Cucumber is one of the famous culinary vegetables used in various dishes. It also takes the spotlight when it comes to making pickles! That’s why it’s a great idea to grow some cucumbers in your garden and make pickles whenever possible.
But the question is, what are the best cucumbers for pickling? You can’t just plant and grow any variety; if you want a great-tasting pickle, you need to know the right variety to use!
This article will share some of the best cucumbers for pickling that you can plant, purchase, or use for your next pickling project!
Before heading to the best cucumbers for pickling, get to know more about this vegetable!
The cucumber, also known as Cucumis sativus, belongs to the gourd family. It’s widely planted and cultivated due to its delicate taste and makes a perfect addition to salads.
Here are some interesting facts about cucumbers.
● Cucumbers contain folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and Zinc.
● It also has Vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, and B6.
● This vegetable can cool the blood’s temperature and face swelling.
● It has 95% water on it, perfect for hydrating yourself.
● It’s an ideal breath freshener with its phytochemicals.
● It helps prevent diabetes.
● It’s also perfect for maintaining healthy skin.
● There are lots of available cucumber varieties out there!
What are the best cucumbers for pickling?
1. Boston Pickling
This type is sweet, tender, and ready for harvesting as early as 55 days. It also yields generously. That’s why if you have a small garden space and don’t want many cucumbers, we recommend planting only a few of this variety. Likewise, this variety doesn’t like cool soil temperatures and air.
2. Boothby’s Blond
Based on its name, this variety has off-white skin featured with black spines. You can also harvest it after 55 to 66 days from sowing and taste tender and sweet flesh.
Farmers usually harvest Boothby’s Blond when they’re four inches for home canning purposes. But you can still grow them at 7 inches, and needs no peeling.
One great thing about this variety is it prefers to be planted in containers. However, ensure that you’ll support them with trellises and give them sufficient space.
3. Burpee Pickler
Burpee pickler is an early maturing variety, which you can pickle as early as 53 days after sowing. It matures early, but you won’t believe that it can also produce a higher yield.
This is also disease-resistant and mosaic virus tolerant, which is pretty ideal for beginner gardeners. If they’re well-supported with a fence or trellis, their vines can reach up to 8 ft long and give you 3 to 5 inches of cukes.
4. Bushy
This Russian variety is compact with 3 to 4 ft long vines. It’s also ideal for those who want to grow cucumbers in an apartment because they do well in containers and small garden spaces.
Bushy is a cold-tolerant crop and reaches maturity 48 days after sowing. Its color is green, and it grows up to 5 inches.
5. Calypso
Calypso is a great variety with intense disease resistance. It can fight off the scab, cucumber mosaic virus, anthracnose, and powdery mildew.
This variety yields three-inch-long, firm, dark green cucumbers. If you plan to plant this, you need to support it with a trellis, and after 50 to 60 days, it will be ready for harvesting.
6. Double Yield
This variety matures after 52 days of sowing and produces 4 to 5 inches of green cukes. This is a good variety to kickstart the canning and freezer pickle season!
Do you ever wonder why it’s called Double Yield? It’s because this variety is known for producing two cucumbers at a time in its leaf joints. They’ll even produce more if you keep them picked.
7. Fresh Pickles
Fresh pickles are ideal for container gardening. It can grow up to 15 inches high and 40 inches wide. But don’t belittle this one because if you keep them watered and picked, you can get 55 fruits each during its harvest season.
And no worries if you live in a humid area because it can resist downy mildew!
Tips for pickling cucumbers
If you’re looking for a hassle-free way to preserve your fresh cucumbers, here are some tips to keep in mind!
- You must wash your cucumbers thoroughly. You don’t have to soak them, but ensure they are cleaned well before pickling.
- Cut the ends off of your cucumbers. Then slice them into thin segments about 1/4 inch thick. If you want to save time and effort, use a mandoline slicer!
- Pack the cut cucumber into jars with about an inch of space between them. This space will allow for expansion as the jars cool. Make sure to add enough salt to cover the surface of all of your cucumbers in each jar. You can always add more later if necessary!
- Then, fill each jar with water up to about 1 inch from the top. This will help prevent fermentation from happening too quickly and will also help ensure that all of your ingredients are completely submerged.
- Add two tablespoons of salt per quart jar, cap tightly, and refrigerate for at least one week before eating or serving them as snacks!
Are all cucumbers good for pickling?
You can pickle any cucumbers you like depending on what you have in front. But note that pickling cucumbers differ from other types such as slicer, Japanese, and heirlooms cukes.
Pickling cucumbers have these characteristics that make them ideal for this preservation.
● Crunchy texture
● Small seeds
● Thin skins
The best cucumbers for pickling are mentioned above, and you can grow them in your yard. Ensure that you have well-draining soil with a pH of 5.5 and lots of nitrogen. You can enjoy your pickling cucumbers typically 50-60 days after sowing.
Grow your own cucumber today and pickle them tomorrow!
Now that you know the best cucumbers for pickling, it’s time to act! Decide on what variety you want to grow, and then head to your local garden or nursery shop to see if they have available seeds.
Once you have your seeds, you cannot start planting your cucumbers. Be sure to plant them from February to April. You can have them in an unheated and heated greenhouse.
After sowing, all you need to do is to give them fertilizer high in nitrogen and wait for 50-60 days, and you’re good to move forward with the pickling process!