Oh Pickle!

premium pickling cucumbers

I've always been a fan of cucumbers and their tasty relatives: pickles.

When we were little, dad considered planting a field of pickling cucumbers for us kids to pick as a summer job (we would have sold the cukes by the pick-up load to a local pickling factory). But, just as dad was checking into the specifics, the pickle plant stopped accepting any loads smaller than a semi truck!

Even though I'm fine with the fact we missed out on the opportunity to hand-pick millions of cucumbers for the pickle plant, I've always been keen on planting and harvesting cucumbers. Most years, however, our cucumber plants fizzled out under bugs, disease, and weeds.

Not this year.

This year, dad's cucumber patches (yes, more than one) are going berzerk; dad has been picking pickling cucumbers by the wheelbarrow load! 

After our bike ride to Sanford Friday morning, Betsy and I went home and helped dad finish picking the long rows of cucumbers. Once the job was completed and the tubs were in the shade, Betsy sorted through and graded a big bin of baby cuckes for Libby to make sweet gherkins. The next morning, we sold most of the rest of the day's catch in various quantities at farmers' market.