Step-by-step instructions for pickling cucumbers in a barrel with your own hands

Summer is over, rewarding us with a generous harvest of vegetables for our efforts. Gardeners and housewives are faced with a new task - how to preserve all this wealth? Root vegetables and some vegetables can be stored for a long time in a cool, dry place, but cucumbers if stored for a long time without refrigeration will spoil in a few days. To prevent this from happening, people have long practiced pickling and pickling cucumbers. For large production volumes, it is more advisable to choose the method of pickling cucumbers in a barrel.

Advantages and disadvantages of pickling cucumbers in a barrel

Pickling in a cooper's container has many advantages over the traditional sealing of pickles in glass jars:

• simple and relatively easy process pickling;
• saving effort and time;
• fast processing of large volumes of vegetables;
• compactness of the container and saving space in the cellar;
• the unique taste and crunch of barrel cucumbers.

As for the disadvantages of pickling in a barrel, they are determined by the lack of normal conditions or consumables: it is difficult to find suitable containers, the volume of the harvest is small, and it cannot be stored in a city apartment.

Reference. Pickled cucumbers are healthier than their pickled counterparts. When preparing the marinade, vinegar is used, but when salting it is not needed. In pickles, lactic acid formed during the fermentation process and the saline solution itself act as natural preservatives.

How to pickle cucumbers in a barrel the old fashioned way

The first attempts to grow and pickle cucumbers were made by people in the third millennium BC in Mesopotamia and India. In ancient Rus', the first mentions of barrel cucumbers date back to the 12th century.

Preparing the barrel and cucumbers

Before starting the salting process, prepare the container.

The barrel preparation technology is as follows:

1. The containers are thoroughly washed with a brush and laundry soap or soda.
2. Rinse generously with water.
3. Scald with boiling water. To flavor the barrels, add several sprigs of common juniper to boiling water.
4. Cover the barrel with melted paraffin - this procedure will eliminate possible leaks and close the pores of the wood so that the product does not acquire an undesirable odor.

When the containers are ready, they prepare the vegetables for pickling. For this:

1. Cucumber harvest sorted by size. Small fruits will cook faster and will be crispier.
2. Cucumbers are thoroughly washed and inspected for damage. Only healthy ones are suitable for pickling.
3. For better penetration of the brine and an aesthetically pleasing appearance, the ends are cut off.
4. The cucumbers are soaked in ice water for several hours. This procedure will keep the cucumber strong and crisp during fermentation.

After all the preparation activities, choose recipe and prepare additional ingredients. They are washed large cut into pieces. Garlic and horseradish are peeled and cut into pieces.

Advice. For pickling, use late varieties. Ideal standards for barrel pickled cucumber: length 8-15 cm, underdeveloped seed chambers and seeds.

Brine recipe

Properly prepared brine is the key to delicious barrel cucumbers. Any culinary recipe for pickles specifies a certain amount of salt per volume of water, but the result does not always live up to expectations.

Many housewives forget an important nuance - the amount of salt is affected by the size of the fruits being pickled:

• small (4-6 cm) - 6-7 kg, 70 l of water;
• medium (8-10 cm) - 8 kg, 80 l;
• large (more than 10 cm) - 9 kg, 90 l.

Hard well or spring water is considered ideal for preparing brine. To better dissolve the salt, the solution is slightly heated and stirred. Natural spices are added to the barrel to choose from: black, allspice or bitter pepper; cherry or oak leaf, dill sprigs with umbrellas; cloves of garlic.

Instructions for proper salting

Roots, leaves, spices are peeled and cut into pieces. Boil the required amount of water in a separate pan.

1. When the water boils, add salt and stir until it is completely dissolved.
2. The prepared brine is allowed to cool and filtered through a sieve.
3. The walls of the barrel are rubbed with garlic cloves.
4. Some spices and herbs are placed at the bottom.
5. Prepared cucumbers are placed vertically close to each other in a barrel.
6. A layer of herbs and spices is placed on the first row of vegetables and a second row of cucumbers is laid out. This is done with the rest of the harvest until the barrel is filled to the top.
7. Fill the barrel with strained brine and close with a clean lid.
8. A pressure in the form of a heavy stone is installed on top of the lid.

The prepared container with pickles is kept warm for 2-3 days to quickly begin fermentation, after which it is lowered into a cool room - basement, cellar.

Other recipes for pickling barrel cucumbers

Over time, people diversified the basic pickling recipe: they included various seasonings and invented new technologies. We have selected the most delicious and popular variations of new recipes.

Recipe "Simple"

Suitable for those who want to please their household with homemade canned food, but do not have time for long preparation.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers – 50 kg;
• dill for pickling with umbrellas – 700 g;
• horseradish – 250 g;
• garlic – 200 g;
• parsley and celery roots, cherry leaves – 500 g;
• salt – 4 kg;
• water – 4 l.

Fill the prepared wooden barrel to the top with cucumbers, laying them vertically, close to each other. There should be a layer of herbs and spices at the bottom and between the rows of cucumbers. The last top row of vegetables also ends with a layer of greens. Close the lid and place a load on it. They are kept in a warm place for three days, after which they are lowered into the basement.

Cold salting

This recipe will also delight the housewife with its ease of preparation. The brine is prepared without boiling.

Compound:

• cucumbers – 20 kg;
• greens (currant leaves, cherries and dill umbrellas) – 250 g;
• garlic – 10 cloves;
• horseradish root – 200 g;
• water – 10 l;
• coarse salt – 9 kg.

Prepared cucumbers (washed, trimmed) are placed vertically in rows in a wooden barrel. To prepare the brine, add salt to cold water and stir with a spoon until completely dissolved. The resulting liquid is poured over the cucumbers, covered with a lid and immediately put into the cold. A pressure is placed on the lid.

Attention. The best wooden container for pickling is considered to be an oak barrel. Oak is a natural antiseptic and preservative; it will perfectly preserve the product, and the cucumbers will be fragrant and crispy.

Country-style cucumbers

We remember how delicious our grandmothers' pickles were. What's the secret? Most likely, in environmentally friendly raw materials and various aromatic additives, as well as in a “product made with love”:

• cucumbers – 100 kg;
• garlic – 300 g;
• hot pepper – 100 g;
• horseradish roots – 500 g;
• horseradish leaves – 500 g;
• dill with umbrellas – 3 kg;
• celery and parsley leaves – 1 kg;
• cherry, currant and oak leaves (together) – 1 kg;
• coarse rock salt – 7 kg;
• water – 70 l.

The cooking technology is standard. To ensure good preservation of the product, it is recommended to cleanly wash all leaves and fruits, carefully selecting all rotten and unhealthy parts. Horseradish roots, garlic, leaves are cut into pieces, hot peppers are peeled from the seed chambers and cut into rings. A third of the prepared herbs and spices are placed on the bottom of the container.

Lay out the cucumbers, shaking the wooden container periodically. Top everything with herbs and spices. Fill with brine prepared cold way. The cucumbers should be completely covered with liquid. This appetizer will serve well in a cold place until spring.

Recipe with coriander

The spice coriander is the seeds of the plant of the same name, coriander sativum. When it is added to the brine, cucumbers acquire a slightly different taste and aroma.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers – 100 kg;
• mixture of spices (coriander, basil, savory, parsley) – 4-5 kg;
• garlic – 300 g;
• salt – 7 kg;
• water – 70 l.

The larger the fruit, the higher the concentration of the saline solution should be. Spices, herbs and cucumbers are laid out alternately. Fill with brine and close with a lid on which a heavy object is placed. Fermentation begins within 2-3 days. After the specified period, the container is transferred to the basement.

Terms and conditions of storage

Barrel cucumbers work best with gardeners who have a specially equipped basement or cellar on their farm. In the room where you plan to store pickles, special conditions must be created:

• the temperature for storing barrels must be below 0°C;
• good ventilation;
• wooden pallets for installing containers (you can’t just put barrels on the floor).

If you follow the preparation technology and storage conditions, homemade cucumbers will not spoil for a whole year. In the second year, pickles are no longer suitable for food due to loss of taste.

Pickling cucumbers in a plastic barrel

Unlike wooden containers, plastic containers have their disadvantages and advantages. The disadvantages include the fact that the container cannot be sterilized; it easily transmits heat. But such a barrel is cheaper and easier to clean. When choosing a plastic container, pay attention to the markings on the bottom of the container - it must be intended for food purposes.

The method of salting in plastic is somewhat different from salting in a wooden container:

1. A plastic container is filled with water and soaked for two weeks.
2. Afterwards, the water is drained and the barrel is washed with hot soda solution.
3. Wipe dry and cover with a cloth until it is time to fill with cucumbers.
4. Prepare cucumbers and spices according to the chosen recipe.
5. The brine for filling the barrels must be cold.
6. Store in a cool place until use.

Pickles rolled in a plastic container do not last as long as those in oak barrels and glass jars, so it is recommended to eat them first.

Tips and tricks

Pickling cucumbers using the barrel method requires certain knowledge and experience from the housewife. To avoid failures, follow these recipes and tips:

1. To preserve their juicy color, rinse the cucumbers with boiling water and immediately with cold water before pickling.
2. If you add mustard seeds to the brine, it will acquire a special aroma, piquant taste and protect the pickle from mold.
3. To protect the finished pickle from spoilage, sprinkle the surface of the brine with mustard powder before placing the top layer of spices.
4. To enhance the fermentation process (when the container is in a cool place from the very beginning), add 2-3 cabbage leaves to the brine.

Conclusion

Not a single housewife can do without her “secrets and tricks” in preparing various dishes. Pickling cucumbers in barrels is no exception. Let the invaluable experience accumulated by our grandparents help you preserve your harvest.