Sour Salt-Brined Cucumbers for Winter in Jars Without Vinegar
Crisp, slightly spicy salted cucumbers with a light tang! These crunchy salted cucumbers are made right in jars. Fragrant cucumbers with a delicate sour note, prepared in a classic rustic style. They are easy to make and everyone will enjoy them!
Updated : 17 March, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
1 kilograms
Cucumber
to taste
Currant leaves
to taste
Oak leaves
to taste
Cherry leaves
to taste
Dill
2 tablespoon
Salt
to taste
Garlic
to taste
Horseradish
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make sour salt-brined cucumbers for winter in jars without vinegar? It is best to use homegrown cucumbers that were picked recently. As a rule, I pick small cucumbers, about 3-5 cm long (about 1.2-2 inches) - they are perfect for serving as a snack. Although I always seal a few jars with larger cucumbers, 9-12 cm long (about 3.5-4.7 inches) - I later use them for pickle soup, as well as for salads and vinaigrettes. If you have store-bought cucumbers and do not know when they were picked, place them in ice-cold water for several hours.
Step 2
Prepare the brine. For 1 liter of water, take 2 tablespoons of salt; for 2 liters, accordingly, take 4 tablespoons. See how many cucumbers you have and prepare the amount of brine based on that. Bring the brine to a boil and cool it completely to room temperature. I recommend using coarse rock salt - it is excellent for pickling.
Step 3
The jars do not have to be sterilized, but they must be washed well. Put garlic into each jar - the amount is up to your taste. The garlic does not have to be peeled; you can simply cut a head of garlic crosswise.
Step 4
Next, wash all the herbs and add them to the jars one by one. First, add the dill umbels. They will give the cucumbers aroma.
Step 5
Add an oak leaf. It is not recommended to use more than one oak leaf per jar. Thanks to the tannins, the cucumbers turn out crisp.
Step 6
A cherry leaf also adds a tart note and aroma.
Step 7
And a horseradish leaf - it is essential. Horseradish also helps keep the cucumbers crisp. You may also want to add a bay leaf, allspice berries, or a chili pepper.
Step 8
Wash the cucumbers. You can trim the ends, but I do not do that. Pack the cucumbers tightly into the jars.
Step 9
Pour in the room-temperature brine.
Step 10
Cover loosely with lids and leave to pickle for 2-3 days.
Step 11
If the room temperature is 22-24°C (72-75°F), then 48 hours will be quite enough. Foam will form on the surface of the cucumbers - it should be removed. The brine should become cloudy.
Step 12
Then pour the brine into a separate container and bring it to a boil. To avoid not having enough brine, add 1 cup of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to the pot.
Step 13
Leave everything in the jars as it is. Pour in the boiling brine. Close with boiled lids or seal the jars. You can also close them with nylon lids. Sterilization is not required. These cucumbers keep very well at room temperature.
Step 14
Enjoy your meal!
Author note
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