cas0502
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New with a cuke ? - Does anyone pickle?

I don't eat regular cukes but I love pickles so I tried to grow pickling cukes this year to try and make pickles. Well we went on vacation and my cukes got huge :shock: (for pickles anyway). They are about 5 inches long and 2 inches across. Does anyone know if I can still pickle them? I think I would have to cut them up first because only one would fit in a jar with how big they are :shock: . TIA

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jal_ut
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Cukes like that make great relish.

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stella1751
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If not too seedy, they would probably make great refrigerator pickles. Plus, there are some great recipes out there that use pickle chunks instead of whole pickles :D

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Kisal
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You could slice them lengthwise into 8ths and make pickle spears. :)

crobi13
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You can cut the cukes into rounds:

[img]https://i766.photobucket.com/albums/xx308/crobi13/001-1.jpg[/img]

These came out awesome! My son told me that they were better than any store bought pickles & he loves pickles :D

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applestar
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Mmm! They look great! Are those coriander or mustard seeds?

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rainbowgardener
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I have cucumbers in my frig right now becoming pickles, that I did just like the ones in the pictures.

I just covered them with water, to which I added a couple garlic cloves, vinegar, salt, dill, tarragon, sugar. Heated it in the microwave briefly and let stand for a few hours and then put in the frig. In a week or so they should be pickles.

crobi13
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Thanks!
The spices in the jars are Pickling Spice & fresh Dill.

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hendi_alex
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My favorites are bread and butter pickles, though haven't made any in several years. If you brine the cucumbers covered in ice in the fridge over night, the pickles will be ever so crisp. Also, IMO, fully processing the pickles and sealing the jars is only a little more trouble than making refrigerator pickles, and when the contents are brought back to near boiling, the pickles will last for a year and longer. For me, the problem with refrigerator pickles is that they only last a few weeks. I don't eat pickles when fresh from the garden cukes are available. So refregerator pickles don't do me much good in the winter time, when I love a pickle along side the noon meal. Perhaps will buy some cukes from the farmer's market and make refrigerator pickles from them in December.

crobi13
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Alex,
I have my grandmother's recipie for bread & butter pickles and I can't wait to make them :lol: I'm hoping to get enough cukes to make both dill & bread & butter. Yum!

taylor910
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Don't mean to hijack the thread, but...

What kind of cucumbers does everyone use? I know there are lots of different types that can be pickled.

I would love to know the ones that get really big, like the pic you posted crobi.

Also, can I grow these in a container? Thanks!!

crobi13
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Mine are pickling cucumbers that I started from seed. They can be grown in containers. Keep in mind that they get REALLY tall. I'd say that mine are around 8' tall at this point and they are still growing :shock:

cas0502
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Well, I decided to try and make my cukes into big dill pickles. I have them in a pickling brine now but I won't know how they turn out for 3 weeks. I guess if gardening does nothing else for me it will at least teach me patience. :D

Mine is a pickling cuke called Clinton. It's supposed to be disease resistant and light on seeds (I'll find out in a few weeks when I try a pickle how true that is). The plants grow 4-5 feet tall so you would probably need a trellis is you used a container.

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applestar
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hendi_alex wrote:I don't eat pickles when fresh from the garden cukes are available.
I know you said your favorite is B&B pickles, but there are some studies that indicate lacto-fermented foods have numerous health benefits, especially during the hot months. So you might want to reconsider.

I tried [url=https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=16440]duh_vinci's Russian Half Sour refrigerator jar pickles recipe[/url], and they turned out delicious. :wink:

taylor910
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cas0502 wrote:Well, I decided to try and make my cukes into big dill pickles. I have them in a pickling brine now but I won't know how they turn out for 3 weeks. I guess if gardening does nothing else for me it will at least teach me patience. :D

Mine is a pickling cuke called Clinton. It's supposed to be disease resistant and light on seeds (I'll find out in a few weeks when I try a pickle how true that is). The plants grow 4-5 feet tall so you would probably need a trellis is you used a container.
I've read pickling cukes don't make good cucumbers because they are too soft.

So if I wanted to do both cukes and pickles would I be better off with 2 plants?



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