OGÓRKI KISZONE (POLISH PICKLES)

 

Here we consider vinegar to be the key ingredient in pickles, however another method from Eastern Europe is to preserve in brine, but they are still called 'pickles'. Food preservation methods were vital for long cold Winters and such 'pickles' are loved from Russia to Romania, I was told that giant vats of pickles were made in Eastern Europe by hotels and restaurants who were all proud of their own individual spice mix combinations. Pickling was probably commonplace here in the UK in our grandparents time, maybe we should bring the tradition back.

So in a Polish supermarket the other day I saw bunches of dill attached to a garlic clove and something else I couldn't identify, next to a big box of cucumbers/gherkins that were about 12 cms long, On enquiry I was told it was horseradish that I couldn't recognise, I said that I was hoping to make dill pickle soup, and left with the bundle of herbs, which at the time I thought was for stock, and a bag of gherkins, plus lovely rye bread, kabanos, the Finlanda vodka bottle smiled at me but I left her where she was. Anyway as the picture above it turned out to be a herb pickle kit. and several 'You Tube' tutorials later...

So if you fancy a go at this apart from dill, garlic, horseradish you need to add - optional extras such as bay, chillies, allspice berries, mustard seeds, and if you have some leaves from a black current bush or cherry tree add them too (these leaves are supposed to keep the gherkins crunchy). For the brine dissolve 20 gm of salt per litre of hot water. Pour the brine over the ingredients and leave for a couple of days, covered, then bottle. 

Apparently the preserved veg will stay good for a long time, but can be eaten after just a few more days. At press, so to speak, my bottles of gherkins remain on the shelf, and I anticipate that they will be great...  

Then please can I have a glut of baby gherkins in the green house this summer...