The best recipes on how to pickle cucumbers in a plastic bucket for the winter and recommendations for storing such blanks

Pickled cask cucumbers have a unique flavor that cannot be confused with anything. For this reason, many housewives are beginning to think about preparing similar pickles in an apartment environment. The problem of the lack of a barrel and a place for its storage is solved by the method of pickling cucumbers for the winter in plastic buckets.

Features of pickling cucumbers for the winter in plastic buckets

Before you start pickling cucumbers in a plastic bucket, check out the specifics of this process:

1. Use only fresh fruits of the same size without damage or signs of disease.
2. Examine the bucket carefully for chips or cracks.
3. To activate the fermentation process, place containers with pickles in a dark room with a temperature of 8-12 ° C.
4. Keep the cucumber in brine for at least 3 days.

Pay special attention to the choice of cucumbers... Discard too large and overripe specimens. For salting, juicy fruits without voids and large seeds are suitable, and their peel should not be covered with thorns and large pimples.

Reference. The ideal choice is cucumbers 10-13 cm long. They contain the optimal amount of sugar and lactic acid to activate the fermentation process.

Which buckets are suitable

When choosing a bucket, pay attention to its integrity. Inspect the bottom and walls of the container in advance in order to notice cracks in time. If you plan to store the workpieces in the apartment, purchase special buckets with lids. From hermetically sealed containers, the bright aroma of pickles will not be able to spread throughout the house.

Attention! Enamel buckets are also good for pickling cask cucumbers at home.

Advantages and disadvantages of pickling cucumbers in a bucket

Pickling cucumbers in a bucket is no different from pickling them in wooden barrels. Moreover, this the procedure has several advantages:

• saving money (buckets are cheaper than barrels);
• plastic containers do not take up much space;
• ready-made vegetables are not inferior to barrel vegetables in their taste;
• ease of preparation;
• a large number of different recipes and salting methods.

But in addition to the merits, salting in buckets also has some disadvantages... These include:

1. After fermentation, mold can form on the surface of the brine. In this case, just remove it, and distribute the cucumbers in sterilized jars and roll up.
2. Some chefs believe that harmful substances are released from the plastic that can poison the snack. Choose containers made of food grade material and you will not face a similar problem.

Attention! Pickled cucumbers are healthier than pickled cucumbers, since vinegar is not used for their preparation. This preservation method involves the use of natural fermentation caused by a natural substance from the composition of cucumbers - lactic acid.

The best recipes

Among the variety of recipes for pickling cucumbers in plastic buckets, every gourmet can find an option for himself to taste.

Cucumbers "Like barrel"

Lovers of old recipes will certainly want to cook the classic version of pickles in an oak barrel. In modern realities, not everyone has such a capacity, but you should not be upset, because this recipe will always help you out.

Composition:

• cucumbers - 1 bucket;
• water - about 5 liters;
• rock salt - 1 tbspspoon for 1 liter of water;
• leaves of grapes, currants and horseradish - 2-3 pieces each;
• garlic - 10 cloves;
• peppercorns - 10 pieces;
• dill umbrellas - 6 pieces;
• oak sticks - 4-6 pieces.

Attention! The cubes can be replaced with a small amount of oak bark.

Cooking method:

1. Rinse the cucumbers well and remove the tails, then cover with cold water for 5-8 hours.
2. Dissolve the salt in water, keep in mind that the required amount of brine depends on the amount of vegetables and the size of the bucket.
3. Place the container with the brine on the stove, throw allspice and garlic cloves into it, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Place half of the dill umbrellas and fragrant leaves on the bottom of the bucket.
5. Fill the container with cucumbers, place them horizontally to the bottom.
6. Cover the vegetables with the remaining herbs and place the oak sticks over it.
7. Fill the bucket to the brim with slightly cooled brine.

Keep the workpieces in a cool place, for example, in the basement. The first sample can be removed after 3 weeks.

Other ways to prepare cucumbers for the winter:

Crispy cucumbers without sterilization: salting methods

Recipes for delicious sliced ​​cucumbers pickled in jars

Delicious crispy pickled cucumbers in jars without sterilization

Garlic recipe

Cucumbers will turn out to be very aromatic and crunchy if you pick them up according to the following recipe. For this need to prepare:

• cucumbers - 8 kg;
• spring water - 5 l;
• salt - 300 g;
• garlic - 4 heads;
• dill umbrellas - 8 pieces;
• horseradish root - 50 g;
• oak, blackcurrant and cherry leaves - 10-15 pieces each;
• horseradish leaves - 3 pieces.

Salting algorithm:

1. Pour cucumbers with cold water.
2. While the fruits are soaking, wash and dry the bucket, peel the garlic.
3. After 6 hours, remove the fruit from the water and rinse well.
4. Fill a bucket with cucumbers, place dill umbrellas, horseradish root pieces and garlic teeth in between layers.
5. The very last (top) layer of the fruit should be 7-10 cm below the level of the full bucket.
6. Cover it with leaves and fill with a brine of clean water and salt.
7. Cover the cucumbers filled with brine with a wide plate or a wooden circle, and then press down with some kind of weight, for example, a large stone.
8. After 5-7 days, pack the snack into cans, fill it with the same brine and roll up.

Attention! To extend the shelf life, cucumbers are distributed in sterilized jars and poured with boiled brine. But at the same time the product loses its original taste and ceases to be crispy.

Hot pickles with hot peppers

Spicy food lovers will appreciate the following recipe pickling cucumbers in buckets:

1. Divide the bunches of parsley and dill umbrellas into 2 parts. Put the bottom of the container first, place a small pod of hot pepper and a few cloves of garlic there.
2. Fill a bucket with cucumbers, place them vertically.
3. Alternate each row of vegetables with garlic, currant and horseradish leaves, and hot pepper pods.
4. Cover the last layer of cucumbers with the remaining herbs.
5. Dissolve 400 g of salt in 5 liters of drinking water, boil, cool until warm and fill the vegetables with the resulting liquid.
6. Place a plate or a bucket lid on top, put a load on it.
7. After a week, you can taste the cucumbers for readiness.

Attention! The amount of hot pepper depends on the desired degree of pungency. You can cut one pod into wedges and place them between layers of cucumbers.

Cold salting

Cold salting - the easiest way to prepare vegetables for the winter, even novice cooks can handle it.

The amount of ingredients is calculated for a 5L bucket:

• cucumbers - how much will fit into the container (about 2.5-3 kg);
• cherry leaves - 10 pieces;
• black and allspice pepper - 15 peas;
• garlic - 8 teeth;
• salt - 5 tbsp. heaped spoons;
• horseradish leaves - 6 pieces.

The recipe does not require boiling brine, cucumbers are salted according to the following scheme:

1. The bucket is carefully filled with cucumbers, alternating with leaves and other spices.
2. Add water to a glass of salt and stir until completely dissolved, and then pour it over the vegetables.
3. Drinking water is added to the container (to the brim).
4. Cover with a plate and leave to ferment for 4-5 days.
5. Close with a lid and store in a cold place.

Read also:

Delicious, crispy, pickles with vodka for the winter in cans

Cold pickling recipes for cucumbers for storage in an apartment

Pickled cucumbers with bell pepper

An assortment of vegetables from cucumbers and sweet bell peppers is not a shame to put on the festive table. It is prepared as follows:

1. 5 kg of vegetables, wash well and dry, coarsely chop the peppers.
2. Dissolve 400 g of salt in 8 liters of water, add 6 bay leaves, a bunch of parsley, 10 allspice peas and bring to a boil.
3. Place the cucumbers and peppers in a bucket and cover with hot, but not boiling brine.
4. Cover with a lid and send to ferment in a room with an air temperature of 18-20 ° C for 3-4 days.

How to store blanks

It is best to store pickled cucumbers in buckets in a dark place at a temperature of + 1 ... + 5 ° С. Suitable for this:

• cellar;
• basement;
• glazed balcony (in autumn-winter);
• refrigerator.

To save space ready-made vegetables can be distributed in glass jars and filled with the same brine.

Attention! Store the workpieces in a cool place immediately after the brine becomes cloudy.

Tips from experienced housewives

Even in such a simple matter as pickling cucumbers in buckets, there are subtleties. Tricks will help you get a tasty and high-quality snack experienced housewives:

1. Use vegetables with thin skin and small pimples; salad varieties are not suitable for pickling.
2. Cut off the "butts" of purchased cucumbers - it is in them that nitrates accumulate.
3. When cold pickling, do not put currant leaves in the bucket, as they will increase mold growth.
4. To prepare the brine, take only rock salt, fine and iodized cucumbers will soften.
5. Vegetables placed vertically in a bucket are better salted and crispier.

Conclusion

Pickled cucumbers in buckets are prepared without preservatives, adding vinegar, so they retain all the beneficial properties and remain crispy. The variety of different recipes allows everyone to choose the appetizer to their liking.