The best pickling cucumbers have specific characteristics that not all cucumber varieties have. Good picklers have thinner skin, crisper flesh, and smaller seed cavities than other types of cucumbers.
While any type of cucumber can technically be picked small and pickled, they will be soft after soaking in the brine. That includes popular slicing and Asian cucumbers.
It's best to select cucumber seeds that are designed for pickling. Of the ones I've grown, my favorite is Boston pickling. If you want a longer answer than that, then this guide is for you.
First, I'll cover why some cucumber varieties are better for pickling than others, a few different types of seeds, and then the actual cucumber varieties that I've grown and tested.
Jump to:
What makes a cucumber good for pickling?
A good pickling cucumber has several traits:
- Thin skin (that's wax-free)
- Dense, crisp flesh
- Small seed cavity
- Proper size and shape when picked small
Of these traits, a small seed cavity is probably the most important trait if you want a crispy pickle, according to Linda Ziedrich. She's a master food preserver and food author.
When I reached out to her about this article, she told me, "I think the size of the seed cavity is the most important thing, because it turns out relatively soft even when the seeds are undeveloped or nonexistent."
This holds true in my tests as well. Above is a photo of two fresh slices of pickling cucumbers (before they were pickled).
On the left, you can see the Muncher slice has larger seeds that have a soft cavity around them, already falling apart. Once pickled, they were actually fairly soft.
On the right, the Boston Pickling cucumber slice has much smaller seeds and the area around them is tight and still mostly firm. After pickling, they were still crispy, even after several months of storage.
This is what each slice looks like after pickling. The Wisconsin pickling cucumber slices were fairly crispy, but the seed cavity did soften a little (which shows up as slightly darker flesh around the center by the seeds).
The Boston Pickling cucumbers were very crispy. The lighting makes it hard to see, but the seed cavity flesh is still crisp without softening like the Wisconsin variety shows.
Lastly, the Muncher pickles were quite soft. You can even see in the picture that the pickle is slumping and doesn't even want to hold up to its own weight.
Testing different cucumbers from seeds
I live in the Chicago area of the Midwest, zone 6a, where this particular comparison was done. But I have also successfully grown cucumbers in the Bay Area of California and its Mediterranean climate.
I grew several pickling cucumber varieties in my garden, sowing seed directly outdoors. Then I made refrigerator pickles with each type so I could compare the results.
I planted each variety in the same row and in the same garden bed to give them the fairest comparison. The cucumber plants were all trellised with southern sun exposure for equal amounts of light.
I wasn't sure if the cucumbers would all taste the same after being pickled - basically indistinguishable - or if the difference would be obvious.
It turns out, the specific variety did make a noticeable difference. Of the varieties that I grew, Boston Pickling turned out the crunchiest. However, I also bought a variety at the farmers market that turned out even better (Puccini F1), so I'll discus that too.
Lastly, I reached out to some experts for their opinions on the best cucumber varieties for pickling, which I'll also share.
Heirloom, open-pollinated, and hybrid seeds
There are a few terms you'll come across when seed shopping. For years I had to look up the definitions each time seed shopping season came around.
- Heirloom: old, open-pollinated varieties. Some define heirloom as pre-1950, others define them as 50+ years old.
- Open pollinated: the seeds are true to type - meaning the seeds will be the same as the parent plant. If you grow a Boston Pickling cucumber and save the seeds, they will grow into a Boston Pickling cucumber plant too (unless they are pollinated by a nearby different type of cucumber, in which case they will not be the same).
- Hybrid: intentional crossing of 2 different varieties to create a new variety with specific characteristics. This happens naturally in the wild with cross pollination, but a Hybrid is intentional instead (and often patented).
- GMO: seeds that are genetically modified. Their DNA is altered with parts of other plants, insects, compounds, etc.
Heirloom
Heirloom vegetables are old, open-pollinated varieties passed down through generations. They are usually (not always) more flavorful, simply because they haven't been bred for productivity, hardiness, disease resistance, shelf life, or even just a pretty appearance.
Many new, natural and open pollinated seeds can be just as tasty, but haven't earned the heirloom title because of their young age.
I tested out 2 heirlooms pickling cucumbers: Boston pickling and Wisconsin pickling.
Hybrid seeds
A hybrid seed is created by cross pollinating two different varieties to create a new one. This could have happened on its own in nature (or even your back yard), but the term hybrid refers to deliberately crossing two varieties for a specific result.
For example, two different cucumber plants might be crossed to shorten the vines, or to come up with a variety that is more disease resistant.
Hybrid seeds should not be confused with GMO (genetically modified organism). In a GMO seed, the DNA of the plant is altered, sometimes with a similar plant, other times an unrelated plant or organism.
I used two different hybrid seeds in my tests - Muncher and Puccini. Both of them are self-pollinating - which means the flowers don't actually need to be pollinated to produce cucumbers.
I tried them because research shows they have higher yields and some suggest they can make a better pickle. They are also a good choice if you are growing them indoors or in a greenhouse without bees.
Boston pickling cucumbers
Boston pickling cucumbers are an old heirloom variety with 5-8 foot long vines. The cucumbers have big spines that easily come off when rubbed with a gloved hand or a paper towel.
The vines produce cucumbers throughout the growing season as long as they are continuously harvested. I feel like the vines I planted produced a good yield, but probably not what I'd consider a heavy yield.
Pickles
The cucumber slices looked like rounded triangles with small seeds. The flesh was sturdy, crunchy, with a typical cucumber flavor.
Once pickled, they retained their crunchiness, better than Wisconsin Pickling and Muncher.
Buy Boston pickling cucumber seeds from Baker Creek (rareseeds.com).
Wisconsin pickling cucumbers
Wisconsin pickling cucumbers are sometimes labeled as Wisconsin SMR (SMR indicates the disease resistance). The plants produced a good yield, but not heavy.
They are very similar to the Boston pickling variety - growing on 5-8 foot long vines and producing throughout the growing season with continuous harvest.
The Wisconsin cucumbers are just slightly blockier and less pickle shaped (with the pointier end). The spines are a little less pronounced and also rub off easily.
Pickles
The cucumber slices have more of a flower shape - similar to a pansy. The seeds are very small and the flesh is crunchy.
Once pickled, they retained their crunchiness, but were a little less crunchy than the Boston pickling variety. You might not notice they are less crunchy pickles unless doing a direct comparison.
Buy seeds from MIgardener (however, they are often sold out).
Muncher
The Muncher variety produces small, snack sized cucumbers.
Munchers are usually picked around 5 inches long when used as a slicer. They are smaller than a lot of slicing cucumber varieties. The vines grow to 5-8 feet and are heavy producers. The cucumbers don't have spines, but have tiny, sharp hairs that will get into your skin - so use gloves to pick them (they rub off easily).
These are not usually considered a pickling cucumber. However, I tried these as pickles because the description on a seed website said they were great for salads or as pickles.
After growing these, I wouldn't recommend using them for pickles unless you can only grow just one type of cucumber. They definitely made an inferior pickle, much softer and less crunchy than Boston or Wisconsin varieties.
Pickles
The slices were round instead of triangular or blocky. The seeds were larger and the seed cavity was more watery (not great for pickling).
As a refrigerator pickle, it was soft with a little crunch. If you don't mind that on a sandwich and only want to grow one type of cucumber, this one's not a bad bet. But if you have the space for more than one plant, I'd use a different cucumber variety for pickles.
Buy Muncher cucumber seeds from Territorial. I like to be as transparent as possible, so I want to let you know right here that this is an affiliate link. That means I get a small commission if you make a purchase, at not cost to you. As a reminder, I personally grew these and liked them, but they are not great for pickles.
Puccini
I haven't grown Puccini cucumbers, but I bought them at the farmers market. They looked similar to the Wisconsin variety in shape, size, and spines. This variety is specifically intended for pickling, unlike the Munchers.
I used the Puccini cucumbers in my pickle comparison and was surprised they outperformed the classic, tried-and-true Boston pickling cucumbers.
These cucumbers are self fertile (parthenocarpic), meaning they don't need to be pollinated to set fruit. They are usually seed-free or have few seeds, which might be why they stay crisp.
Pickles
The slices were fairly round, instead of triangular or blocky. They had very few seeds and the flesh was dense and crunchy.
Once pickled, they stayed very crunchy - the crispest of all of the varieties I tested. They even stayed pretty crispy with several months of storage in the fridge.
Buy Puccini cucumber seeds from Holmes. I haven't purchased from them before, but plan to this year specifically to try growing these cucumbers. I can't find any other reliable vendor for this variety.
As an alternative, Monika cucumber seeds from Baker Creek (rareseeds.com) could be similar. They are also self-fertile (parthenocarpic).
Other varieties
I have some other cucumber seeds that might be worth checking out. I haven't personally grown them, but hope to get them in my test garden this year.
Wautoma
This one comes from one of my favorite gardening experts, Linda Ziedrich. She tested 4 different cucumber varieties in 2012, then updated it in 2022 with her new favorite - Wautoma.
It was developed by the USDA and is open pollinated, non-bitter, productive and very disease resistant. You can buy the seeds at Territorial, who assures that "Wautoma has been tested for brining quality to ensure your pickling success."
Buy Wautoma cucumber seeds at Territorial. This is an affiliate link, so I get a small commission if you make a purchase. I like to be very transparent, so let me remind you I have not personally grown these yet.
Supremo Hybrid
Another cucumber seed variety that has caught my eye for this year is Supremo Hybrid, available from Burpee.
The description seems very promising - it notes that the cucumbers have small seed cavities. As a reminder, that's is one of the most important characteristics for crunchy pickles.
From Burpee: "Particular about pickles? Well, here's the one to pick. This new 3-4" pickling cucumber produces fruit on every node of the restricted 2'-3' long vine. You can eat these cute little cukes fresh too, if you harvest them young when the already small seed cavities are smaller. Perfect in salads or as a snack. Great disease resistance. Exclusive."
The bold text is my doing. Buy Supremo Hybrid cucumber seeds from Burpee. This is also an affiliate link and I have not personally grown these yet.
About burpless cucumbers for pickling
Burpless cucumbers seem to refer to two different things. One use of the term is for cucumbers that are rarely (if ever) bitter. They contain little-to-no cucurbitacin, the compound responsible for bitterness.
The other use of the label refers to Asian trellising cucumber varieties, because they are naturally 'burpless.' Cucumbers can cause some people digestion issues, including excess burping.
These two characteristics tend to be exclusive and not overlap. Based on research, bitter-free burpless cucumbers are in fact bitter free, but they have normal levels of burping.
Meanwhile, burpless Asian trellising cucumbers do cause less burping, but have normal levels of bitterness.
Source: What are burpless cucumbers (PDF)
Can you use burpless cucumbers for pickles?
I can't say one way or the other for certain, and let me tell you why.
The National Center for Home Food Preserving (NCHFP) claims in an FAQ that burpless cucumbers contain an enzyme that softens the flesh, resulting in soft pickles. They appear to be the original source of this claim and they tend to be a very trustworthy source.
This claim is repeated elsewhere, including well respected university websites, like Penn State and several different experts, all seemingly referring back to the NCHFP.
But here's what's a bit odd - I haven't been able to find a single research paper that mentions an enzyme specific to burpless cucumbers that causes soft flesh.
So I reached out to several experts and sources, including Penn State. They said they do not have any research to support the claim, other than relying on the NCHFP. I got similar responses from several other sources.
I have not heard back from the NCHFP on my request for more information and data to support the claim.
For now, if you want to play it safe, don't use burpless cucumbers, but feel free to experiment. Also, for the record, the Wautoma cucumber recommended by Linda Ziedrich is described as burpless by Territorial, but Linda assures me they make great pickles.
More resources
Check out my other garden guides.
Leave a Reply