Big Cucumbers For Pickling?

This is my first year at growing an outdoor garden. My cucumbers are big and fat and not long and slinder. What did I do wrong? They are about six inches long and maybe 4 or 5 inches round. Taste good, but don't look like cucumbers. Can I still pickle them that big?

Annesplace,

I never tried pickling cucumbers before. However, I do know that there are various varieties of cucumbers to plant. Some cucumber varieties grow bigger around yet not long, some grow long and slender, some grow just plain old HUGE, and some do grow smaller. Usually the smaller growing ones tend to be better for pickling.

Another thing is that you could have waited too long to pick them, or just great growing conditions, where they just got too big around. But, I would think that you could still pickle your cucumbers sliced but they may be too big to pickle whole due to the thickness.

I do know some gardeners who grow the larger varieties for salads and general eating and smaller varieties for pickling since they generally pickle them whole vs. sliced. The next time I talk to them I will find out or have them stop in and give some advice.