Ogórki kiszone – Polish fermented dill pickles – are how I turn a big summer crop of cucumbers into something crunchy and tasty to enjoy all year. It is cucumber season right now, my allotment is giving me far more than I can eat fresh, so the jars are out.
When you have a lot of one thing, pickling (in Polish, kiszenie) is one of the best ways to save the harvest, and this is how Polish families have done it for generations. There is no vinegar and no hot water bath here – just cucumbers, salt, garlic, dill and horseradish, left to ferment naturally in salted water (brine).
This is a proper traditional Polish recipe, and it gives you a cucumber that stays crunchy and gets a deep, sour, garlicky taste you just cannot buy in a shop jar. Get it right and the jars will happily sit in a cool pantry (spiżarnia) for months. Honestly, they are pyszne – that is Polish for “delicious”.
Love saving the harvest? Try my Korean Cucumber Kimchi for another crunchy ferment, or my Beetroot Kvass for a traditional Slavic fermented drink.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What Are Ogórki Kiszone?
Ogórki kiszone (say oh-GOOR-kee kee-SHOH-neh) are cucumbers fermented in salted water – the true Polish sour pickle. Instead of vinegar, they use the good bacteria that are naturally there. These bacteria turn the sugars in the cucumbers into lactic acid, which gives the sour taste and keeps the pickles good to eat for a long time.
A good kiszony ogórek stays crunchy and gets a deep, sour, garlicky taste you just cannot buy in a shop jar.
They are not the same as ogórki konserwowe (quick vinegar pickles) or ogórki małosolne (lightly soured “low-salt” cucumbers that are ready in a day or two). Ogórki kiszone are the fully fermented ones – the kind kept down in the cellar (piwniczka) in big jars, brought out for a traditional dinner with potatoes, chopped into salads, or eaten straight from the jar. This is how my babcia (grandma) always made them.
Equipment You Will Need
You do not need any special kit for ogórki kiszone – it is a very simple recipe:
- Four 1-litre glass jars with clean, undamaged lids. Glass does not react with the sour brine, and a good seal is what lets the jars keep for months. Wash the jars and lids and rinse them with boiling water first.
- A big pot for boiling the brine.
- Nice to have: a wide funnel and tongs to pack the cucumbers in neatly.
In the old days, big batches were made in a stoneware pot called a kamionka. You can still use one, but litre jars are easier to store and you can open one at a time.
A Closer Look at the Ingredients
This recipe needs only a few things, and each one has a job to do:
- Cucumbers small, firm pickling cucumbers (more on picking them below). They are the star of the jar.
- Dill with the flower heads this gives much more flavour than the soft leaves on their own.
- Garlic whole cloves, no need to peel. They give the brine a lovely smell as it ferments.
- Horseradish root (chrzan) the secret to a firm, crunchy pickle, plus a little warmth.
- Rock salt (non-iodised) the only thing keeping the pickles safe. Table salt often has iodine and anti-caking bits that can cloud the brine and slow things down, so use rock or pickling salt.
- Water I use 2 litres of water and 4 level tablespoons of salt for 2 kg of cucumbers. If your tap water has a lot of chlorine, let it stand out for a while first, as chlorine can slow the fermenting.
- Optional leaves oak, cherry, blackcurrant or grapevine leaves add a little something extra for even more crunch.
Choosing the Right Cucumbers
The cucumber makes or breaks this recipe. Use small, fresh field cucumbers – the short, bumpy kind grown for pickling, not the long salad ones. The fresher the better; the best ones still have the little flower on the end and feel firm at both tips.
Press each one – it should feel hard, with no soft spots or marks. Do not use big, overgrown cucumbers: they have large seeds and often go hollow and soft after fermenting, which is the most common reason a batch goes wrong. Two kilograms of small cucumbers will easily fill four one-litre jars.
The Secret to Crunchy, Tasty Pickles
A few traditional extras make the biggest difference:
- Horseradish root – the classic trick for keeping pickles firm and crunchy. A few pieces in each jar really help.
- Oak, blackcurrant, cherry or grapevine leaves – optional, and they add extra crunch if you can get them. Go easy on the oak leaves, as too many can make the pickles taste bitter.
- Dill with the flower heads, plenty of garlic, and rock salt instead of table salt, which has the most minerals and gives the cleanest ferment.
For extra crunch, try two old tricks: soak the cucumbers in very cold water for 10 to 15 minutes before you pack them, and prick each cucumber right through, end to end, with a skewer. Both help stop them going soft.
Two things matter once the jars are packed. First, get the salt right – I use two litres of water and four level tablespoons of rock salt for two kilograms of cucumbers. Second, once the fermenting starts, keep the jars somewhere cool so the cucumbers stay firm and do not puff up or go hollow. In the first few days the brine may fizz and bubble, and a little may leak out – that is normal, healthy fermenting, so do not open the jars, just wipe them clean.
Recipe Card for Ogórki Kiszone
Ogórki Kiszone (Polish Fermented Dill Pickles)
Equipment:
- 4 1-litre glass jars with lids
- 1 Large pot for the brine
Ingredients:
- 2 kg small field cucumbers - pickling cucumbers
- 2 small heads garlic
- 1 large bunch fresh dill - with flowering umbels
- 10 cm horseradish root - plus a few horseradish leaves
- 2 litres boiling water
- 4 tbsp rock salt - non-iodised pickling salt
- oak, blackcurrant, grapevine or cherry leaves - optional, for extra crunch
Instructions:
- Wash the cucumbers thoroughly under cold running water. Rinse the dill, horseradish and any leaves. Cut the horseradish root into strips and separate the garlic into cloves – there is no need to peel them.
- Prepare 4 clean 1-litre jars and their lids, ideally sterilised with boiling water. Use only undamaged jars and lids.
- Divide all the ingredients into four equal portions. Into the bottom of each jar put some dill, garlic cloves, horseradish pieces and a leaf or two (if using). Pack the cucumbers in vertically and as tightly as you can, then lay a few of the smallest cucumbers flat across the top.
- Make the brine: bring 2 litres of water to the boil and stir in 4 level tablespoons of rock salt until it fully dissolves.
- Pour the hot brine into the jars, about 500 ml per 1-litre jar, covering the cucumbers completely. Shake each jar gently to release any trapped air bubbles, then seal tightly.
- Leave the jars at room temperature (around 20°C/68°F) for 3 days, then move them to a cool pantry or cellar. The cucumbers will be ready to eat after about 2 weeks, and no later than 20 days.
Notes:
- For firm, crunchy pickles, always add a piece of horseradish root – oak, blackcurrant, grapevine or cherry leaves help too.
- Choose small, fresh, firm cucumbers with no blemishes. Avoid large, overgrown ones as they turn hollow and soft once fermented.
- In the first few days the jars may fizz and a little brine may escape – this is normal, active fermentation. Do not open them; just wipe the outside.
- Once fermentation starts, keep the jars somewhere cool so the cucumbers stay firm and do not puff up or go hollow.
- Rock (non-iodised) salt is best as it carries the most minerals. The brine also works cold – the pickles turn out just as well.
Nutrition:
FAQ for Ogórki Kiszone
How long do ogórki kiszone take to ferment?
Leave the closed jars at room temperature (around 20°C/68°F) for about three days, then move them somewhere cool. They are usually ready after two weeks, and no later than twenty days.
What if I do not have a cool cellar or pantry?
Keep the jars in the coolest spot you have, or put them in the fridge once the fermenting has started. They will ferment more slowly, so just start eating them a little sooner.
Why did my pickles turn out soft or hollow?
Almost always because the cucumbers were too big, or the jars were kept too warm. Use small, firm cucumbers and move the jars to a cool pantry or cellar once the fermenting starts.
Why are my pickles bitter?
Bitter pickles usually come from the cucumbers themselves, not the recipe. Cucumbers make bitter compounds when they grow in a hard time – too little water or too cold – so the pickles are not spoiled, just a little bitter. Pick healthy, well-watered cucumbers when you can.
Do I need to clean the jars well?
Yes. Wash the jars and lids and rinse them with boiling water, and only use jars and lids with no cracks or damage so they seal well.
Is it normal for the brine to go cloudy?
Yes, this is normal. Cloudy brine and a little fizzing are signs of a healthy ferment, not that the pickles are going off.
A jar lid popped up, did not seal, or some brine leaked out – is the batch ruined?
No, this is normal in the first few days while the pickles are working. Top the jar back up with a little fresh brine (the same salt and water), move it somewhere cooler, and it will settle down. Do not throw it out.
Can I use normal table salt?
Rock (non-iodised) salt is best, as the iodine and anti-caking bits in table salt can cloud the brine and slow the ferment. Pickling salt or sea salt work too.
Do I have to add horseradish and the leaves?
The horseradish (chrzan) is the one I would keep, as it helps the cucumbers stay crunchy. The oak, cherry, blackcurrant or grapevine leaves are a nice bonus, but the pickles still work without them. If you cannot get horseradish, half a teaspoon of mustard seed (gorczyca) per large jar keeps them firm too.
Variations
- Ogórki małosolne (half-sour): use the same method but start eating them after just two or three days, while they are still mild.
- Add a little spice: a slice of fresh chilli, a few peppercorns or a teaspoon of mustard seed in each jar.
- More garlic: if you love it, double the garlic – it only gets better.
What to Serve With Ogórki Kiszone
These pickles belong on a Polish table. A few of my favourite ways to enjoy them:
- Next to a hearty main like my Polish Braised Chicken or Pierogi Ruskie, with boiled or mashed potatoes.
- Chopped into Sałatka Jarzynowa, the classic Polish vegetable salad.
- Diced into a pot of żurek or ogórkowa (dill pickle soup), or just eaten straight from the jar with buttered rye bread.
Storage
Keep the jars somewhere cool and dark – a pantry or cellar is best – and they will last for many months; a good batch will happily see you through the winter. Once you open a jar, keep it in the fridge with the cucumbers under the brine. If the level drops, top it up with a little cooled brine made with the same salt and water.
A Few Words from the Chef
There is something really nice about turning a basket of allotment cucumbers into rows of jars that will last until next summer. Ogórki kiszone remind you of how food used to be kept, and they taste even better for the wait. If you make a batch, I would love to hear how it went – leave a comment and a star rating below, and tell me: are you team horseradish-only, or team all-the-leaves? Smacznego! (that is Polish for “enjoy your meal”).
Discover more from Chefs Binge
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.