The bumper crop came despite a demanding growing season, where greenhouse growers had to keep heating crops in spring and water frequently during the hottest days.

"We have greenhouse cucumbers that need heating because they won't grow below 15 degrees Celsius," said Joosepi Farm owner Kaire Roositalu. "Because we kept them heated, we still got a pretty good harvest."

Despite rising prices, shoppers in Estonia continue to favor local cucumbers. But higher costs for heating, seeds, plant protection products and growing media are squeezing growers' profits.

"Every year, it gets a little less profitable," said Matu Farm owner Ertti Vilu. When the first cucumbers of the season hit the market in the spring, he added, customers see the price and will sometimes ask whether they're "made of gold."

Pickle season, meanwhile, ends in about two weeks.

Salvest's plant will put 1.3 million Estonian cucumbers into jars this year, and this year's strong harvest means they can cut back on importing cucumbers from Southern Europe for production.

Local produce can go from field to jar within a day, Salvest CEO Jaanus Aal said. "That's definitely a very good indicator in terms of quality," he added.

Packed by hand

The food producer will also use about 5 tons of dill producing pickles this season, marking an improvement after supply problems last year.

The industrial cucumber season runs from July through the end of August. While machines handle tasks such as chopping, Salvest production worker Heili Kändra said much of the packing remains manual.

"We still pack jars by hand," Kändra said, adding that this task requires more skill.

Production lines at the Salvest plant will switch to fall vegetables starting next month.

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