How to cold pickle cucumbers in a bucket for the winter: the best recipes from experienced housewives

Pickled cucumbers in buckets are an excellent snack for a festive and everyday table. Crispy and aromatic vegetables are combined with boiled and fried potatoes, rye bread, and are suitable for making solyanka or rassolnik. The recipes are easy to follow and do not require advanced culinary skills.

Let's take a closer look at how to pickle cucumbers in a cold bucket for the winter. way and what recommendations to follow when preparing.

Features of preparing cold-salted cucumbers in a bucket

Cold salting preserves vitamins and minerals in fruits. The recipe does not require sterilization of jars and lids, cooking marinade, which saves time and effort. When preparing, no vinegar or other preservative is used, so the snack does not irritate the intestines and stomach. Cucumbers are salted in plastic buckets and stored in a cellar or basement. Containers must be intact and clean.

Interesting! When pickling, a fermentation process occurs, as a result of which the cucumbers are enriched with lactic acid. It has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the stomach and normalizes its microflora. The calorie content of pickled cucumbers is 11 kcal per 100 g, so snacks in buckets are classified as dietary dishes.

How to pickle cucumbers for the winter in a bucket

Let's look at popular cooking recipes and learn the secrets of experienced housewives who make the dish even healthier and tastier.

With mustard

The savory appetizer goes well with fish and meat dishes, giving them a spicy and spicy taste.

To prepare you will need:

• 5 kg of cucumbers;
• 150 g dry mustard;
• 1 bunch of parsley;
• 1 head of garlic;
• 5 cherry leaves;
• 1 pod of hot pepper;
• 2.5 liters of water;
• 200 g salt.

How to cook:

1. Rinse the vegetables and soak in cold water for five hours.
2. Pour mustard into the bottom of the bucket, add cucumbers, cherry leaves and parsley on top.
3. Add peeled garlic cloves and hot pepper slices.
4. Prepare the brine: pour salt into the water and pour into a bucket.
5. Organize oppression - place a plate with a heavy object on top.
6. Leave for two weeks in a cool place.
7. Store in a cellar or basement, covered with plastic or cling film.

Important! For preparation, use well or bottled water. The water must be clean, without impurities, otherwise the brine will turn out cloudy and sour. If you use tap water, first filter it and infuse it with silver.

Salting the old fashioned way: recipe for barrel cucumbers

Barrel snacks have a crispy taste. For cooking, small greens with thin skin are used.

List of ingredients:

• 1 kg of cucumbers;
• 2 liters of water;
• 120 g rock salt;
• 3 bay leaves;
• dill umbrellas;
• 2 leaves of horseradish;
• 5 cherry leaves;
• 5 currant leaves;
• 7 black peppercorns;
• cloves to taste.

How to cook:

1. Rinse the cucumbers and soak for three hours in cold water.
2. Place cherry and currant leaves and bay leaves at the bottom of the bucket.
3. Place cucumbers tightly on top, add garlic cloves, dill, black pepper and cloves.
4. Prepare a brine from water and salt, pour into a bucket.
5. Place under pressure for five days in a cool place. The appetizer is ready.

Pickling without vinegar - cucumbers, like barrels, for storing in an apartment

The dish can be easily stored at home at room temperature.It remains tasty and healthy and does not lose its qualities.

What you will need:

• 2 kg of cucumbers;
• 3 liters of water;
• 30 g coarse non-iodized salt;
• 5 horseradish leaves;
• 5 currant leaves;
• 5 cherry leaves;
• 5 walnut leaves;
• 2 pods of hot pepper;
• horseradish root to taste.

Cooking technology:

1. Wash the cucumbers and soak for a day in cold water.
2. Finely chop the hot pepper and horseradish root.
3. Place some leaves and a layer of cucumbers at the bottom of the bucket. Place horseradish and pepper between the cucumbers.
4. Place a final layer of leaves and fill with brine. Organize oppression and leave for five days.
5. Pour the brine into a saucepan, discard the herbs and spices. Rinse the cucumbers in cold water.
6. Place in a clean bucket. Boil the brine and pour it over the cucumbers.
7. Store covered in the apartment or on the balcony.

Sequence of cold pickling cucumbers in jars with vodka

The original recipe with vodka is easy to prepare. Vodka serves as a preservative, preserving the taste and vitamin composition of the fruit.

What you will need:

• 2 kg of cucumbers;
• 40 ml vodka;
• 3 dill umbrellas;
• 10 cherry leaves;
• 1.5 liters of water;
• 75 g salt.

How to cook:

1. Wash the cucumbers, pour boiling water over them and soak in cold water.
2. Place in a bucket, alternating with herbs.
3. Mix vodka and water with salt and pour into a bucket.
4. Organize the oppression and leave for two days in a cool place.

With apples, pumpkin and grape leaves

This interesting cooking recipe is popular among experienced housewives and novice cooks. The dish looks appetizing and decorates the festive table.

What you will need:

• 500 g cucumbers;
• 500 g pumpkin;
• 500 g apples;
• 10 lemongrass leaves;
• 10 grape leaves;
• 1 liter of water;
• 50 g sugar;
• 50 g salt.

Cooking method:

1. Pour boiling water over apples and cucumbers. Peel the pumpkin and cut into cubes.
2. Place everything tightly in a bucket on a bed of leaves.
3. Prepare the brine by mixing salt and sugar and pour into a bucket.
4. Leave under pressure for four days.
5. Store in a cellar or basement.

Interesting! Pumpkin contains fiber and beta-carotene, which has a positive effect on eye health and improves mood. Apples are rich in iron and calcium, microelements strengthen bones and improve immunity. Grape and lemongrass leaves, rich in essential oils, give the dish a piquant aroma and taste.

Secrets of crispy pickling

To make cucumbers crispy, use varieties with dark pimples - Siberian pickling, Zozulya, Murashka. Vegetables should be the same length, elastic, without damage. It is recommended to taste them - they should not be bitter or watery.

The cucumbers will not turn out crispy and without leaves. Currant, cherry, and grape leaves are used. The best ingredient for such dishes is oak leaves or a piece of oak bark. They contain tannins - substances that give greens their crunch and spicy barrel aroma.

This is interesting:

Best methods for pickling green tomatoes in a bucket.

Top 10 best recipes for pickling tomatoes in a barrel.

The best recipes for pickling sweet cucumbers in jars for the winter.

How to store

Cucumbers retain their benefits and taste at temperatures from 0° to +1°C and humidity no more than 90%. The ideal place for storage is a dry cellar or basement. Storage near a battery or other heat sources, in frost or open sun is not allowed. For storage at home, a pantry or dark kitchen cabinet is suitable. Before use, cool the cucumbers in the refrigerator for two hours.

The storage period depends on the recipe. The average period is 6–8 months.If the brine becomes cloudy and sour, it means the snack has spoiled and should not be consumed.

Important! It is not recommended to transfer cucumbers from a bucket to another container - this will quickly spoil them.

Conclusion

Winter cucumber pickles are prepared in plastic or enamel buckets. Salt, sugar, pepper, garlic, parsley are used as spices. Oak and currant leaves add a special aroma to the dish.

Before cooking, cucumbers are thoroughly washed and soaked in cold water. Store snacks in a cellar or basement, under an airtight lid or cling film. Cool before serving.