This is a great slicing cucumber! We first grew Chicago Pickling as a part of Slow Food’s Great Lakes Heirloom Seed project in 2011 and we were hooked. Even though it is a "pickling" type cucumber it is crisp, light and refreshing as a slicing cucumber with a sublime sweetness not found in other cucumbers. “Pickling” type cucumbers were popular until the “standard” slicer began to dominate the U.S. market. Pickling types are shorter, wider, bumpier, and have yellow streaks on the skin, but can be used fresh or for pickles … so they are more versatile than the “standard” type. Chicago Pickling was a popular Midwest heirloom since its release in 1888 by D.M. Ferry of Detroit. Plants are vigorous and resistant to scab and cucumber mosaic virus - not resistant to downy mildew (which will affect cucumber yield and quality), so use drip irrigation to avoid getting the foliage wet. 58 days to maturity.
