Cucumber

Botanical Name:

Cucumis, sativus (Cucurbitaceae)

General Description/History:

• Related to melon, squash and pumpkin
• Elongated cylindrical shape
• Botanically a fruit
• Crisp tender skin, either dark green/yellow/white
• Juicy flesh, cool to taste
• Soft edible seeds surrounded by translucent gel.

When buying cucumbers choose those that are firm, fresh and with good green colour (with the exception of apple and white varieties). The shade of the colour is important. A deep green colour assures the buyer that the cucumbers have recently come from the vine, whilst a dull green or yellow colour indicates age. The stem end of the cucumber should be firm, thus indicating its freshness. Poor quality is obvious when the skin has a decided give when pressure is lightly applied.

Wash, slice and eat raw with skin on. Use in salads, as an accompaniment to Indian curries. Use as hors-d’oeuvres sliced ½cm thick and topped with cream cheese and smoked salmon.

Cucumbers grow on trailing or climbing vines. They require warm dry conditions for growth, humid conditions will cause shrivelling. Cucumbers need plenty of water, are frost sensitive and will be killed by mild frosts. They start bearing 8-10 weeks from sowing.

This vegetable is a native of the region of Pakistan where the Indus River makes the land muddy and fertile, suitable for its growth.

Studies by archaeologists tell us that traces of cucumber spores have been unearthed in spirit caves as far off as Burma and Thailand. This indicates that thousands of years before formal agriculture existed, the cucumber was offered up as appeasement to the Gods by the early Asians.

Ancient Greeks mixed the pulp of the cucumber with honey and snow, and dished it up only on special occasions, while the Romans, known for their exotic diet, served cucumbers every day of the week when they were in season. The Israelites and Egyptians ate this cylindrical green vegetable at every meal, dipped into bowls of salted water, for it was believed that the ingestion of three raw cucumbers daily protected the human body from the bite of deadly insects and vipers.

The phrase “cool as a cucumber” is thought to have come about due to the fact that on a hot day, the inside of a cucumber will be six degrees cooler than the outside air.

Varieties:

Apple
Continental
Gherkin
Green
Lebanese
Vietnamese

Availability:

Growing Areas:

QLD - Bowen, Bundaberg, Redland Bay, Stanthorpe
NSW - Dareton, Gosford, Hunter Valley, North Coast, Windsor,
VIC - Melbourne Metropolitan Area, Sunraysia
TAS - North West
SA - Adelaide Plains, Riverland
WA - Carnarvon, Perth Metropolitan Outer Areas
NT - Batchelor, Darwin, Katherine.

Nutritional Value:

A good source of vitamin C and dietary fibre. 50kJ/100g.

Storage/Handling:

7-10°C and 90 - 98% relative humidity.

Consumer Storage:

Store in the refrigerator crisper.