11 Best Recipes for Cold Pickling Cucumbers in a Bucket for Winter

Cold pickling of fresh cucumbers in a bucket — is the best way to get very flavorful and crunchy snacks. But it's important to understand that such qualities can only be achieved by strictly following the recipe. The most delicious preserves are made with garlic sauce, black pepper, pickled on bread, with vodka, and with bell pepper. You can also try truly unusual ones—with grape leaves, pumpkin, and apples.

The pros and cons of pickling cucumbers in a plastic bucket

If the hostess had fermented it before cucumbers in a barrel, she won't notice much of a difference when fermenting in a plastic bucket. Preparing snacks in a plastic bucket has the following advantages:

• It saves space - it's difficult to place a barrel in an apartment; you have to take it out onto the balcony, but a plastic bucket can be put in the refrigerator;
• You save money - a plastic bucket is very inexpensive, and it is often left over from food products; if you compare its purchase with buying an oak barrel, it will be significantly cheaper;
• Easy to prepare - every housewife understands that placing cucumbers, even small ones, in a jar or barrel with sloping edges is quite difficult, but it is very easy to display them in a bucket.

There are virtually no drawbacks. The only caveat is that the plastic the bucket is made of must be of high quality. Otherwise, an unpleasant chemical smell will appear, which will spoil the dish.

Specifics of cooking the dish

The question often arises, Can cucumbers be pickled?, which have already wilted a little. Actually, yes, but they need to be prepared first:

• wash in warm water;
• Place in a bowl of cold water for an hour.

You can add a little ice. This will help the cucumbers quickly become crisp and fresh, and will stay that way when pickled.

Previously, cold pickling was done only in oak barrels. However, this method is no longer practical, primarily due to the high cost of such barrels and the impossibility of storing them.

You can use a regular bucket - the flavor is not lost at all.

But you need to choose a high-quality bucket, one with thick walls and unpainted. A regular metal bucket will do, but it must be enameled and free of chips.

Keeping cucumbers fragrant, fresh, and crisp at the same time is quite challenging. Much depends not only on the container but also on the ingredients. You need to choose the freshest cucumbers possible, and the other ingredients should also be of high quality.

The buckets are carefully prepared immediately before placing the cucumbers in them. Rinse them in hot water without baking soda. Then rinse the solution under running water, rinse, and set aside on a clean towel to drain. A few minutes before placing the vegetables in, rinse them again with boiling water and let them dry completely.

Selecting and preparing vegetables

Particular attention must be paid to food preparation, as the final result depends on it—the taste of the cucumbers, whether they retain their texture and crunch, and whether the jars will bulge. Unripe cucumbers, approximately 12-13 centimeters long but no more than 15 centimeters (overripe cucumbers can become bitter), are ideal. Ideally, cucumbers should be harvested during the first or second harvest.

Salad cucumbers won't work—they have quite thick skin. It's better to choose thin-skinned varieties with bright, visible pimples. Avoid those that are crushed, have yellow spots, or have any other defects.

These will not only give a bad taste, but will also spoil the entire jar.

Preparation is fairly simple. First, wash the cucumbers, let them soak in water if necessary, and then remove the stems. Prepare the other ingredients needed for the cold pickling recipe.

Delicious recipes for the winter

Take one of these recipes.

The classic method for preparing lightly salted cucumbers for 10 liters

You will need:

• up to 8 kg of cucumbers - quantity and weight vary depending on size;
• 1 tbsp. coarse salt per liter of composition;
• 2 large leaves of horseradish, currant and grapes;
• dill and garlic to taste.

First, prepare the brine. Add 1 tablespoon of salt per liter of boiling water. Place the greens on the bottom of the brine, then arrange the cucumbers horizontally. Add garlic and other spices. Then pour in the slightly cooled brine. Refrigerate until fermentation begins. It's recommended to wash the finished vegetables, cover them with boiled brine again, and seal them in jars. This will keep them for several years. But this is not at all necessary - cucumbers without rolling up are suitable for eating for about 7-8 months.

Recipe with garlic sauce

For a ten-liter jar you need:

• 7-8 kilograms of vegetables;
• up to 5 liters of purified water;
• 8 tbsp coarse salt;
• 4 heads of garlic;
• horseradish leaves, currants, cherries, dill umbrellas, black pepper.

The fruits are laid out horizontally at the bottom of the jar, and the layers are mixed with garlic and plant leaves, but very carefully. Meanwhile, prepare the garlic marinade: as usual, but add 3-4 cloves of garlic, pressed first, per liter of mixture. Pour the aromatic garlic marinade over the mixture and refrigerate.

Spicy cucumbers with pepper

You can also make flavorful pickles in a plastic container. The recipe is essentially classic, but you'll need to add fresh, sliced ​​bell peppers and peas at the last step. For a liter of brine, you'll need up to one red hot pepper pod and about 3-4 black peppercorns.

Method of preparation without vinegar

You can pickle delicious vegetables without using vinegar. These turn out very tender and not sour. You'll need:

• 8 kg of cucumbers;
• 1.5 tbsp each of salt and sugar;
• dill umbrellas, currant and horseradish leaves.

Prepare the brine: add salt, garlic, and spices to boiling water. Cool slightly and pour over the vegetables. Leave for 2 days. After this, a white coating will begin to appear on the cucumbers. Wash it off and drain the vegetables in a colander. Meanwhile, bring the brine to a boil and add it to the ingredients arranged inside the container. Cover with horseradish leaves and leave in a dark place to marinate.

Villagers

The key to making rustic cucumbers is that they should taste as close to as possible to those prepared in a barrel. Various seasonings and plant leaves are used. You can use:

• cloves;
• cinnamon;
• viburnum berries;
• horseradish leaves;
• currant leaves;
• cherry leaves;
• red hot pepper pods;
• garlic strips and more.

But the main additional ingredient is oak bark. You only need a small amount, but it will add a vibrant and unique flavor to the dish.

Pickled with bread

These vegetables turn out incredibly crispy. You'll need:

• 8 kg of cucumbers;
• 1 kg of rye bread, Borodinsky, but not white;
• 100 g salt;
• garlic.

Overall, the recipe is classic. The special feature is that it's topped with bread crumbs. During the pickling process, the foam that forms is regularly skimmed off.

Fill it cold with vodka

Vegetables are preserved not only with clean water, but also with vodka. To add salt, you need:

• 7-8 kg of main ingredient;
• 500 ml of water;
• dill umbrellas and horseradish leaves, garlic;
• 100 g coarse salt;
• 10 g of vodka.

First, cucumbers are placed at the bottom of the jar, alternating layers with horseradish leaves, herbs, and garlic. Then salt is added, followed by another layer, and so on. As the brine cools, vodka is added. The mixture is poured over the vegetables and left to ferment.

Fermentation takes up to 5 days, which is longer than in the classic recipe.

Pickled cucumbers with bell peppers in an enamel bucket

They take:

• up to 8 kg of cucumbers;
• salt - 100 grams;
• herbs, spices to taste;
• bell pepper - 4 kilograms.

First, prepare the brine. Add 1 tablespoon of salt per liter of boiling water. Place the herbs on the bottom, then add the cucumbers and sliced ​​bell pepper. Add garlic and other spices. Then pour in the slightly cooled brine. Fermentation takes two days.

Like barrels

Pickled cucumbers will turn out most delicious if you use a barrel. But you can't make this at home. There's a solution: simply add a couple of oak bark blocks to the classic recipe. Of course, you'll need to wash them first.

With apples, pumpkin and grape leaves

Take:

• 4 kg of cucumbers;
• 2 kg of winter apples, hard;
• 2 kg of firm pumpkin;
• classic seasonings, salt, grape leaves.

Overall, the recipe follows the classic algorithm. Quartered apples and pumpkin are arranged in alternating layers.

Crispy cucumbers in a bucket

The crunch will remain if you pour cooled brine over the cucumbers rather than hot. Add vinegar to the vegetables themselves, not to the marinade. Leave them to marinate under a light weight.

How and how long to store winter preparations

The pickled cucumbers will keep in a bucket for up to 8 months. If you store them in a jar, the shelf life will increase to 2 years.