Today we will pickle cucumbers for the winter, like barrel cucumbers, but only by immediately placing them in jars. I am sure that our people began to prepare cucumbers for the winter as soon as they became acquainted with the ability of salt to preserve the harvest. Previously, when glass containers were not even suspected, pickling was done in oak barrels. The appetizer turned out excellent - the cucumbers were strong, hearty, moderately sweet and always crunchy deliciously. An ideal snack for a glass, the best ingredient for salads and vinaigrette. The best thing for cooking pickles in winter.
My neighbor Aunt Galya always buried a barrel of cucumbers in her garden for the winter. And in the spring, as soon as the snow melted, we, who lived nearby, ran to her with bowls for treats. It was divine! The crunch was so loud that you could hear it on the street! Those blessed times are long gone, and you can’t find a barrel these days, and not everyone has cellars. But we have adapted to pickling cucumbers in barrel apartments, which taste very much like the real ones.
