Simple and tasty ways to dry pickle cucumbers in a jar, bag and barrel

Pickles have been and remain a favorite product in many families. However, not everyone has the opportunity or desire to spend a lot of time canning and making brine. An alternative to the usual method of harvesting fruits is dry pickling.

What is dry pickling of cucumbers

Dry salting is a preservation method in which the product is rubbed or generously sprinkled with salt.

Most often, fish, meat, lard and cabbage are prepared this way, but this way you can pickle and cucumbers.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of dry salting:

• quick and easy - no need to cook the brine;
• reduction of salting time - pickles are eaten within half an hour, a maximum of 2-3 days;
• vegetables retain their original green color.

Disadvantages of this method:

1. You need much more salt than for brine. If it takes only 60 g of salt to prepare brine for 1 kg of cucumbers, then for dry pickling it takes 250-300 g for the same number of fruits.
2. With the dry method, there is always a risk of oversalting the fruits. They will have to be soaked in water before use, constantly testing for salt. Its excess is harmful to people with hypertension.
3. Dry salting does not lead to the formation of lactic acid, which preserves the product and is beneficial for the body. Dry-salted cucumbers can be stored for no more than a month.

Recipes for dry pickling cucumbers in a jar for the winter

When dry pickling cucumbers, the same herbs, spices and herbs are used as with the brine method.Salt draws out the flavor from these products; cucumbers absorb it, enriching the taste with new notes.

Attention! Salt is used only coarsely ground and without adding iodine. Otherwise, the cucumbers will soften and acquire an unpleasant aftertaste.

Classic quick method with herbs and spices

For 2 kg of cucumbers you need:

• a large bunch of dill;
• 600 g salt;
• 10 black peppercorns;
• 5 bay leaves.

Step-by-step cooking guide:

1. Trim the vegetables on both sides and pierce them with a fork in several places.
2. Finely chop the dill and break the bay leaf into small pieces. Mix salt with dill, pepper and bay leaves.
3. To the bottom banks Place the fruits tightly and sprinkle them with salt and spices, gently shaking the jar to evenly distribute the products and fill the empty space.
4. Leave at room temperature for several hours to allow the salt to settle. After this, fill the voids with the remaining salt. Close the jars with plastic lids and place in a cool place.
5. Before eating, soak the cucumbers in cool water for one day. Change the water several times.

Recipe with tarragon and garlic

Products for a three-liter jar:

• 1.5 kg of fruits;
• 300 g salt;
• a sprig of tarragon;
• 5 cloves of garlic;
• other spices to taste.

How to cook:

1. Trim the cucumbers and pierce them with a fork.
2. Chop the garlic, remove the leaves from the tarragon, mix with salt.
3. Place the food in the jar like this: a layer of vegetables, a layer of salt with spices, a layer of vegetables. Repeat until top containers. If there is any salt left, sprinkle on top.
4. Shake the jar vigorously but gently. Let stand for 2-3 hours at room temperature and put in the refrigerator or cellar.

Cucumbers with coriander and dry mustard

Ingredients for 1 kg of fruit:

• 5 tbsp. l. salt without a slide;
• 2-3 garlic cloves;
• 2 tsp each dry mustard and coriander;
• 1 bunch of dill and parsley;
• ground black pepper or a mixture of peppers.

Preparation:

1. Cut the fruits into bars or circles.
2. Chop the garlic and herbs.
3. Mix salt with seasonings.
4. Place vegetables and spiced salt in jars, close the lids, shake.
5. Keep refrigerated.

Recipe with currant and cherry leaves

Prepare ingredients:

• 1 kg of small cucumbers;
• 7.5 tbsp. l. salt;
• 7.5 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 2 cloves of garlic;
• 5-10 leaves of currant and cherry;
• add a few horseradish leaves if desired.

Equal amounts of salt and sugar in this recipe will speed up the pickling of cucumbers.

Process step by step:

1. Wash the cucumbers, soak them, cut them and pierce them in several places.
2. Wash and dry the leaves of fruit trees and horseradish.
3. Cut the garlic into thin slices. Mix sugar and salt.
4. Line the bottom of the jar with some leaves and place cucumbers on top. Add the garlic and a mixture of salt and sugar, then the fruits, and add the mixture again. Continue to the top of the jar.
5. Close the container and place in a cool place. Cucumbers are ready in 2-3 days.

How to cook lightly salted cucumbers using the dry method

To pickle 2 kg of vegetables you will need:

• 4 tbsp. l. salt;
• 2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 2 heads of garlic;
• 4 bay leaves;
• dried dill to taste;
• If desired, add fresh cilantro or fennel.

Preparation steps:

1. If using greens, chop finely. Add herbs, sugar and spices to the salt and mix.
2. Wash the cucumbers, but do not wipe them, cut the garlic into thin slices.
3. Dip vegetables in the salt mixture and place in a container. Due to the fact that the cucumbers are wet, the salt will stick to them better. Place garlic, bay leaf and dried dill on top. So fill the entire container.
4. You can put cilantro and fennel on top.It will add flavor to the top layers of cucumbers.
5. Close the container and put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours. Lightly salted cucumbers are ready.

Dry pickling of cucumbers in a bag

This method is convenient because you do not need to wash and sterilize containers for vegetables, and the bag itself does not take up much space in the refrigerator. Use a durable plastic bag or several thin disposable bags placed on top of each other.

Products for pickling cucumbers in a package:

• 1 kg of vegetable;
• 1 tbsp. l. salt;
• 1 tbsp. l. Sahara;
• 3 garlic cloves;
• a bunch of any greenery.

Preparation:

1. Finely chop the garlic and herbs, mix with salt and sugar.
2. Place the cucumbers in a bag and add the salt mixture. Tie the bag and turn it over in your hands so that the dry brine evenly covers all the vegetables.
3. Leave the bag in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

Store cucumbers in the refrigerator in the same bag. The longer they lie in dry brine, the more salted they become.

Dry salting in a barrel

Suitable for pickling wooden barrel from linden or oak. Plastic can give products an unpleasant taste, and metal can transfer harmful substances into the product.

Ingredients for the barrel:

• 10 kg of cucumbers;
• 3 kg salt;
• If desired, you can add spices and herbs in a total amount of 5% of the weight of the fruit.

Salting process:

1. Wash the cucumbers, trim both ends and pierce them in several places. Place them in a barrel in dense vertical rows. Sprinkle salt and spices on top.
2. Repeat until the edge of the barrel. The top layer should be salt.
3. Place the barrel in a dark, cool place for 3-4 days.

Useful tips on the topic

There are several tricks that will help make pickles tastier:

1. For dry pickling, choose special pickling cucumber varieties. A lightly salted can be made from young cucumbers or gherkins.
2. Before pickling, it is recommended to soak vegetables in water, changing it periodically. This will freshen the fruit and retain its crunch.
3. You can add juice and zest to the salt. lemon or lime. They will give the fruits a piquant taste.
4. During the salting process, shake the bag or container periodically so that the fruits are salted evenly.
5. Finely chop the greens used for pickling, and then squeeze out a little juice using a mortar. This way the fruits will better absorb the aroma of the herbs.
6. Use garlic in moderation, as too much of it reduces the crunch of the fruit.
7. To get spicy cucumbers, just pickle them along with a pod of red pepper. First remove the seeds and cut it into several pieces.

Conclusion

Dry pickled cucumbers are slightly inferior to pickled cucumbers. However, dry salting saves time, which is now a valuable resource. The speed of salting allows you to get a delicious snack for lunch or dinner.

There is no need to use special containers; sometimes it is enough to take a plastic bag. The dry salting method is not much different from the brine method and also allows you to enrich the recipe with herbs and spices.