World Cuisines: Pickles (Poland)

Polish people love pickles. There are many slightly different recipes for picked cucumbers. Two major ways of pickling are: fermenting and vinegar pickling. Both make delicious but unique pickles. The easier of the two (at least for me) is fermenting, so that's the recipe I'll give you today. For pickling you need to use gherkins. The best are small ones, freshly picked. Don't buy them if they are already pliable, out of season or not naturally grown. They are usually pickled in glass jars or in ceramic barrels. Now to the recipe.

Ingredients:
6-10 gherkins (depends on size)
1-2 medium garlic clove
1 tbsp salt
1 dill crown (from a mature dill plant)
1 horseradish leaf or 1 inch peeled horseradish root
2-3 cups boiling water
1 1-liter glass jar with top

Preparation:
- Put the salt and garlic on the bottom of the jar.
- Put the dill and horseradish leaf to the side inside the jar.
- Put the gherkins standing straight up in the jar. Usually there will be a lower layer and an upper layer. They can be tightly packed but not cracked, smashed or broken.
- Carefully fill up the jar with boiling water.
- Using a kitchen cloth, close the jar tightly. Remember the jar will be very hot.
- Check if the top is not leaking by turning the jar upside down a few times. This also will help to distribute and dissolve the salt.

- Put the prepared jar on a tray in a warm or sunny and warm place. It can be on a balcony or patio, inside by the windowsill or by the stove. The water will start changing from clear into blurred. This is normal.
- Turn upside down once a day (just the first few days) to mix the ingredients.
- They will be ready to eat after 2-3 days but if you wait longer, the flavor will be different. Find your favorite. They should survive the whole winter in a cool, dark place and will be delicious even next spring.
Just a note: During the fermenting, gas will be created. You might see bubbles or hear gas coming out of the jar (even with some water which might stain). The pickles will change color from bright green into dull/yellowish green. All of this is normal.

Smacznego!