Recs for a prolific (easy to grow) smallish pickling cucumber
 

Any recs for a type? I've been growing a chinese hybrid cucumber that is delish to use in salads and stuff and so easy to grow but they don't retain their crispness when I can them. It would be great to find all purpose one that works for fresh eating and pickling but I'll settle for pickling as the top priority... Thanks!

In my area I have found "alibi" to be more consistently prolific than anything else. I have probably grown 20 or so varieites over the years.

I like Sumter and it produces longer than other varieties that succumb to mildew here. I use them for both pickles and fresh eating. Very crunchy!

General Lee is wonderful for slicing, salads & pickling. It has the old fashioned crunch and not at all watery. I have found that most of the Chinese and burpless types to be watery and don't stay crispy. Armenian is also great, and I love it's appearance- kind of ruffly, and doesn't need peeling.

[URL]http://www.sbcanning.com/2011/06/what-is-best-type-of-cucumber-for.html[/URL]

Here is some good advice I agree with. The variety is important and so is technique used. important to pick at the right stage.
KarenO

I grow Calypso every year and I highly recommend it for a pickling cucumber. I pick them between 3 and 4 inches long and they remain crisp in pickles. Calypso has a short maturity date and is very prolific.

I'm going with National Pickling this year.
One thing I totally disagree on is using vinegar in the salt brine to ferment the cucumbers.
If you are doing it this way.
I have tried it both ways and by far came out with a better product without it.
The small batch I just finished taste better than Claussen and as crunchy as can be with no crazy tricks.
All I did was give them a light rinse cur the blossom end off and sliced into long quarters.
And these were from grocery store bought pickling cucumbers in not that great a shape.

Worth

Yup, I"m going to ferment them this year (assuming I can get a good crop. I don't know if people spray cucumbers so that's why I'm trying to grow my own.

I had great results with Little Leaf. I grew 4 or 5 different kinds of cukes last year and the 2 that I am going to plant again this year are little leaf and diva.

Worth, can you share your recipe or technique?

[QUOTE=recruiterg;525633]Worth, can you share your recipe or technique?[/QUOTE]

I can remember how much salt I used I should kick myself.
Let me think.
Here it is I used 3 tablespoons of salt per one quart of water.
His method used sea salt mine was canning salt so mine had a wee bit more salt no big deal.
You can also add what ever spices to it as you wish.
I never could taste the dill in pickles but you sure can mine.:lol:
Have you seen the fermenting link we started?
It shows everything.

But here is the link that tells you better.

[url]https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjJnqWmjK3KAhVG4yYKHfpjC6kQFgggMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wildfermentation.com%2Fmaking-sour-pickles-2%2F&usg=AFQjCNG1GpRT7dZSqB5DPJvZFuUDTrunYg[/url]

A relative of mine requested that I grow Chicago Pickling Cucumber this year, he has a recipe that uses rye bread on top of the fermenting pickles in the crock before its weighted down. I see Baker
Creek carries them, I guess I better get them ordered.

If you prefer compact cuke plants then I can recommend you several Russian bushy pickling varieties:

1. Kustovoy (widely known abroad as Bushy)
2. Malysh (Baby in English) - petit 6-9 cm long cukes on a short 50-100 cm vines.