Fermented Polish Dill Pickle Recipe

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Kryz Kociolek | 4 comments

What good is a fermentation crock without a good fermenting recipe?  We know how frustrating it can be when you first start fermenting to track down a recipe to try, especially a recipe that is sized for a 5 liter or 10 liter fermenting crock.  That's why we include a recipe for both pickles & sauerkraut with every crock we ship!  These recipes are translations of the traditional Polish fermenting recipes that Kryz's family would make when he was growing up.

Because we know how hard it can be to keep track of those two little recipe cards, we wanted to share those recipes here on the blog as well.  This week we are featuring our Polish Dill Pickle Recipe.  If you've misplaced your recipe card, or if you're just visiting our website and looking for a new recipe to try, here it is!

 

Polish Dill Pickles (Ogorki Kiszone)

(recipe fits 5 liter crock, for 10 liter just double it)

5-6 lbs of small cucumbers                           1 Tbsp mustard seeds
3 qt. of brine (2 Tbsp salt/quart water)         1 tsp allspice (whole)
6 cloves of garlic (sliced)                              1 Tbsp fresh horseradish root (sliced)    
1/3 bunch of fresh dill (whole)                       a few grape or cherry leafs (optional)                     


Wash the cucumbers and poke a few holes at both ends with a fork or knife.  Prepare the brine by boiling the water and letting it cool, then dissolving the salt in it.  Place the cucumbers in the crock, adding dill, garlic, and spices in between layers of cucumbers.  To help preserve crispness, a few grape or cherry leaves can be added to the crock.  Cover everything with the stone weights and add the brine until it covers the weights.  Fill water seal groove with water and cover with the lid. Keep crock at room temperature for 3-4 days, then move to cooler place.  Pickles can be eaten at any point in the fermentation process.  When desired sourness is reached, remove from crock & refrigerate.  Enjoy!

 

Remember, that fermentation is natural process, and every batch will vary.  This is the standard recipe that we start with, making tweaks and changes to it every time.  Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste and develop your own family recipe!


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4 Responses

Janet
Janet

January 07, 2020

What is the recommended time to leave them fermenting?

Therese Inverso
Therese Inverso

September 13, 2017

I’ve been using horseradish leaves, as suggested in Sandor Katz’s “Wild Fermentation” book.

Emily @StoneCreekTrading
Emily @StoneCreekTrading

November 15, 2016

Russell,
The grape and cherry leaves add tannin which helps to keep your pickles crisp. Some people also use oak tree leaves or even bay leaves. However, you don’t have to use any of them. Personally, we often don’t put them in and our pickles still turn out great!

Russell Hopkins
Russell Hopkins

November 15, 2016

Are there alternatives to using grape or cherry leaves in case you don’t have ready access to them?

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