Garden of Eatin' / Vegetables

Dragon’s Egg Cucumbers

Dragon's Egg cucumbers with backyard eggs

How beautiful is this? Eggs from my Barred Rock, my Easter Egger, my Cochin, and my very own backyard dragons! (What, you didn’t know I had backyard dragons?)

This Dragon’s Egg heirloom variety came all the way from Croatia and is one of my favorite cucumbers to grow this season. The palm-sized cukes have smooth cream-colored skin and seedy white flesh. They’re just the right amount of sweet, crisp and juicy, and even better, they’re quite the eye-catcher in the garden. Sometimes I don’t even want to slice them up!

Dragon's Egg heirloom cucumbers from Croatia

Dragon's Egg cucumber with seedy white flesh

About Author

I'm a plant lover, passionate road-tripper, and cookbook author whose expert advice and bestselling books have been featured in TIME, Outside, HGTV, and Food & Wine. The No-Waste Vegetable Cookbook is my latest book. Garden Betty is where I write about modern homesteading, farm-to-table cooking, and outdoor adventuring—all that encompass a life well-lived outdoors. After all, the secret to a good life is... Read more »

15 Comments

  • Susan Rubinsky
    July 11, 2017 at 10:06 pm

    Do you know the height of these plants? I grew them from seeds but the packet doesn’t say whether they are vining or not. I’m trying to figure out if I’m going to put them in a container or grow them in the garden on a trellis.

    Reply
    • Linda from Garden Betty
      August 6, 2017 at 8:31 am

      They’re definitely vining plants but I don’t remember their final height.

      Reply
      • Susan Rubinsky
        August 6, 2017 at 11:27 pm

        Thanks!

        Reply
        • Tasma Wilson
          February 27, 2019 at 7:47 pm

          The vines I grew of Dragon Egg surpassed 6′

          Reply
          • Linda from Garden Betty
            June 10, 2019 at 1:23 am

            Amazing! 🙂

  • Karri
    July 15, 2014 at 10:22 am

    Hi there! I know this was posted a while ago, but this is my second year growing these guys and I had a question. I noticed that the rind was quite tough and prickly– is it because I’m picking them too late or too early, or should I just peel them?

    Reply
    • Linda Ly
      July 15, 2014 at 4:48 pm

      Mine tend to be more prickly when they’re young, but technically they’re edible at any stage. I usually leave my cucumbers on the vine until they reach the size of a large lemon. I don’t find the skins that thick, but that could also be personal taste or just a characteristic of the seeds you have. (Every batch of heirloom seeds I grow, even for the same varieties, tends to be a little different.)

      Reply
      • Karri
        July 15, 2014 at 5:19 pm

        Ahh, I see, thank you! I guess I’m just more used to the thinner skins of store cukes. They made awesome pickles, though.

        Reply
        • Mandy
          August 1, 2022 at 6:26 am

          Good to know! I have 3 Plants and more fruit than I know what to do with, so I was hoping they would work for making pickles

          Reply
  • Mrs Bok
    September 14, 2012 at 6:27 am

    We call them apple cucumbers.  Just found your blog and I’m loving it!  Go girl.

    Reply
    • Linda Ly
      September 18, 2012 at 2:22 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  • OrganicLawnDIY
    August 31, 2012 at 5:18 pm

    Wow. Those look cool! I’ve never seen anything like them before. 

    How do they go with fresh homemade hummus or tzaziki?

    Reply
    • Linda Ly
      September 3, 2012 at 3:10 am

      I haven’t tried them with hummus or tzatziki, but I imagine they’d be good. These cukes aren’t bitter at all.

      Reply
  • James Hodge
    August 29, 2012 at 8:19 am

    Where can one get these seeds? I’d like to try them next season.

    Reply

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