Many people wouldn’t dream of a garden without cucumbers. Fortunately for gardeners and food lovers, there are several cucumber varieties to choose from. One of the oldest agricultural crops, cucumbers are enjoying a renaissance. The following examples demonstrate that these fruit are as beautiful as they are tasty.
Slicing cucumbers are ready to eat off the vine. They are typically long and have smooth skin.
Pickling cucumbers are usually shorter than slicing cucumbers, often have bumpy skin, and are best used for pickling recipes.
—Dave Llewellyn is a grower and director of farmer training at Glynwood in Cold Spring, New York, an organization that supports sustainable agriculture.
Photos, except where noted: courtesy of johnnyseeds.com
The following mail-order seed sellers offer a wide selection of the cucumbers featured:
- Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, Mansfield, Mo.; 417-924-8917; rareseeds.com
- Fedco Seeds, Waterville, Maine; 207-426-9900; fedcoseeds.com
- High Mowing Organic Seeds, Wolcott, Vt.; 802-472-6174; highmowingseeds.com
- Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Waterville, Maine; 877-564-6697; johnnyseeds.com
This article was originally entitled “Cucumbers Have Come a Long Way.”
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