Hmong Red, Boston Pickling, Spacemaker 80 - mini review

[Duh_Vinci]

Hello all!

Just wanted to share my experience with few cukes variety I'm growing. I've been harvesting them for about 3 weeks now. Four varieties I was growing were: Red Hmong, Boston Pickling, Spacemaker 80 and Burpee's Burpless.

From today's picking:


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/06_2009_cukes_early_harvest.jpg[/img]


Burpless was the first one to come out, pretty as it can be, but in my honest opinion, it had absolutely no taste, very thick skin and reminded me store bought cukes. So after a week of trying it's "fruits" - I'm down to 3 now varieties now. Yep, actually removed it from the ground (why waste space)

Spacemaker - bush type, fairly compact, can be trained to grow on the short trellis. Fruit is medium size, sweet, absolutely no bitterness. It does not produce as quick as the others though (but still plenty, and fruit appears in cluster-like formation. I think it would be perfect guy for a smaller space garden. Very good for salads or fresh of the vine when little immature.

Pretty striped shoulders!


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/06_2009_spacemaster_80.jpg[/img]


Boston Pickling. I love these guys! Sweet as a cuke can be! From 2 vines I have, depending on the weather, we pick them daily, enough for pickling, salads and fresh eating couple of times a day. "Butts" can be just a tad bitter, but rarely. Great pickled! Crunchy, tasty, productive little guys, pleasure to pick every day!


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/06_2009_boston_pickling_2.jpg[/img]


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/06_2009_boston_pickling_3.jpg[/img]


Red Hmong This is the one I've been waiting for, mostly out of curiosity. Red cuke While most cucumber seeds are under $1-$2 for 100-200 seeds, this one was $4.50 for a whooping package of 10 seeds. Planted 3 seeds, about 3 weeks later than the other varieties. All three sprouted! Once in the ground, quickly caught up to the others than surpassed them and Red Hmong never looked back.

Huge prolific vines with monster size leafs and bears loads of fruit. Easily most productive from all three by far!

Starts out light green, then turns bright white with just a hint of "minty hue" then... Nope, not red An earthy orange at maturity I actually manually calibrated the white balance on the camera to capture it's true color.

Fruits very in size, ranging from smaller oval to large elongated ovals. And while they look kinda tough at a first glance, taste - nothing like I've ever tasted before. I think the flavor is complex, and personally - I love it! First, it hits you with the pleasant mild acidic touch. Then suddenly it is sweet. Suddenly, it almost reminds me of a mild melon... Fresh off the vine - texture is so buttery and tender! Terrific in salads, sliced as a garnish or just bight into it. Such an unusual flavor and color! Orange skin, white outer flash, green inner flesh and white seeds. Definitely growing it again next year.


First day of germination:


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/2009_red_cucumber.jpg[/img]


Next morning:


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/2009_red_cucumber_1.jpg[/img]


Little later:


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/red_hmong.jpg[/img]


First fruit is set:


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/06_2009_red_hmong.jpg[/img]


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/06_2009_red_hmong2-1.jpg[/img]


Larger ones, perfect for pickling.


[img]https://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i230/duhvinci/2009_garden/06_2009_red_hmong1.jpg[/img]


Unfortunately the other tray didn't make it into the pics, got eaten at dinner (family was over)


Few other varieties are going in the ground this week for late season crop are:

Lemon Yellow (said to be sweeter than other cukes)
Long Green "Improved"
Few more Bostons (love'em)

I'll be happy to share my impressions with those other two when the harvest time comes.

Regards,
D

P.S. Would love to hear your suggestions on any other "odd" variety you enjoyed!

[The Black Thumb]

Cukes look great! I just planted some more bush beans and okra today for late harvest. Kind of want to keep the party going for a while longer. I may have to give some of those a try next year, also hate to hear that about the burpless!

[ShannonC]

I planted burpless and boston this year. Been making hot garlic dill pickles with the boston for about 4 weeks. I love them!! They are so crunchy with a great flavor. I probably will not plant burpless again.
I think I will try the other varieties that you mentioned next year.
Your cukes look wonderful!

[applestar]

Duh_Vinci, I love your posts. I often check them out just for the beautiful photographs!
On a side note, care to share your pickle recipe? ... and are they refrigerator pickles (I.e. not heat processed?) I get the feeling you select jars for their appearance.

[ManokAnak]

I love your pictures! I grew up growing those pickling cucumbers and canning them. Most of all I am glad you documented the growing of the Hmong red cucumber. I planned on adding that to my garden, but seeds were always sold on on my seed buying days. I am glad to hear it grew very well. Looking at the cross section of it, it sort of remind me of the inside of the African horned melon (Cucumis metuliferus, sold as Kiwano).

Hopefully getting more seeds of cucumber in the ground soon.

[Cuke]

They look great!I might have to try the Boston Pickling,although we have stumbled across a good variety for pickling.Our cuke variety is National Pickling Cucumber.Original name isn't it?They make great dill pickles.I forgot the seed company's name,but I know that package is around here somewhere...

Have you tried the Red Hmong as a pickle?Although it might be too early if you hot-water bathe them.It looks delicious though.

[Jerseygardengirl]

Thanks for those reviews! I'm always interested in getting better flavored plants every year. I was very curious and grateful for the Hmong in particular cause I have been wanting to grow them. Good to hear they're so flavorful! Now if I could just find a seller of the seeds.

[Duh_Vinci]

Glad you folks find the mini review useful and thank you very much for the comments on the photos, appreciated indeed!

Red Hmong has definitely intrigued me, and no disappointments at all (except that it is not red by any means). That generic picture floating allover the internet with the cuke being "red" - I could not find any photos from real people who has grown this variety... So I really wanted to document the "life" of this cuke from very beginning.

Jersey - I just did a quick google search, Red Hmong seem to be available from many online sources - power of the internet!!!

Pickling jars - lol, nah, just whatever jars I had leftover in the pantry, never really intended to go as far as pickling my own crop.

As for the recipie - it is for cold storage as far as I know (since these don't last very long in our house, we just keep eating them), but I would love to hear what you folks have used for pickling and long term storage (heat processed). Would like to save some for the winter.

"Country Russian Half Sours":

- For every liter of water - 2 tbsp of non-iodine salt, 5-7 cloves of garlic (depending on the size)
- Healthy top of the flowering branch of dill (like Mammoth)
- 2 leafs of Black or Red currant
- 2 leafs of Sour Cherry
- 1 tbsp of freshly ground black pepper.
- Sometimes, for added kick, we add one long twig of Tarragon.

Garlic cloves are smashed (one whack of with the flat side of the knife is enough). Salt and water brought to a boil. Pepper added. To the bottom of the jar - one leaf of each variety, half of the garlic. Cukes going in next (vertically is preferred for some reason). Boiling water with salt and pepper poured into the jar till it is almost full. Remaining 2 leafs of each and remaining garlic added

We let the jars stay open until cooled off to a room temperature. Replace the lid. We then flip the jars upside down, let sit for a day at a room temp, then flip them upright, let sit for another day at the room temp. Half-sours are now ready to eat. Refrigerated after 2 days.

Please, do share your pickling recipes, I would love to try something new!

Regards,
D

P.S. Cuke - I have just received some fresh seeds of this National Pickling variety, very excited to grown them next year (may be even this year if I can find another spot in the garden). Also, on the way some seeds of Russian heirloom "Early Russian Cluster". I have a feeling, I'll be swimming in cukes next year

[Cuke]

That heirloom variety sounds promising.I can't find the company name on the seed packet,I thought I did but once I searched it online,it's a music company?I'll look harder,otherwise it'll bug me.Right now I'm battling who knows what for my one-inch cukes.Also if in the future you heat process your cukes,buy the canning jars.Other jars from mayo and such could break in the process.Canning jars last a lot longer as long as they don't have any cracks.We had a mayo jar break on us two years back,learned our lesson the hard way

Here's a recipe very similar to mine I found on the internet,you can even calculate the servings.There's even more recipes on that site too.

https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dill-Pickles/Detail.aspx

[applestar]

Thanks for the recipes!

Duh_Vinci, I hadn't heard of using those two kinds of leaves in a recipe before. It so happens I was wondering what people used in colder climates where the typical Bay Laurel leaves don't grow. I don't have currants though (currants, gooseberries, etc. are not recommended for growing in this area -- I live just off the vast expanse of the Pine Barrens and they're alternate hosts of white pine blister fungus). I have raspberries and blackberries, strawberries, mulberries. I also don't have Sour (as in pie) Cherries but sweet cherries and wild cherries with fragrant leaves. I DO have Northern Bayberry shrubs... I wonder if any of those can be used...?

Cuke, the recipe you posted is so simple it has to be good! I can't wait to try them both. Hmm... I think I might need more dill (rummaging in the seed storage )

That hint about chilling the cukes in ice water is really interesting. I hadn't heard that before. I just bought a book called Preserving Food wihtout Freezing or Canning and one of the cucumber pickle recipes in it says "1 horseradish root, sliced (to keep cucumbers firm)" On the next page, a recipe described as "traditional Polish" uses a grape leaf. Hmm... I'm letting two wild fox grape vines grow -- for the birds and one to play with (I'm trying to practice training it into a tree form, also considering it for a bonsai material) ....

My first pickling cuke is ready to pick -- though I doubt that this one will make it into a pickling jar as my kids LOVE fresh cucumbers!

[!potatoes!]

I've used (young) grape leaves for crispness to good effect with pickles.

also, I believe I've seen hmong red seed at baker creek heirlooms, among other places (none of which I work at).

[Cuke]

Potatoes,do you just let the cukes sit on the grape leaves for while or do they go into the jar?My pickles aren't as crisp as I'd like.And Applestar,it is a good recipe,it's hard keeping pickles in our house.They vanish too fast.Your kids know a good thing,it's hard for me not to eat them fresh.

[!potatoes!]

in the jar, with the cukes, with hot brine applied to both, is how I do it. cukes picked pretty little works best (but takes more to fill the jar)

[Cuke]

Thanks,I'll have to try that sometime.We like the smaller pickles too because they take on more of the flavor.

[Duh_Vinci]

Great receptive, easy and love the "adjustable" table of ingridients to the size to be pickled!

Will try next week.

Regards,
D

[applestar]

Made my first jar of pickles the other day. Used 2@ grape and cherry leaves.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image4647.jpg[/img]

[Cuke]

Those look good applestar!I also canned a few days ago,got two pints and two quarts.Not bad for the beginning of the harvest season.

[applestar]

"Country Russian Half Sours"

Duh_Vinci, the kids and I tasted my first batch of pickles made on 7/19. Not canned just lacto-fermented and refrigerated.

DD10: "Mama, these are the pickles YOU made? They taste like the ones from the store. They taste Great! These taste BETTER! " and to her sister "These are Mama's pickles. Try them, they're DEE-licious!"
The kids are tough critics and these pickles passed with flying colors! Thanks so much.

BTW -- I've been experimenting as usual. Today, I tried making a jar of Bread and Butter Pickles and another jar of tweaked CRHS. I added radish seed pods, green cilantro seed heads, and dried cilantro/coriander seeds. Today's CRHS was wave sliced like the B&B's and two sprigs of peppermint flowers were added along with the rest of the ingredients. I also boiled the brine in the pot that I first made the B&B's so there's a hint of B&B brine in it, and the jar I used was the jar I used to store curry powder in it -- just transferred the last of it to a smaller spice jar -- so I decided not to wash it out to see what happens (I know I know, this one will be eaten right away. I did thoroughly clean the lid.) Hmm... Now that I'm reading over what I did to that last CRHS, I think I should've done the peppermint flower experiment separately from the spice combo experiment. After tasting that first jar, I know I have to make more of the ORIGINAL recipe as well. Good thing more cukes are on their way.

Cuke, I forgot about the icing technique until I was working on the B&B's. I chilled the CRHS slices too. It'll be interesting to see how that jar comes out.

[applestar]

Duh_vinci, what do you do with the brine/pickle juice after you've finished eating the pickles? Throw it out? Re-use? Use in some other way?

Came back to add: I had one of those moments. I thawed a couple of bags of DH's vac-packed trout for lunch, but decided only one bag was needed. So I cut open the 2nd vac-pack bag, rinsed the fish several times, then dumped the brine, herbs and all in the bag and stuffed the leaves, dill heads, and garlic inside the belly cavities of the two trout. I've put the bag back in the fridge meat drawer and will grill them for dinner. I've NEVER done this before and don't know of any recipe remotely resembling it except for the French Blue Trout, but I think, in theory, they should turn out tasty.... Stay tuned.

[Cornfed]

Here's a recipe very similar to mine I found on the internet,you can even calculate the servings.There's even more recipes on that site too.

https://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dill-Pickles/Detail.aspx

Cuke is correct that is a awesome pickle recipe. I made pickles this year for the first time and used the same recipe, I made about 25 quarts of pickles and 15 pints of pickled green beans. They all turned out fantastic. And very easy to make.

Cornfed

[applestar]

Well, I couldn't grill them last night so I baked one of them in a 400ºF oven for 40 min. this morning. It turned out very tasty. Somewhat reminiscent of smoked trout except moist. Marinating for 24 hrs seem to have allowed the brine to fully permeate the fish. The dilly pickle flavor is there but in a pleasant way (you do have to like the smell of dill pickles though). I really can't stop eating it. I'd consider it a success.

It should be stressed though that this was a lacto-fermented active culture brine, not heat processed/canned and certainly not store bought with possible artificial additives.

DV -- sorry I'm taking this thread WAY off topic.

[jmoore]

Wow! Fantastic pictures. These are definitely magazine worthy!

I'm gonna have to try some of these different varieties next year. I think the smaller ones might be a good choice. I've got Burpless going now.

[gixxerific]

Looking up pickle recipes I came across this. I saw it last year and it struck a chord with me again.

But where would someone find such things as "2 leafs of Black or Red currant
- 2 leafs of Sour Cherry" ?

I have tons of cumbers even the Homong's but don't know where to go from here.

[applestar]

I LOVE DV's recipe! Can't wait for my baby sized cukes to get bigger!

I've subbed wild Grape leaves, wild black cherry leaves, volunteer cherry leaves, or blackberry and raspberry leaves.

Hmmm I seem to remember saying one of these -- or something else -- imparted strong flavor that I didn't like. I'll post if I can find the ref. Nevermind there it is a few posts up -- it was the peppermint flowers.

[gixxerific]

Thanks Apple but again I am at a loss the only things I have even close to those would be blue berry leaves or maybe black cherry tomato leaves.

Are the leaves a necessity or can one go without them?

[applestar]

I wouldn't use tomato leaves. Maybe plum leaves or peach (related to cherry) leaves? Or perhaps strawberry (related to raspberry) leaves? OK, or bay leaves (from your spice cupboard).

Blueberry leaves might work though....

... currants are related to gooseberries....

[gixxerific]

I do have strawberries.