Cucumbers - the oldest vegetable crops, which have grown about 6 thousand years. Homeland cucumber is considered to be India. And even in our days there can be found wild cucumber, which, like vines entwine the trees in the forests. And the fences Indian villages, too entwined cucumbers. Revered cucumbers ancient Egyptians and Greeks. The doctors of ancient Greece attributed cucumbers antipyretic action. No one meal of the Roman emperors Augustus and Tiberius not do without cucumbers because they esteemed this vegetable. In 1 century AD cucumbers began to grow in China and Japan, where local residents gradually reached the present art of cultivation. They say that the greedy and brutal Turkish Sultan Mohammed II once told seven stomachs ripped open his court to find out who ate one sent him a cucumber. While in Turkey, cucumbers were very rare. Since ancient times in Russia and cucumbers are a favorite vegetable. They eat fresh cucumbers, pickled, marinated, make their salads and garnishes, and rossolnik valve. Cucumbers increase appetite, improve absorption of fats and proteins, thereby positively influencing the metabolism. If we talk about the nutritional value of cucumber, then we can say, if this vegetable contains up to 96 percent water? Therefore, cucumbers prized flavor, but not food quality. But the content of important minerals like potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, etc., cucumbers do not concede onions, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage and even citrus. In cucumber, there are all the necessary vitamins, albeit in small quantities. This carotene, and B1, B2, B6, PP, and pantothenic acid, and C, and others. Warning With worsening of gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer, acute and chronic gastritis with normal and increased secretion of gastric juice, acute and chronic colitis should limit consumption of fresh cucumbers Salted and pickled cucumbers are contraindicated in acute hepatitis, cholecystitis and cholelithiasis, and acute exacerbation of chronic inflammation of the stomach and colon. In hypertension, atherosclerosis and other diseases of the cardiovascular system should dramatically reduce the consumption of salted and pickled cucumbers. Cucumbers are contraindicated in chronic nephritis, chronic renal failure, urolithiasis, and some other diseases. In each case, better to consult with their physician. This is familiar to us the word "cucumber" has gone from long-extinct "olives", borrowed from the Greeks "aguros. It is interesting that the word "cucumber" is associated with "aoros", which means immature, unripe. After all, in fact, we eat cucumbers only if they have not yellowed, it has not matured completely, unlike their close relatives watermelons and melons. Those than ripe, so tasty. Well, now proceed to the harvesting of cucumbers in the winter. Cucumbers salted, canned At the three-liter jar will need 2 kg picked cucumbers, 50 g of dill, tarragon, basil, savory, 10 g horseradish, 1 / 5 of cayenne pepper (without seeds) 2 cloves of garlic, 60 g of salt. The 3 liter jar lay greens, bitter red pepper, garlic, and well-washed cucumbers. Pour the cooled brine in cans (for 1 liter of water 60 g of salt), cover them with gauze and incubate for 2-3 days at room temperature. During this time the pickles will be salted. Then remove the jars with cheesecloth, cover with tin lids and put on the heating in water with a temperature of 40-45 degrees. Water in a saucepan bring to 100 degrees and stand in her banks in low boiling 20-25 minutes. Then the banks to roll and refrigerate. Marinated Cucumbers (old recipe) Cucumbers for pickling are selected along the length of not more than 7 cm These pickles are best marinated in a two-liter banks. Method number 1. At the 1 two liter jar put 2 bay leaves, 8-10 peas pepper, ½ sticks of hot red pepper, 6-7 cloves, cinnamon on the tip of a knife. Spices are placed on the bottom, top stack cucumbers. Pour the marinade, which is prepared as follows: for 1 liter of water take 50 grams of salt, 50 grams of sugar and 2 teaspoons of vinegar essence. Method number 2. At the 1 two liter jar take 20 grams of dill, 3 sheets of black currant, 10 g parsley, 3 g of mint, ½ sticks of pepper. Under preparation same as in the previous recipe, pouring the marinade (for 1 liter of water - 50 g salt, 50 g sugar and 3 teaspoons of vinegar essence). Pickled cucumbers and sour-sweet Take away the small straight cucumbers. Washed, ends trimmed slightly. Previously in a quart jar lay spices (3-4 pieces of pepper and cloves, 1 bay leaf), onion, garlic clove and some fresh herbs (dill, parsley, tarragon). After that, the banks are placed tightly cucumbers, pour 6.7 tablespoons of 5% vinegar and pour the hot filling. To prepare the filling to 1 liter of water take 3 tbsp. spoons of sugar and 1,5 st. spoons of salt. Masked lid put in hot water and warm up, watching closely the color of cucumbers. As soon as the color of the cucumbers will be olive green, banks are removed from the water and arouse.