Growing Pickling Cucumbers
Cucumbers are one of the easiest to grow garden vegetables - at least by my experience. This year I am growing Moringa pickling cucumbers. They are delicious pickled, raw in salads and in tzatziki sauce.
Pickling cucumbers grow shorter and fatter than the standard grocery store varieties most people are familiar with. If you do happen to find pickling cucumbers at the market, be prepared to pay dearly for them. Our market was charging $1 each last year. That would make homemade pickles really expensive. But if you grow your own, even with just a few vines, you'll have more pickles than you can use. Not to worry though, because homemade pickles make great gifts and you can always take a jar or two to the next barbecue.
Cucumbers grow on a vine. They will spread out on the ground, but it is better to grow them vertically. Use a trellis, poles, or get creative like I have done with my pickle barrel. They require regular watering, good soil and full sun. Some gardeners suggest partial shade is best. That may be true, but I have always grown them in full sun with great success.
If you are growing pickling cucumbers, you'll want a good pickle recipe. There are hundreds available online. If you like crunchy pickles, look for a refrigerator pickle recipe. They are not cooked at all and need to kept in the refrigerator, but they payoff is that extra crunch. They also taste better than a cooked recipe. My recipe is very simple. It is half water, half white vinegar, a little salt, a peeled clove of garlic, fresh dill sprigs and whole peppercorns. Dissolve the salt in the vinegar and water over low heat on the stove. Add two tablespoons of peppercorns, one clove of garlic and fresh dill in the bottom of each jar. Pack the cucumbers in and pour the vinegar solution over the pickles. Leave a half inch of head space in the jar. Seal the jar and refrigerate. The pickles are usually ready in about seven days.
