Gherkin – Cucumis Sativus (same family as the cucumber)

Today I was lucky enough to have been given this beautiful gherkin plant. As you can see, the plant already has a few gherkins developing.

I have never grown a gherkin plant before and am really looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Gherkin Plant

The person that gave me the gherkin plant also gave me the following pickling instructions:
1. Pick gherkins daily at desired size;
2. Lay the gherkins on a flat dish and cover with a generous amount of salt;
3. Leave overnight, then remove from the salt and rinse in plenty of cold water;
4. Wipe with a cloth to remove spikes;
5. Pack into jars;
6. Sprinkle with half a teaspoon of caster sugar;
7. Add 2 bay leave and fill jars with white wine vinegar;
8. Store for about a month before using.

I can’t wait for the to grow so I can pickle and eat them.