Is anyone growing cornichon de Paris?

[Martin H]

Nice one!

Mrs H says they are tasty, but do make sure you keep picking them. If you miss one it ends up like the one on the right of my picture:



I've left that one on the greenhouse shelf to finish ripening, hopefully I can save the seed from it.

[RaptorUK]

Nice one!

Mrs H says they are tasty, but do make sure you keep picking them. If you miss one it ends up like the one on the right of my picture:

Yep I will do will put them in vinegar until I have enough to do a proper pickling session

[Dorothy rouse]

Yep I will do will put them in vinegar until I have enough to do a proper pickling session

Mine look like yours, very differing sizes on the one plant, what else can you do with them, I wonder,don't really want to pickle them, eat like cucumbers I guess!

[RaptorUK]

Mine look like yours, very differing sizes on the one plant, what else can you do with them, I wonder,don't really want to pickle them, eat like cucumbers I guess!

I think the whole point of growing Cornichons is to pickle them they are meant to picked when no bigger than your little finger, I think they taste worse as they get bigger, according to what I have read.

[Martin H]

For pickling they need to be little. Mrs H says they taste like normal cucumbers if you let them get a bit bigger and eat them fresh.

[Green Gerkin]

Mine have gone growing crazy in the past week, I'm picking one every couple of days. 😀
Raptoruk, silly question but how big is a little finger? (mine is tiny!), I have been picking them when about 3 inches and slicing, salting for 24hrs and then pickling.
I just wonder if I should be picking them smaller and pickling whole.



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[Dorothy rouse]

Suppose you cud slice them and add other veg and then pickle.

[snakeshack]

Is anyone growing cornichon de Paris?

I pick mine at 3-5 inches and pickle whole, first a whole head of dill in the jar with a teaspoon of white mustard seeds and a smashed clove of garlic. The gherkins are then packed into the jars. The vinegar I use is distilled white vinegar mixed 50/50 with water , this is heated until boiling with a level tablespoon each of salt and sugar & is then poured over the cuc's until about 1/4 inch from the top ensuring they are all covered. The lids are then added and they are left in the cupboard for 30 days to mature.


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[snakeshack]

here's last weeks note penny at base for scale


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[RaptorUK]

Raptoruk, silly question but how big is a little finger? (mine is tiny!),

From what I have read . . . no bigger than 2 inches. the ones I picked the other way were about that but quite thick.

By the way, my right hand little finger is 2.5 inches

[Green Gerkin]

Sounds great snakeshack, I will give your recipe ago at the weekend. The OH was complaining they were too vinagery so 50/50 sounds a lot better.


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[Nicos]

How long do they keep snakeshack...I am aware by diluting the vinegar reduces the keeping properties?

[Vince G]

Grew the GYO cornichons in the polytunnel. They went absolutely mental, so much so that I pulled them out a couple of weeks ago as they were taking over and totally shading the melons next door and chillies underneath.

Got masses off fruit off them though and totally filled my big pickle jar, so even if I left the plants in, I would have had nowhere to put any more fruit.

See pic - 2 litre pop bottle attached for scale.

[delgirl]

Hijacking this thread slightly... my cornichons 'Paris' have produced really well but whatever size I pick them, they are tasting bitter, although the smaller ones are slightly better tasting. Disappointing as it's been my most productive crop and majority have ended up in compost bin.

Can anyone advise what I should have done please?

[Dorothy rouse]

Don't know why yours should bitter, I grew them for the first time, outside, did nothing to them,didn't even feed them, sizes vary amazingly, but very crisp, have pickled some 'slices' but others have just been eaten fresh. Maybe mine liked being 'ignored'.