One of the best cucumbers for sliced pickles are available all year - here's why they're great for winter pickling
English cucumbers are great for pickles because they have thin skins, small seeds, and firm flesh, which means they stay crisp and don’t need peeling or seeding. Their mild flavor absorbs brine well, giving you a clean, balanced pickle without bitterness.
And they're available in grocery stores year-round.
They’re also uniform in size and low in water content compared to some slicing cucumbers, so they pickle evenly and hold their shape nicely—especially for refrigerator pickles and quick pickles.
English cucumbers are wrapped in plastic to protect their thin, delicate skin and extend shelf life. Unlike waxed slicing cucumbers, English cucumbers aren’t coated, so the plastic wrap helps prevent moisture loss, bruising, and shriveling during transport and storage.
The wrap also reduces exposure to ethylene gas from nearby fruits, which can cause cucumbers to yellow and soften more quickly. While it does create extra packaging, it significantly cuts food waste by keeping the cucumbers crisp and fresh longer.
The thin plastic shrink-wrap on English cucumbers is generally not recyclable in curbside recycling bins in Colorado. This type of plastic is considered "film plastic," which tangles in sorting machinery.
Here is how to recycle the English cucumber plastic in Colorado:
Good news: Some newer, sustainable packaging alternatives (like paper wrap) are being introduced to the market and we're hoping to see them on produce in place of plastic soon!
Easy refrigerator pickles recipe is here.
And they're available in grocery stores year-round.
They’re also uniform in size and low in water content compared to some slicing cucumbers, so they pickle evenly and hold their shape nicely—especially for refrigerator pickles and quick pickles.
English cucumbers are wrapped in plastic to protect their thin, delicate skin and extend shelf life. Unlike waxed slicing cucumbers, English cucumbers aren’t coated, so the plastic wrap helps prevent moisture loss, bruising, and shriveling during transport and storage.
The wrap also reduces exposure to ethylene gas from nearby fruits, which can cause cucumbers to yellow and soften more quickly. While it does create extra packaging, it significantly cuts food waste by keeping the cucumbers crisp and fresh longer.
The thin plastic shrink-wrap on English cucumbers is generally not recyclable in curbside recycling bins in Colorado. This type of plastic is considered "film plastic," which tangles in sorting machinery.
Here is how to recycle the English cucumber plastic in Colorado:
- Store Drop-off: You can often recycle this film at specialized drop-off locations, such as the front of many grocery stores including King Soopers, Sprouts, and Safeway - look for the bins near the front of the stores).
- Keep it Out of Blue Bins: Do not place the plastic wrap in your regular curbside recycling cart.
- Preparation: Ensure the plastic is clean and dry before taking it to a drop-off location.
- Consider trying Ridwell - an amazing company that makes it simple to recycle stuff you can't recycle curbside (like multi-layer plastic, prescription bottles, plastic lids, metal lids, film plastic, plastic bread tags, styrofoam and much more) through their twice monthly pickup service. Only $18 per month and so very good for the planet!
Good news: Some newer, sustainable packaging alternatives (like paper wrap) are being introduced to the market and we're hoping to see them on produce in place of plastic soon!
Easy refrigerator pickles recipe is here.