Mmmm...cornichons. Oh...gherkins. I like to say your names. I love how your vinegary taste and crunchy texture excite the palette, especially in between bites of rich charcuterie. The tiny cucumbers needed to make cornichons are difficult to find raw. To fulfill my homemade pickle desires, I did what any self-respecting homestead would do: grow my own.

I started with Parisian Pickling Cucumber seeds from Seed Savers Exchange. Last year the plants grew a little and produced just enough cucumbers for a single jar of cornichons before rust withered the plant away.

This year, I planted six seeds from the same packet our sunniest compost rich raised bed. The plants are ten feet long, trellising on anything that stands still, and covered with hundreds of yellow flowers.

Each flower matures into a bitty cucumber overnight. Given another 24 hours, the cucumber is perfect for cornichon making. If left un-picked, the cucumber grows to 8-inch long relish-making size in another 24 hours. This rapid development seems magical, as is the camouflaging effect of all those green leaves hiding the cucumbers.

I pick off the correctly sized cucumbers daily and store them in the fridge. When I have 8 to 10 collected, Lil and I wash and pickle them with this simple recipe. Pickling is great for young cooks because they can stuff the jars and count the spices. If all goes well, we will have a stash of jars in the larder before winter.

I created this recipe based on several versions I found in cookbooks. It is tart but not too tart and rich with spices. Many recipes call for salting the cucumbers overnight and rinsing them to ensure a crisp pickle. Because these babies are so tiny, I skip this step and they are plenty crunchy for me. If you have access to fresh grape leaves, tossing in one per jar is reported to help the texture of pickles.

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Homemade Cornichons for each half pint jar

2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 cup white vinegar 1/3 cup water 5-8 whole 2-4 inch cucumbers, washed thoroughly with spines rubbed off 1 clove garlic, peeled 1 small bay leaf 1/2 tablespoon pepper corns 2 whole cloves 1 bay leaf 1 fresh grape leaf, washed, optional

1. Heat salt, vinegar, and water in a pot over medium heat until boiling. 2. Pack cucumbers into a sterilized jar with peeled garlic clove. Sprinkle spices over cucumbers. 3. Pour boiling vinegar brine into the jar, leaving 1/4 inch head space. 4. Wipe rim and place new lid on the jar. Finger tighten a ring on the jar and place in a hot water bath. 5. Boil in hot water for 15 minutes. Remove from water bath and allow to cool to room temperature.

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Added to Simple Lives Thursday 53 and Punk Domestics.

I am a mad woman harvesting Parisian pickling cucumbers every morning and night. I want them at exactly 2-3 inches in length to make into cornichons. Too small and they aren't worth processing. Much larger and the skin is bitter. But try as I might, little cukes camouflage themselves under umbrella green leaves. Seemingly overnight, they turn into big honkin' cucumbers. They can't be eaten raw and will not make pleasant pickles with thick sharp skin.

I enjoyed this cool pallete cleanser between bites of homemade hot dog (recap of the hotdog making fiasco tomorrow), though I'm not typically a relish eater. The texture is pleasantly crisp and the flavor mildly spicy.

I'm not sure how I feel about the yellow hue given by the tumeric. If Chicago can have fluorescent green relish, maybe Ohio yellow relish is ok?

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Fresh Cucumber Relish makes approximately 1 1/2 pints

3 cups cucumber peeled, seeded, and minced 1/4 cup onion, minced 3 tablespoons kosher salt 3 cups water 1 cup vinegar 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon tumeric 1/2 teaspoon celery seed 1/4 teaspoon caraway seed 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1. Place onions and cucumber in a bowl. Top with salt and water and rest in fridge for 2-6 hours. 2. Drain liquid. 3. Place onions, cucumber, vinegar, sugar, and spices in a pot. Heat to boil over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the liquid begins to reduce. 4. Meanwhile, sterilize 3 half pint jars, 3 lids, and 3 rings. 5. Ladle hot relish into sterilized jars. Wipe rim, top with lids and rings. Place in hot water bath and process for 15 minutes. 6. Cool to room temperature. Label and store in a cool dry place until ready to use. After opening, store in fridge for 3-4 weeks.

[/print_this] Added to Simple Lives Thursday 52 and Punk Domestics.