"David W.E. Roberts" wrote:

Cucumber
(Gherkin/Pickling) 'Venlo' - which prompts the question "Can you eat these
just like normal cucmbers, or are they vile unless pickled?"

If it's _really_ a Gherkin, they're not good eating fresh. West Indies
native IIRC, and sort of second cousins to the cucumbers we eat.
I grow a pickling type called "Boston," which has the dryer flesh and more
squared-off shape of a kosher pickle. Best at 3-4 inches maximum. Don't
know which Boston it's named for; suspect the colonial one.

I made some fermented pickles with them, with garlic, dill, and a couple of
hot peppers in the crock (actually a food-grade plastic pail). Processed
briefly in boiling water bath and jarred when done. I'm going to make a
lot more this year!


Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at www.albany.net/~gwoods
Zone 5/6 in upstate New York, 1420' elevation. NY WO G