There are many different varieties of "pickling" cucumbers but they are pretty much all lighter green/white than the dark green smooth-skinned slicers you're used to (Agnes in the link below is an exception). Pick all the ones you have that are yellow and huge, compost them or make relish or "Slippery Jack" pickles (see Harvest forum, someone recently asked the same question).

If you get any more this summer, pick them when they're about the size of a dill pickle - no longer than 4-6 inches and no more than about 1.5-2 inches diameter and light green not yellow. Try one raw, if they've had enough water and were picked young enough they'll be nice and refreshing, not bitter, I like them in salads as well as to pickle. My favorite so far is Little Leaf H-19. Tried Picklebush again this year and they seem bitter but we did just have a heat wave, though last summer was dry and hot too. My Little Leaf are just starting to produce.

Oh, and even the slicing cukes I've grown have spines - just rub them off.

And guess what just showed up in my Inbox!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pickling cucumbers comparison

This post was edited by ajsmama on Mon, Jul 29, 13 at 22:01

Generally the younger, smaller cucumbers make better pickle. To me, your approach is just the opposite
( "I was waiting for some to turn the "right" shade of green and the skin to loose some of the prickly spike").

The trick to pickling cucumbers is to have less water(be crunchy) . Obviously , when cukes grow bigger and bigger they will have more and more water, plus the texture/skin will get tougher. Just look at the fanciest pickled cucumbers in the supermarket.

And please be certain to use a tested and approved recipe when you can them.

Thanks for the input everyone. I bought this plant in early spring and honestly didn't do much reading up on them. I know the tag said mature size of cucs is 6-8" but they didn't look quite done to me. Obviously they were perfectly done and I just didn't know it! That's what I get for not ooking into this sooner. Maybe I'll make some slippery jacks :)

Thanks again

You shouldn't let a pickling cuke get to 8" - if it's not turning yellow and bitter by then, it's going to be seedy anyway.

Picked my first Little Leaf today! This was very prolific for me last year, this year I don't know (ask me in 2 weeks!), that is a great cuke, even if you do let it get bigger it doesn't get bitter. Sold a lot last year as "salad" cukes - just the right size for 1 or 2 people.

3 of us ate cucumber salad last night using 2 Picklebush that were a few days old (so too rubbery for pickling), a splash of vinegar, a pinch of sugar and salt to taste. Now to pickle the ones that didn't sell at last night's market.