Do-it-yourself step-by-step instructions for salting cucumbers in a barrel

Summer ended with a generous harvest of vegetables for our labors. The gardeners and housewives are facing a new challenge - 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 a refrigerator, will deteriorate in a few days. To prevent this from happening, people have long been practicing pickling and pickling cucumbers. With substantial volumes of production, it is more expedient to choose the method of pickling cucumbers in a barrel.

Advantages and disadvantages of salting cucumbers in a barrel

Salting in cooper containers has many advantages over the traditional rolling of pickles in glass jars:

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

As for the shortcomings of salting in a barrel, they are determined by the lack of normal conditions or consumables: it is difficult to find a suitable container, a small amount of harvest, and 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 fermentation and the salt 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 invented by people in the third millennium BC in Mesopotamia and India. In ancient Russia, the first mention of cask cucumbers dates back to the 12th century.

Barrels and cucumbers preparation

Before starting the salting process, prepare the container.

The barrel preparation technology is as follows:

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

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

1. Cucumber harvest sorted by size. Smaller fruits will cook faster and will be crisper.
2. Cucumbers are thoroughly washed and inspected for damage. Only healthy ones are suitable for salting.
3. For better brine penetration and an aesthetic appearance of salting, the ends are cut.
4. Cucumbers are soaked in ice water for several hours. This procedure will keep the cucumber strong and crispy during fermentation.

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

Council. Use late varieties for pickling. The ideal standard for cask pickles is 8-15 cm length, underdeveloped seed chambers and seeds.

Brine recipe

A properly prepared pickle is a guarantee of delicious barrel cucumbers. In any culinary recipe for pickles, a certain amount of salt per volume of water is indicated, but the result does not always meet expectations.

Many housewives forget an important nuance - the size of the pickled fruits affects the amount of salt:

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

Hard well or spring water is considered ideal for making brine. For better salt dissolution, the solution is slightly warmed up and stirred. The choice of natural spices is added to the barrel: black, allspice or hot 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. The required amount of water is boiled in a separate saucepan.

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 a garlic clove.
4. Part of the spices and herbs is placed on the bottom.
5. Prepared cucumbers are placed in a barrel vertically tightly to each other.
6. A layer of herbs and spices is laid on the first row of vegetables and the second row of cucumbers is laid out. This is done with the rest of the crop until the barrel is filled to the top.
7. The barrel is poured with strained brine and closed with a clean lid.
8. On top of the cover, oppression is installed in the form of a heavy stone.

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

Other recipes for salting barrel cucumbers

Over time, people diversified the basic salting 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 cooking.

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, tightly to each other. At the bottom and between the rows of cucumbers there should be a layer of herbs and spices. The last top row of vegetables also ends with a layer of greenery. Close with a lid and put a load on it. For three days they are kept in a warm place, then they are lowered into the basement.

Cold salting

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

Composition:

• 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, cut) are placed vertically in rows in a wooden barrel. To prepare the brine, salt is poured into cold water and stirred with a spoon until completely dissolved. The resulting liquid is poured into cucumbers, covered with a lid and immediately removed into the cold. The oppression is installed on the cover.

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.

Cucumbers "Village style"

We remember what delicious pickles our grandmothers had. 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;
• bitter 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.

Cooking technology is standard. For a 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 cleaned from seed chambers and cut into rings. A third of the prepared herbs and spices are placed on the bottom of the container.

Spread the cucumbers, periodically shaking the wooden container. From above, cover everything with herbs and spices.Pour in brine prepared in a cold way. The cucumbers should be completely covered in liquid. This appetizer is great in a cold place until spring.

Coriander recipe

Spice coriander is the seeds of the plant of the same name, coriander seed. When added to brine, cucumbers acquire a slightly different taste and aroma.

Ingredients:

• cucumbers - 100 kg;
• a 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. Pour with brine and cover 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 the farm. In the room where they plan to store pickles, special conditions must be created:

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

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

Pickling cucumbers in a plastic barrel

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

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

1. The plastic container is filled with water and soaked for two weeks.
2. Then the water is drained and the barrel is washed with hot soda solution.
3. Wipe dry and cover with a cloth until filling with cucumbers.
4. Cucumbers and spices are prepared according to the selected recipe.
5. The brine used to fill the barrels must be cold.
6. Store in a cool place until consumed.

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

Tips & Tricks

Salting cucumbers in a barrel method requires certain knowledge and experience from the hostess. To avoid failures, follow these recipes and tips:

1. To maintain a juicy color, rinse the cucumbers with boiling water and immediately with cold water before salting.
2. If you add mustard seeds to the brine, it will acquire a special aroma, piquant taste and protect the pickles from mold.
3. To protect the finished pickles from spoilage, sprinkle the brine surface 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

No housewife can do without her "secrets and tricks" in the preparation of various dishes. Salting cucumbers in barrels is no exception. Let the invaluable experience accumulated by our grandparents help you preserve the grown crop.