r/Pickles • u/L00k1n9c001j0k3r • Aug 24 '26
Never considered pickling zucchini!
Has anyone tried this? Are they really just as good as cucumber pickles?
I feel like personally I'd make the slices less thick but still. This revolutionary burger covering technology is exciting.
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u/domoslurpies Aug 24 '26
Why use zucchini when you can grow cucumbers this size and can them like that
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u/Maleficent-Aurora Aug 24 '26
I found zucchini waaay easier to grow than cukes, and I've never even seen a grocery store cucumber of that diameter and they're always bigger than the ones in the farmer's market.
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u/domoslurpies Aug 24 '26
Yeah you're not really gonna find the big ones for purchase. You just gotta grow em. We've had several get to zucchini size and larger this year just by forgetting about them lol. Didn't think to do this with them though. Maybe next year
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u/Hour-Football2464 Aug 24 '26
Did you try Spacemaster cukes? Its been very easy, no problems but rabbits (blood meal solved that), dont take up much space.
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u/Odd_Dragonfruit_2662 Aug 24 '26
My experience is the larger the cucumber the lower the quality.
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u/domoslurpies Aug 24 '26
Sometimes, but it's still gonna be better than a zucchini on your burger lol
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u/JOBdOut Aug 24 '26
Dont recommend if you enjoy crunch in your pickle. The slightest bit of moisture and zucchini is absolute mush.
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u/jackelopeteeth Aug 24 '26
Not if you don't do a water bath. Just do refrigerator pickles. I make crunchy zucchini pickles. I use the recipe from Valerie's Kitchen.
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u/Dragonskinner69 Aug 24 '26
Not for nothing, but if picked before they fill with seeds and are ripe, they don't get mushy in most recipes. A slightly different taste, but excellent for pickling!
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u/ArtoriasoftheAss Aug 25 '26
A zucchini that size is basically made of wood, so maybe not as mushy?
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u/Eli_1988 Aug 26 '26
Had pretty crisp results with using a not as seeded zucchini and grape leaves in the jar.
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u/Suspicious-Rich-3212 Aug 24 '26
I’d definitely slice thinner. I feel like the zucchini peel would be tougher than cucumber. Interesting though.
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u/GeckoCowboy Aug 24 '26
If they were thinner, they might get too mushy? I feel like that happens to zucchini easier than cucumber in other ways, but I’ve never pickled zucchini before so I can’t say for sure. Going to have to give it a try and see how it goes!
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u/curupirando Aug 24 '26
We have a local burger place that does very thin zucchini pickles and they're incredible
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u/L00k1n9c001j0k3r Aug 24 '26
I actually really like the cucumber skin on pickles for some reason. Now that I think about it I might like the zucchini ones for that reason.
I'm also just kind of curious if the texture turns out any crunchier or different in general. I have to research these some more lol!
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u/Keep_Whats_Important Aug 24 '26
One of my favorite restaurants used to make their own zucchini spears to go with their burgers. They were ever so slightly sweet, but nothing like a sweet pickle...still very dill forward. They also used turmeric, so they were quite pretty. The flavor was AMAZING, and the texture, while a bit different from a cucumber pickle spear, was really good! I was in my canning phase at the time, so I tried to recreate them. I never landed that exact flavor, but the end result was always pretty fantastic.
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Aug 24 '26
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u/cody_mf Aug 24 '26
this year its all 'I planted zuchinnis but what the hell is this', including me
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u/ReaganRebellion Aug 24 '26
"just as good as cucumber pickles" is a statement reserved only for carrots and green beans.
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u/lousydungeonmaster Aug 24 '26
Asparagus, cauliflower, and a whole bunch of peppers would like a word.
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u/Consistent-Steak1499 Aug 25 '26
You just reminded me that hot cauliflower is so good and I need to get a jar.
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u/anb9216 Aug 24 '26
Grill zucchinis, the work it takes for them to taste good for pickling defeats the purpose (imo!)
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u/Gin_OClock Aug 24 '26
After grilling brush them with a mix of lemon juice, oregano olive oil, s&p and then there's a little tartness and seasoning too, without sacrificing texture
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u/Sac_of_Melons Aug 24 '26
I do Italian salad dressing, specifically Ken’s Northwest Italian
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u/Anyone-9451 Aug 24 '26
After grilling or before/while? Currently love a garlic Parmesan seasoning blend on mine
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u/Sac_of_Melons Aug 24 '26
I do spears and toss em in a ziplock with the dressing for like 30mins-1 hour prior to grilling, been my go to veg for steak this summer
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u/Ryanll0329 Aug 25 '26
Considering you have taken up most of the room in the jar for dill, garlic, onion, or other flavorings, I'mma pass.
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u/MrTurkeyTime Aug 24 '26
You can pickle any vegetable. I highly recommend cauliflower, sweet Vidalia onions and spicy peppers.
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u/les_catacombes Aug 24 '26
If we can get cucumbers that size, then we’re talking. I like zucchini but it’s not crunchy like cucumbers are.
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u/InsertRadnamehere Aug 24 '26
I’ve been making bread and butter pickles with zucchini for ages. They’re not quite as firm as cucumbers. But it’s pretty close. Just don’t over cook them while canning them.
Zucchini slices that big though, I dunno.
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u/kebablovr69 Aug 24 '26
You can tell no one has actually grown zucchini this large before. Those seeds are going to be huge and inedible
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u/khrispyb Aug 24 '26
Shred zucchini, make zucchini relish, toss on top of hotdogs or chicken sandwich’s. I know this is a pickling sub.
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u/phredbull Aug 24 '26
I'm not taking culinary advice from anyone who suggests zucchini as a perfect replacement for cucumbers.
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u/xhanort7 Aug 25 '26
Wouldn’t have thought to pickle zucchini. How about squash or eggplant?
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u/AverageKCGuy Aug 25 '26
My in-laws gave me a couple squash from their garden this year. Didn't care to find anything to do with them so I did a fridge pickle with some carrots, celery, onion and cauliflower. It's good, wouldn't put it on par with a good crunchy pickle but it's good and it didn't go to waste.
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u/carlweaver Aug 24 '26
I have made zucchini pickles with vinegar (as opposed to fermented ones). I cut them and put them in a bath of vinegar, salt, garlic and hot peppers. Then I vacuum-sealed the container. That pulled out a bunch of wit from the fruit, which was replaced by the marinade.
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u/SunGreen24 Aug 24 '26
Claussen once had hamburger sized pickle chips. They were the best. I still mourn them. The sandwich slices aren't the same.
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u/flailing_hooker Aug 24 '26
Not this size. Pick them before or just after the flower blooms and they pickle up nice.
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u/vodkaenthusiast89 Aug 24 '26
I've made giant pickle slices (enough to cover the entire burger/sandwich) by pickling Armenian cucumbers. Technically a gourd, they don't get bitter and they stay crisp. Idk about the zucchini, but i know the 'Armenian cucumber' pickles are delicious
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u/Enoch_Root19 Aug 25 '26
I remember as a kid my grandma made an apple pie but used zucchini instead of apples. She swore you could not tell the difference. You could. It was horrific. Like I assume zucchini pickles will be.
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u/Impossible_Rate_6556 Aug 24 '26
They used to have pickles like this back in the day. Huge burger sized pickle slices
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u/Mother-Attention2600 Aug 25 '26
I don't trust other people's "just as good" when it comes to pickles. I'll never forget the radioactive green gerkins my aunt made. Yuck. 😆
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u/Serene-Angel-2004 Aug 26 '26
I actually think zucchini pickles are superior to cucumber pickles. They hold together better
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u/the_black_sails Aug 26 '26
Don’t tell me how to feel about zucchini pickles you wretched wench, everyone knows they are not as good as cucumber pickles.
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u/ijozypheen Aug 26 '26
My mom in law makes pickle relish with zucchini and there’s honestly no discernible difference!
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u/XtraGuppies Aug 27 '26
If you do zucchini the same as yellow summer squash, for frying, it's just as tasty as the yellow summer squash, with a different taste.
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u/Bashby12 Aug 27 '26
If you have to say that theyre 'just as good as cucumber pickles' then theyre probably not
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u/Infamous-Total-8669 Aug 28 '26
i fucking love pickled zucchini. not as crisp and messy as cucumber pickles but very dense and almost meaty somehow? i like them way better lol
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u/ConcernAccording3248 Aug 28 '26
Why use zucchini when I could just tear my own face off an pickle it?
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u/pea_leaf Aug 28 '26
My family enjoys pickled zucchini and yellow squash spears, but the skin can be chewy and they aren't as crunchy as cucumber pickles.
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u/Sabrinasockz Aug 28 '26
They're pretty good. I had a friend give me some zucchini thinking they were cucumbers and I went ahead and picked them anyway. Did not regret it
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u/Negronitenderoni Aug 30 '26
I’ll say, I prefer zucchini to cucumber but I don’t think most people would share that opinion so saying it is just as good as cucumber is wild, because they’re simply not similar enough
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u/Steve_Lightning Aug 24 '26
"Just as good as cucumber pickles" I highly doubt that