudy preservation

Of course, it's easier to make new pickled cucumbers than trying to fix the ones that didn't work out. Analyze your mistakes and avoid them in the future.

It is important how early you detect the first signs of conservation fermentation. If this happened shortly after the twist and the lids have not swelled yet, then you can try to redo it. Pour out the solution, rinse the cucumbers and fill them with fresh ones - cooked according to all technologies. In most cases, this method helps. You can do this without removing the vegetables from the jar. Just fill them with boiling water and wait a few minutes, and after that pour in the finished solution. Remember to add the vinegar and keep the jars upside down for 24 hours.

Important: Be prepared that the taste of "reworked" cucumbers will differ from the usual preservation. Therefore, you can use salvaged pickled foods to make salads, soups, and more.

And again, we repeat that the described manipulations are done only in the absence of a swollen lid. Otherwise, you risk harming your health and loved ones.

Ways to prevent the appearance of "suspicious" sediment

When the brine becomes cloudy, most housewives decide to get rid of conservation, as they believe that it can cause indigestion, and the vegetables themselves will significantly change the taste.

To prevent an unpleasant outcome of the conservation process, you need to follow the basic recommendations:

1. Handle vegetables carefully. Clean off dirt, remove ponytails and damaged areas. Soak them for a few hours, then rinse again.
2. Wash out cans of soda, do not allow food or other dirt to remain on the surface. Do not use detergents - their chemical components will remain on the walls. Inspect the container for deformation and damage. Walk your fingers along the neck, if there are any chips and cracks.
3. Follow the recipes, and do not add ingredients to your taste. If the recipe states that you need to boil the solution for ten minutes, do this for the allotted time, no more and no less. If it is advised to add vinegar and salt, be sure to pour it in. Use only proven recipes that your relatives or friends have advised you - then you will get crispy and tasty cucumbers.

We advise you to purchase stainless steel preservation lids or white lacquered tin options. They are considered the most reliable and will help protect the product from fermentation. Use firm cucumbers and never take overripe cucumbers. They are empty inside and accumulate air, which means they activate the fermentation process. Add hot pepper or horseradish root to keep cucumbers from spoiling.