No. 3971 — Cucumbers Salted Inside a Pumpkin
English historical translation of Molokhovets recipe No. 3971 from the 1901 Russian cookbook, retaining original methods and measures.
Choose a small pumpkin, cut off its top neatly and remove the interior, leaving walls at least one vershok thick.
Pack cucumbers inside with layers of tarragon, marjoram, thyme or other preferred herbs, and salt them. The printed proportion is 1½ pounds salt per measure of cucumbers.
Cover with herbs and replace the pumpkin lid, fixing it with slender wooden pegs.
Stand the filled pumpkins upright in a barrel, packing any gaps with more cucumbers.
Pour over cold brine with 1½ pounds salt per vedro water, adding one vedro oak-bark decoction for each two vedros brine.
The original oak-bark liquid uses 1 pound dry oak bark per vedro water and is reduced by one-fifth, measuring the level with a wooden splinter.