Has anyone grown gherkins before?

[*onlyme*]

I want to order some gherkin seeds from Marshalls as I fancy pickling them once they have been harvested.

Has anyone grown any before? And any special tips on what to do/not do, add, not add etc?

Many thanks

[BrideXIII]

let me know how you get on, my youngest eats these by the jar, I might have a go it they are not too hard.

[queen of the cobs]

I grew these last year, and they were so easy to grow, just put a dollop of well-rotted manure in the bottom of the bucket and kept them under glass, they romped away. (Treat like cucumbers, I think i fed them once a week when fruiting).

I must say, I didn't have much luck with pickling though, and I tried so many recipes. Just didn't quite taste right, and I couldn't keep them crisp.

[amandaandherveg]

I tried growing them this year, but when I went on my hols my neighbour over watered them and they drowned. Will try again next year, I love gherkins in a cheese sarnie, yum.

[vicky]

I love gherkins too! Do they have to be grown in a greenhouse?

[SlugLobber]

Food of the devil. If I had my way I'd lock you lot up in the tower, for devil-food worshipping!

Is there any way of making them nice? By that I mean other than pickling them?

[Skotch]

I love gherkins too! Do they have to be grown in a greenhouse?

No they can be grown outside. This summer I had 3 plants growing up a trellis - got hundreds (literally!) of small gherkins which I pickled in the traditional Polish way ie brine not vinegar with seed heads of dill and bay leaf, coriander seed and garlic in the brine infusion. They go through a peculiar curing process which doesn't look too good, but the end result is very tasty! And they keep their crunch

[vicky]

No they can be grown outside. This summer I had 3 plants growing up a trellis - got hundreds (literally!) of small gherkins which I pickled in the traditional Polish way ie brine not vinegar with seed heads of dill and bay leaf, coriander seed and garlic in the brine infusion. They go through a peculiar curing process which doesn't look too good, but the end result is very tasty! And they keep their crunch

Thanks! Do you know what variety?

I'd love the recipe, it sounds really tasty!

[SarzWix]

We intended to grow them this year, but just never got round to sowing the seeds . Hopefully next year... And I was under the impression that they needed quite a long brining process to enable them to keep their crunch? I think there's something about them in my 'Home Canning' book, which would mean that they're heat processed in some way... I'll have a look later if I remember

[kernowyon]

we always grow gherkins, the main type we use is an F1 called Regina. for pickling we use packets of spices from Eastern Europe, there are plenty of shops now in Surrey to get them from and we use an 8% alcohol vinegar. it gets put in jars with dill. we grew 8 plants of Regina and 4 of Natalie and had literally hundreds of gherkins. the jars are stacked three high in the bottom of the larder cupboard. (which sounds a lot, but OH eats about two jars a week )

[burnie]

My Dad was Latvian and grew "ridge" cukes and just used them for gerks when small.He used brine and also the more british vinegar.I was weaned on the things,along with sauerkraut(sp) and pickled red cabbage.Halva for afters,which is the only thing I now still eat on a regular basis

[Two_Sheds]

I grew gherkins this year (for my guinea pigs) ... I'd run out of room on the plot though, and stuck them in on top of a weed heap. To my amazement, a couple of them grew to cucumber size, without any care or attention whatsoever.

[Skotch]

Thanks! Do you know what variety?

I'd love the recipe, it sounds really tasty!

Unsure about the variety as they originally came from Poland!

The pickling/brining thing is as follows:

Get a large jar with preferably a plastic lid. Steralise and keep hot. Meanwhile wash the gherkins and rub off the small spines. Pack the gherkins as tightly as possible into the jar (harvest them small about 4" long). It is ok to slice them lenghtwise to fill out the jar. Add about a teaspoon of coriander seed, 1 dill seed head (and root if possible), 2 peeled garlic cloves, 2 bay leaves (Poles also use oak leaves), a couple of allspice berries and a teaspoon of mustard seed (any colour). Prepare a brine using proportions of 1 pint water, 2 level dessertspoons salt (NOT the artificial or table stuff) and 1 heaped dessertspoonful of sugar. Dissolve in boiled water and pour over the gherkins. Loosly screw on the lid and stand on a towel or paer. Each day for probably the next week, the jar will 'ferment' - loosen the lid to relieve the pressure otherwise they could explode! The brine will also turn a bit cloudy. If a mould forms on the surface, don't worry, just skim. They should be ready after a couple of weeks. Great with some Middle Eastern dishes and also sliced lengthways and used as an accompaniment to a good drinking session!! Enjoy

It's worth noting that you can sow the dill and gherkin at the same time so they will be reaby at the same time

[Headbrewer]

This year I grew my first gherkins. After some research I grew some Mexican Sour Gherkins in my polytunnel. These gherkins turned out about 1" long, 1/2"dia with a smooth green and cream skin like a watermelon. They had a wonderful sweet and sour taste and were at their best when they were nearly falling off the plant. Three plants kept us going all year. I did not try pickling them as they apparently don't pickle well.
After a bit more research I am going to try some West Indian Gherkins as apparently they pickle well. I have had to get some seeds all the way from Australia so I really hope they will grow well in this country. Has anyone tried them?

[vegnut]

An interesting thread. I'm hoping to grow some this year myself, so many thanks for all of your interesting thoughts and recipes grapes.