Those hollow cukes were probably much too large and old for the pickles. This is what happens when they start to go to seed as they swell and become hollow and then the seeds get harder and tough. Consider using cukes that are for pickling only, and use ones that are a smaller diameter. Those big ones in the photo look way to big for pickling cukes. Mine are usually only about 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter, and about 4-6 inches long. Anything much bigger than about 1.5 inches in diameter is considered overgrown

Sometimes those pickles can be salvaged by grinding or chopping and using for relish.

Carol

Ken,

These cukes are pickling cukes that I picked out of my garden an hour before they went into the boiling water. I thought it was very stranged because it was all small ones that went hollow except for one. The smaller the cuke, the more likely it was to be hollow. You can see in the photo part of the one big one in the lower left hand corner. (Every once in a while one hides under a leaf and I miss it) I will sometimes try to sneak them in but only one held true to that theory. The rest were just fine.

All of the cukes were 4-5" long and fresh so there has to be another reason. Anyone?

No clue, sherri, but they'll still be fine. I pickled a bunch of the hollow ones last year. They weren't as pretty, but they tasted just the same and didn't get softer than the others. Other than the hole in the middle, they were the same as the others.

Annie

Some cukes are more susceptible to this, for whatever reason. Sometimes it's growing conditions, and you can't necessarily control that. A fluctuation in moisture level - for example an unexpected dry period or a heavy rainfall - can affect how cukes develop, so you may be limited in how much you can control that.

I do agree with Annie. I've chunked pickles and used hollow ones with no problems, but it does depend on the kind of pickle you're making. If I'm ambitious, I jar up the hollow ones separately and keep those for "family consumption" and bring out the pretty ones for company. (It's a matter of pride, LOL.)

Carol

Yes, that is my plan. Others get the ones that taste great and look pretty and we get to keep the ones that taste great and look like crap :) I don't mind, I just wanted to know if I amybe did something I could avoid next time. I'll just try it again in a week or so and see if they do it again.

I am making bread and butter pickles today :)

They are fine, just as they said, those are the "ugly" ones, but are OK.
Normally the hollow ones are cukes that didn't get enough water, is what I was told before.
Poorly developed cucumbers may cause hollow pickles. Check whole cucumbers during washing. The hollow cucumbers usually float. These should be taken out and used in relishes of "chunk" style pickles.

Cucumbers no larger than six inches long will make the best pickles. Larger ones are likely to shrivel, or become hollow or soft.

Problem: Hollow Pickles
Possible Causes:
1. Used cucumbers that were too large for brining.

2. Used improper curing methods.

3. Allowed more than 24 hours to lapse between harvesting and beginning the pickle process.

4. Poor growth of cucumber.

Ok, that is all I know about hollow cucumbers.

You might want to consider planting several cuke varieties. I used to do Burpee burpless ones, but now prefer the spiney county fair ones, as well as a few others. All of the ones I grow now have very tiny seeds, unless they were left on the vines too long. Once that happens, I don't use these big torpedoes for pickles. As mentioned, you could also chop them up along with some onions and a bit of sweet red peppers and make a relish out of them. I did this after running my cukes through a crinkle cutter disk on my food processer attachment. It left a lot of litte bits and made a nice relish. If your using 'chemical' fertilizers like Miracle Grow, you might want to consider using a more natural product derived from fish meal, compost, and well rotted manures. I like adding lots of celery seed and mustard seeds for B&B pickles. Also, for a bit more bright color, some tumeric. Cider vinegar as well as white distilled are also used, and because I am diabetic, I add a small amount of Splenda as it takes less that one tenth the amount to sweeten about the same as 3-5 pounds of sugar. I might use a half to a cup of Splenda for 7 quarts. The same holds true for sweet mixed, but there I also add the cloves, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, dill, coriander, cauliflower, small whole onions, and a few slices of sweet red peppers for color.

No, I haven't used anything but compost for my cukes. They all seem to be extremely healthy and producing very well. I have found that i need to pick twice a day in order to avoid any cukes getting too big!

I too make bread and butter pickles, I just made a batch last night. They are SO not the kind you can buy in the store LOL I never had any real ones until I made them and now I'm hooked. I use the recipe from the old book "Putting Food By"

BTW when I sliced up last night's cukes for the b&b none of them were hollow. I think it really had to do with building up gases while sitting in the water. I did wait an extra 4 hours one day to change the water and it was a bit more cloudy than the other days. I may have caused it then. Don't know but they're tasting good and I'm not going to give it any more thought. Too many other things to can! :)

Sliding a knife blade into the center of the cukes (from the ends) can help to prevent the possible gas buildup. It could be due to the water being used, acidic or alkali water can affect these too.

I am thinking that on the next batch I might put a skewer through them, end to end. (And remove it, of course) I hope that allows gas to escape but not too much damage as to cause them to shrivel. I used spring water on them for the 5 days and I'm not really sure what the content is on that. Oh well, I'm gonna eat them up and try some more and they'll be just fine, I'm sure :)

I have had this happen to my pickles. I do believe the reason is related to growing conditions as Carol and Linda Lou suggested. If you cut one end off a pickle and see that it is hollow, cut the pickle in half lengthwise and cut it into 3/4 or 1 inch chunks.

One of my cuke plants is producing these very short, round golf ball sized cukes. They are not stunted, have no spines on the outside and look like very tiny watermelons with a smooth end at the blossom end. I cut off the ends and tasted one, and it tastes like a regular cuke. I think this variety could be left on the vines a bit longer so they get bigger around. The tiny seeds inside did tell me that they were very immature. Ever see that commercial pickle type that has a very small center seed cavity, and the slices are 3-4 inches in diameter?