Autumn in the kitchen of Agnieszka Rogalska and her mother, Wiesława Kondraciuk, smells of vinegar and homemade preserves.
This time, the ladies tackled beets. While chopping and cooking, they also chatted about family recipes, preserves, kitchen habits, and memories.
"Today we're making beetroot chunks for a jar," announces Agnieszka Rogalska.
The recipe is simple. For three kilograms of beets, you'll need one and a half cups of vinegar, one cup of sugar, four cups of water, and a tablespoon of salt.
A bay leaf and allspice are also added to the brine. You can also add cloves if you like that flavor. The ladies aren't adding onion or bell pepper this time.
The beets were thoroughly washed and boiled beforehand. Before cooking, Agnieszka cut them into smaller pieces, which helped them cook faster.
"These beets were very large. They would have taken a very long time to cook, and fewer would have fit in the pot." "So I cut it into pieces and it cooked faster," she explains.
The young housewife notes that beets in this form are versatile. They can later be used as a side dish for dinner, grated into a salad, or used in soup or borscht.
"Whatever you make, whatever you make."
When preparing preserves together, family memories were inevitable. Agnieszka recalls her mother's words, which she heard while cooking together.
"When we used to make something together, Mom, you always said, 'Whatever you make, whatever you make, whatever you make, whatever you make,' because the most important thing is that you made it," recalls Agnieszka Rogalska.
Wiesława admits that she hasn't made beetroot with her daughter in a long time.
"Oh, it's been a long time since I made beetroot with you, my daughter," she says.
This time, it was Agnieszka who invited her mother to work with her.
"I invited you because otherwise you would be sitting at home alone, not making beetroot," notes Agnieszka Rogalska.