Sunday, August 5, 2007

Stealth cucumber

I was reading on someone's blog (sorry I forgot whose, I read a lot of blogs) about stealth cucumbers. These sneaky guys grow up when you aren't looking and blend in with the plant. I found one of these today. I had no idea it was even there and saw it for the first time today. By the time I even noticed it, it was huge! This thing is as long as a pen and 8.5 inches around! Who knew they could get so big without even being noticed. I assume it is tough or bitter or something now that it is this big? Can I still use it to make pickles or is it better given to the compost pile?

4 comments:

Wendy said...

They get very sour and watery when they get too big. It's probably too big to pickle, but if it's not yellowish, it's probably okay to eat. I'd cut it up and eat it raw :).

Danielle said...

Of course I forgot to do it myself in my first batch, but I've read that adding grape or horseradish leaves helps prevent the softness, as does cutting off the blossom end of the cuke.

Howling Hill said...

Zucchini can be quite stealth also. I came home from vacation and found three huge ones, probably a foot long. We made zucchini boats out of them.

Christy said...

Thanks for the ideas. I haven't done anything with it yet. I'll admit to be intimidated by it!