Cucumbers are a staple in home gardens, offering a crisp texture and great flavor. While slicing cucumbers are great for salads and snacking, pickling cucumbers are specifically bred for preservation. The right variety of pickling cucumber ensures your pickles turn out crisp, flavorful, and long-lasting. Choosing the right variety of pickling cucumber is essential since not all cucumbers are ideal for pickling. This guide explores the best cucumber varieties for pickling, along with tips on growing and selecting the right type for your preferred pickling method.
What Makes a Cucumber Ideal for Pickling?
Pickling cucumber varieties are typically shorter and blocky with thin skins, allowing for better brine absorption. The firm texture ensures they stay crisp during the pickling process, and the smaller size makes it easier to pack in jars. When choosing a pickling cucumber, look for varieties that are known for producing high yields, exhibit good disease resistance, and offer excellent crunch. If you enjoy slicing cucumbers as much as pickles, consider purchasing a cucumber variety that works as both a pickling cucumber and as a slicing cucumber for more versatility in your garden.
Best Cucumber Varieties for Pickling
Gurney’s offers a variety of choices for choosing the best cucumbers for pickling, including:
Gurney’s Perfect Pickle Hybrid:
Our Perfect Pickle Hybrid Pickling Cucumber is a delicious, dual-use cucumber that is great as a sliced cucumber or makes the perfect pickle. This exclusive variety is Only From Gurney’s.
Diva Cucumber:
The Diva cucumber offers a sweet flavor and tender skin that can be enjoyed as a sliced cucumber or can be pickled. It produces heavy yields of fruits and does not require a pollinator.
Miss Pickler Hybrid:
If you want a variety that holds its crunch during the pickling process, look no further than the Miss Pickler Hybrid Cucumber. This all-female variety is one of the easiest and fastest pickling varieties on the market.
Pic-A-Little:
For smaller spaces, we recommend the Pic-A-Little Pickling Cucumber. The fruit has an excellent crunchy texture and retains their crunch after pickling.
Gherking Pickler:
The Gherking Pickler Hybrid Cucumber is our favorite gherkin-type pickler. This pickle variety is resistant to downy and powdery mildew —two huge pests to cucumbers.
Sassy Hybrid:
The Sassy Hybrid Cucumber is the superior variety for pickling and canning. The seeds can be started indoors or be directly sown into the garden.
County Fair Improved Hybrid:
If you want a nearly seedless cucumber, the County Fair Improved Hybrid Cucumber is a great variety to grow in your garden. It produces non-bitter fruits that are resistant to bacterial wilt.
Growing Tips for Pickling Cucumbers
Cucumbers thrive in well-drained soil and require lots of direct sunlight (6-8 hours a day). Since cucumbers are a vine crop, they will need lots of space to spread out. You can save space by purchasing a bush variety like the Pic-A-Little Cucumber or getting a cucumber trellis. Most cucumber varieties are ready to harvest about 50-70 days after planting, with pickling cucumbers around 3-4 inches long for optimal texture. Be sure to harvest pickling cucumbers before they start to yellow to ensure the best flavor and crunch.
How to Pickle Cucumbers
There are two main methods for pickling cucumbers: quick pickling and fermentation. Quick pickling involves soaking cucumbers in a vinegar-based brine, which preserves them rapidly and gives them a tangy, crisp flavor. Fermented pickles, on the other hand, rely on natural lacto-fermentation, where beneficial bacteria break down sugars and create a complex, tangy, and slightly sour taste. The cucumber variety and pickling method you choose will impact on the taste and texture of your pickles, so don’t hesitate to experiment to find the perfect combination. You can further customize your pickling recipes by adding fresh ingredients like dill or garlic that can also be grown in your garden and enhance the flavor.
Best Practices When Pickling Cucumbers
You should plan to start the pickling process as soon as you harvest the cucumber, or within 1-2 hours of harvesting the cucumber. We also recommend using trusted pickling recipes from reliable sources so you are following proper safety guidelines. Do not use any utensils or storage jars made of zinc, copper, brass, galvanized metal, or iron — these kinds of metals may react with the acid or salt in your pickling recipe and affect the qualify and safety of the pickles.
Conclusion
Choosing the right cucumber variety is key to making delicious homemade pickles. Whether you prefer quick pickles or fermented ones, selecting crisp, disease-resistant cucumbers will help you achieve the best flavor and texture. Try different varieties to see which works best for your pickling needs and enjoy the satisfaction of preserving your homegrown harvest!
