Pickling cucumbers are sorted by size and sent to processor to made into pickles. Grading is done by state officials from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. State officials grade cucumbers using USDA guidelines that all cucumber growers in the United States must follow. These officials select random cucumbers and grade them. This is then applied to the crop.
Officials check for food protection and quality.
The samples are inspected for size, grade, defects, shape and color. The grades for cucumbers are U.S. Fancy, U.S. Extra 1, U.S. 1, U.S. 1 Small, U.S. 1 Large, U.S. 2. You probably usually find cucumbers in the produce section and pickling cucumbers in jars at your local grocery store. When cucumbers are moved from one place to another, they are shipped in refrigerated trucks. This is to maintain their quality and to prevent them from spoiling.