Throughout Russia, since ancient times, the secrets of cooper art have been passed down from family to family, from generation to generation, and the skill has improved with each generation. In ancient times, almost every village had its own master - a bocharger or cooper, who was engaged in the manufacture of barrels and wooden dishes. But there were also huge villages that were engaged in this craft, at a time when there was no agricultural work.
Although this technique at first glance seems simple and primitive, each bochard had his own secrets of his craft and each of them got different dishes: for one, it has perfectly regular shapes, with clearly maintained symmetry and not at the expense of strength, but for the other - fragile and unsightly. This suggests one thing, that not only you need to understand well the principle that underlies the manufacturing technology, but also the master must be well versed in wood, choose it correctly, harvest it, dry it, feel it, know its features during processing. Only with such knowledge and taking into account the many subtleties in the process of procurement and manufacturing can you get high-quality cooper products. The specimens that have come down to us from ancient times are a clear confirmation of this!
The profession of a cooper - a master in the production of wooden barrels - is in high demand in a modern country.
This is not surprising, because a wide variety of casks and barrels made from our oak by the hands of our craftsmen are well sold for export not only to other European countries, but also to the Middle East. They are required wherever grapes grow and where grape wines are made. Despite the advent of all sorts of modern technologies, real barrels are made by masters only by hand. Cooper can immediately distinguish it from "machine production."
The best and most reliable are those that are made not according to modern, but according to centuries-old technologies verified by centuries, which ensures special durability. The main thing for the master is good oak wood. One cubic meter of this material costs about $ 600 in our countries. Oak wood is harvested only in winter, when there is less juice in the wood. The oak tree must be at least one hundred and no more than two hundred years old. In no case should the workpiece be put into production immediately - first it must be well dried. And this process is very long.
She has been under open canopies in the air for at least three years. The use of all kinds of "heat guns" and electric dryers is prohibited. Then comes the most important and responsible part of the work - cutting the logs into boards, from which the barrels are made. Only the most experienced craftsmen can handle it. During processing, almost half of the wood goes into shavings and chips. In no case should the prepared boards be glued with ordinary glue. The glue is made from the roots of calamus, which are harvested at certain times of the year. When exactly is the secret of coopers. Then the finished barrels are roasted over a fire, and the degree of roasting is extremely important for the taste of the wine.
All this technology is also kept in deep secrecy and is inherited from grandparents to grandchildren. It is only known that for dry or semi-sweet wines, barrels are fired at a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius, and for whiskey, the wood must be practically charred from the inside. From one cubic meter of oak, two barrels with a volume of 225 liters each and two more 100-liter ones are obtained. Our coopers are also engaged in the repair of old ones. Wine cellar owners do not want to throw them away, as old oak wood also gives a unique taste to wines.
According to their intended purpose, all barrels are divided into jellied ones, intended for the transportation and storage of liquid and semi-liquid products, and dry-type ones, used for storing solid and bulk products.
Filling barrels in terms of density and impermeability are especially dense, special and ordinary. Extra-dense drums are made for storing contents with leakage and volatility properties. They differ from all other barrels by the thickest walls. They are made from high quality hardwood. Steel hoops are placed on them, reinforced profile.
Special barrels for storing and transporting various fats or substances containing fats (mineral and vegetable oils, lubricants, turpentine, sap, drying oil, oil paints) are made mainly of soft hardwood, in some cases of coniferous wood. Ordinary steel hoops are placed on them.
A feature of such barrels for storing fat is the isolation of their inner surfaces with some substance from the contents. To protect the wood from moisture, the outer surface of such barrels is often painted with oil paint.
Ordinary jellied barrels are designed for storage and transportation of various products, which include water (canned vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, jams, tomato puree, preserves, fish, meat in brine, etc.).
The absorption of water and the subsequent swelling of the wood increases the density and impermeability of the barrels. The wall thickness of these barrels is the same as that of the special ones (with the same dimensions and volume).
Barrels intended for storing solid dry products and substances must be sufficiently strong and dense. They are made of soft deciduous or coniferous wood, steel or wooden hoops are placed.
Cooperage products have many names:
Tub - a cylindrical container made of wooden rivets (boards) and covered with metal or wooden hoops. The tub can only be in a standing position. Tub - a small barrel (up to one hundred liters) is a truncated cone.
Shell - a small tub.
Barrel - utensils of a relatively large volume used for permanent or temporary storage of various liquid and bulk substances, as well as for packaging various goods. Barrels come in various shapes, but usually the base, top, and center section of a barrel are circular, with the center section being larger than the base and top.
Barrel - a small barrel (this is how the smallest barrel from a row was usually called).
Jug - a hoop vessel with a jug, high, narrower upwards, with a hinged lid, a carved handle and the same horn, stigma or toe, for kvass and mash; konovka. (Explanatory Dictionary of the Living Great Russian Language by V. Dahl).
Steamer - necessary for a bath. Regardless of what kind of wood the steamer is made of, you can be sure that the steamer will bring you real pleasure from the bath procedure!
Bucket - a small tub with a rope or a handle with a capacity of about ten liters; used for carrying and storing water. A rocker was used to carry the buckets.
Tub - a barrel or tub with two boards extended, into which a carrying stick is passed.
Chan - a large barrel (or tub); as a rule, it is mounted in the ground, intended for sourdough and pickles.
Gang - inverted low tub; used for washing, bathing, feeding and watering livestock.
Since ancient times, the secrets of cooper craft passed from father to son. In the old days, each village or settlement certainly had its own barrel, who was engaged in the manufacture of wooden dishes.
Today, many centuries later, barrels, like coopers' products, have not lost their relevance. Despite the fact that there are a lot of dishes made of glass, earthenware, silver, etc., drinks acquire real taste only when they are prepared and stored in wooden barrels and tubs. Indeed, at the stage of preparation, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks absorb the power of the forest from the tree, allowing us to enjoy an unforgettable aroma .... Try it for yourself and treat your friends to real healing drinks.
How to make cognac
Cognac made from selected white grapes. Isabella is also suitable for making cognac at home, but it is better to take some sort of white sweet grapes. The grapes must be freshly harvested and ripe. The grapes need to be removed from the brushes and grape juice made. Grape skins and seeds will give off their aroma. Sugar can be added to wort, juice, or ready-to-run wine material.
The juice is fermented within a month. The wine material (brew) is distilled twice. The wine material is refined. From nine liters of wine material, 1 liter comes out. cognac alcohol.
Calvados
Calvados is a strong alcoholic French drink made by distilling apple wort and tastes like apple vodka or brandy. The production of Calvados is similar to the production of cognac. I can withstand this drink. Like cognac, it has been in oak barrels for over two years.
In production there are small apples with a strong aroma. If only one grape variety is taken to make wine, then several varieties of apples and pears are needed for Calvados. The drink is made by mixing several different alcohols. This method allows you to preserve the taste of a noble drink, regardless of annual changes in the quality of pears and apples.
Pickled apples according to an old recipe
Hard fruits are used for urination any late and winter varieties of apples, but more often they take Antonov ones. Select ripe and healthy fruits without wormholes and scratches, dark spots. The apples are washed thoroughly. At the bottom of the tub you need to put a thin layer of clean blackcurrant leaves (you don't need to put a lot of leaves, otherwise the apples will quickly sour)
On currant leaves put the apples tightly in 2 layers, then there is a thin layer of cherry leaves, and again apples. Next comes a thin layer of mint (don't overdo it with mint!), Then apples again.
Pickled cucumbers in a tub
The oak tub must be prepared in advance. Before pickling the cucumbers, you need to sort and select medium and small cucumbers, preferably with thin skin. Selected cucumbers must be washed and soaked in cold (preferably spring or well) water for 3-5 hours. Initially soaked cucumbers do not wrinkle or form voids during the pickling process.
All spices must be fresh and clean. We suggest using the following spices for pickling cucumbers in an oak tub: black currant leaves, cherry leaves, horseradish leaves, dill, garlic, pepper, tarragon.
Before salting spices need to be prepared. The garlic is peeled from the scales and finely chopped, and then pounded with a wooden crush. The dill and tarragon are cut in half.
Salted tomatoes
Salt tomatoes best on the same day they are picked from the garden. A barrel or tub should be steamed well with hot water with the addition of spices - dill, tarragon, thyme. Then put the dill, tarragon, horseradish, chilli, garlic on the bottom so that they completely cover it. Place the tomatoes carefully, being careful not to crush or deform them. Since this vegetable is very tender, it should be salted in small barrels - no more than 50 liters in capacity.
When you fill it with tomatoes, place the remaining spices on top, cover with chilled and strained saline solution. Place a wooden circle on top and press it down with a weight (preferably a glass jar of water). This will prevent floating.
Salting watermelons
Only ripe watermelons are suitable for salting. weighing up to 2 kg with a thin crust and juicy pulp. The best period for salting watermelons is mid to late October, as salted watermelons must be stored at lower temperatures, otherwise they will quickly acidify. There are two ways to salt watermelons.
1. After sorting and washing watermelons, to accelerate lactic acid fermentation, pierce the skin in 10-12 places with a wooden needle and place them tightly in prepared barrels. Well-sealed barrels are poured through a tongue-and-groove opening with a solution of sodium chloride (60-80 g per 1 liter of water) and kept at a temperature of about 20 ° C for 2-3 days. The barrels are then placed in a low-temperature room, after topping them up with brine, and the tongue-and-groove opening is tightly sealed with a wooden stopper.
Sauerkraut in an oak barrel
For salting cabbage in barrels, as a rule, you should use late varieties of cabbage, such as Amager 611, Moskovskaya Late, Kharkovskaya Zimnyaya, Yaroslavna.
Prepare the cabbage. Peel the outer green leaves of the cabbage heads to leave a smooth head with tight-fitting leaves. It should also be noted that the removed green leaves should not be thrown away, they can fill the voids between the cabbage heads in the top row of the barrel. Such cabbage leaves can be eaten in a couple of weeks.
Salting cucumbers in barrels
For pickling you need to take late harvest cucumbers. The best raw material for salting - cucumbers 8-15 cm long, that is, unripe fruits with small seed chambers and underdeveloped seeds. Freshly picked cucumbers are soaked, periodically changing the water (no more than 6 hours), and washed. Seasonings are also thoroughly washed. Dill cut into pieces 15-20 cm long. Horseradish roots and garlic cleanse. The prepared seasonings are placed on the bottom of the barrels and on top of the cucumbers. If the barrels hold more than 100 liters, put the seasonings in the middle.
Barrel walls rub with garlic. Cucumbers are placed tightly in barrels: the more cucumbers fit in the dishes, the higher the concentration of lactic acid during fermentation will be and the better the pickles will be preserved.
The Kapelka online store offers a wide range of cooperage products and accessories: barrels and tubs with lids and oppression, various barrels and cuts, corks, wooden and brass taps. We sell cooperage products that have different purposes:
- interior decor;
- storage of products;
- aging of alcoholic beverages.
Salting troughs
Tubs for salting products are made of oak or linden without the use of glue, which makes the products environmentally friendly. For pickling cucumbers, tomatoes, beets, cabbage, berries, mushrooms, apples, fish, meat and other products, it is better to use an oak tub. The product retains the quality of products, their taste and properties for a long time. Oak has antiseptic properties, is resistant to fungi and mold, and produces a tannin that is beneficial to humans in small quantities. The process of salting in oak tubs requires less time and effort than using glass or metal dishes.
Linden tubs are suitable for storing various delicacies, honey, caviar and so on.
You can buy oak and linden tubs, barrels and barrels for pickles from 0.5 to 200 liters from us.
Barrels for alcoholic drinks
For aging alcoholic beverages (wine, cognac, brandy, and so on), barrels made of oak are used. The porous structure of the tree does not release liquid from the inside and allows oxygen to pass through, which creates conditions for the oxidation of the alcoholic beverage. Also, all harmful ethers are weathered through the pores of the tree. It is the oak barrels that give the alcohol a "noble taste".
Our assortment includes oak products in volumes from 1 to 100 liters. Small barrels with a built-in tap and stand are ready to pour drinks, they can be installed on a bar counter or on a table.
Decorative barrels
Wooden barrels of various designs are used for interior decoration. Such decor can often be found in pubs, bars, restaurants. Often, products are used to create an atmosphere in a bath and sauna. They are also installed in the house in the kitchen, in the corridor or in the living room, depending on the idea and style of the rooms.
We sell sections and decorative barrels of up to 200 liters from various types of wood.
