Which cucumbers make the best pickles

If the plant itself, not just the fruit, is also stunted or disfigured blotches on the fruit, foliage yellowed in a mosaic pattern, for example disfigured fruit could be a result of cucumber mosaic virus , which is often spread by aphids and affects many other crops beyond cucumbers.

Again, this would be a distinctive-looking phenomenon, not just a stray misshapen young fruit on a healthy plant. There are varying opinions on what causes bitterness in otherwise-healthy cucumbers. It could be caused by cool temperatures, Oregon State University says in a discussion of bitterness.

All the experts agree that growing varieties known to have a low rate of bitterness is a good idea to minimize this problem. Read catalog descriptions carefully to select one next year. By the way, subsequent fruit on the same plant in my case tasted great, another of the many unexplained miracles and magic of gardening. Bacterial wilt, which causes leaves and then entire vines to go limp, is spread by cucumber beetles who also chew holes in leaves.

The key is prevention—there is no remedy for infected vines. Use floating row covers to keep beetles off young plants opening them at pollination time , and handpick beetles aggressively if they emerge. Rotate where cucurbits are grown. Sowing more cucumber seeds every couple of weeks until three months before first frost for multiple generations of plants may help, as some are bound not to coincide with beetles.

How to grow cucumbers and other cucurbits like a pro. The West Indian gherkin or or Jamaican gherkin or burr gherkin so-called because its surface is covered in burrs is Cucumis anguria. Puts me in the mood for pickles… back to top. Dan was not just a great pickle-maker, but also an organic gardener for many years, long before most people particularly suburban gardeners like himself, who were more likely to dust and spray everything had ever heard of the concept. Prefer bread-and-butter pickle chips?

Try this recipe from Viola Whitacre, via her friend Nancy Schaefer, to me, and now to you. Is the recipe safe for traditional canning as well? Hi, Laura. I think if you are hot-packing you should use a recipe geared to that — not just for safety, but for flavor, too. Hi, Jen. I know what you mean: Some are perfectly delicious, some bitter. Impossible to know which without tasting.

Hi Margaret! As usual, enjoying your informative and witty blog, of course you know I have no garden but do love cucumbers and I come here to water and refresh the garden of my soul. Just finished reading Gift of an Ordinary Day, I so enjoyed! Thank you for continuing to enrich my life.

Stay cool! My best, Daisy Marshall. I have an abundance of Japanese cucumbers, some are over 12 inches long and 4 inches across. There some smaller and am wondering if I can pickle them the same as regular cukes.

I need to do something with them as I can only give so many of them away. Thanks for any info. Hi, Meg. Yes, you can pickle them — I think you will have to do them in slices or chunks of course or have VERY large jars, tee hee. I even saw some recipes online searching for pickles Japanese cucumber.

This one made me laugh the whole cuke on a stick thing. Hello Margaret, great post. I live in San Antonio and grow cucumbers in the garden 2x per year one early spring crop and one late summer crop. I also grow in the greenhouse in winter but have the worst luck with pickles.

I always get a white slimy type of growth inside the jars. I have no clue what I am doing wrong but would love any suggestions.

None the less great site, and keep up the good work. I may have to pick up a copy of your book. Hi, Jason. Lucky you, two growing seasons though I know it must be a challenge with the current weather trends in the SW. Pickles made with slicing cucumbers tend to be softer, and because the seeds are much larger, they can turn some people off their pickles.

If you want to use slicing cucumbers for pickles, there are some things you can do to improve the quality of the pickle:. If you follow these guidelines, you should avoid a pickling disaster, but we still recommend that you get your hands on actual pickling cucumbers if you want to pickle.

Lemon cucumbers are an heirloom variety that has become increasingly popular recently. They are ball-shaped cucumbers with a yellow skin that gives them a sort lemony look. Most people describe them as sweet and mild compared to other cucumber varieties. If you want to try it out, we recommend a quick pickle and eating the pickles within a couple of days so that they are firm.

Because of their ball-like shape, lemon cucumber pickles are usually chip-shaped. You can use any of your favorite pickling brine recipes with lemon cucumbers because the flavor is not all that different from a typical cucumber. When selecting cucumbers for pickling, consider the following characteristics:.

When making pickles, there is no reason to select the biggest cucumber in the bunch. In fact, larger cucumbers tend to have larger seeds, which is not desirable when pickling. So, when it comes to pickling cucumbers, bigger is not better. Cucumbers can grow in surprisingly odd shapes. Many are bent or crooked at one end or the other. If you are pickling your cucumbers whole, you want to pick out the straightest cucumbers in the bunch.

You can cut off and chop up any irregular pieces and make relishes with them or use them fresh in a salad. Most people prefer pickling cucumbers that have thin skins, and indeed, this is a quality that most pickling cucumbers possess. The thin-skins are easier to bite into and chew, and they allow the brine to really soak into the cucumber. So, for the most part, you want to pick a cucumber with thin skin. However, this is largely a matter of preference. Some may prefer pickled cucumbers with slightly thicker skins.

You can experiment with a batch of cucumbers with thicker skins to see which you prefer. The freshness of the cucumber will absolutely make a difference in the quality of your pickle.

Old dried out cucumbers will not make good pickles. As cucumbers lose their freshness, they become bitter, which results in a subpar pickle. You can tell if a cucumber is fresh by slicing it open. The flesh of the fruit should be moist and a nice, white color. If the flesh is yellowing or dry, it is too old to use, and it belongs in the compost heap.

The spines should be removed before pickling by rubbing a cloth over the cucumber. Some people may prefer bumpier or smoother pickles, and some might not care one way or the other. The best type of cucumber for pickling is a freshly picked, pickling cucumber that is inches in length and relatively straight shaped. The cucumber must not be overripened. Slicing cucumbers should be avoided when making pickles.

If you must pickle a slicing cucumber, a quick pickle is best, and they should be eaten quickly to avoid mushiness. Of course, you can pickle just about anything, and any variety or size of cucumber can be pickled, but the results will not always be as good.

Making your pickles can be a fun hobby, and many people enjoy adding atypical spices and herbs to give their pickles an extra punch. There are hundreds of recipes available on the Internet, but Pickling season is upon us at last, and this ancient food preservation trend has seen a skyrocketing resurgence in popularity over recent years.

Skip to content. They are never waxed. Color can vary from creamy yellow to pale or dark green. Cut them into the shape you need, salt them based on your recipe with Kosher or pickling salt, and place them in a colander. For a fast processing let them drain for about a two hours, rinse them thoroughly of the salt then continue with the recipe. Most recipes will call for a salt and ice overnight on the top of the cucumebers.

The ice is to keep them cold and crisp. I think that the ice is overkill if you put them in the fridge with a bowl underneath to catch the water that is extracted from the cucumbers. I have done it both ways and find that the ice just adds water not extracts.

Just make sure to thoroughly rinse your cucumbers after salting in the colander before you start the canning process. Another way that cucumbers can be mushy is by not measuring exactly the vinegar to water or vinegar to sugar brine that you are using from the recipe. If there is too much vinegar it will break down the cucumber cells and create a mushy pickle. Lastly many people think that the way you cut the cucumber could also have an effect.

Try to cut your slices with a mandoline for more uniform slices but if you are like me use your knife and cut them a little thicker too so that the skin will help hold them together better. Pickler for chips, spears, whole pickling. Predominately female flowers. Vigorous, strong vines for home gardens. For sweet and dill pickles.

Heavy yield over long season. Early harvest from vigorous vines.