Pick a firm, dark-green cucumber and pop it into your shopping basket. Congratulations! You have just bought yourself a fruit (the cool cuke is a fruit, not a vegetable) full of good health!
Served in a variety of ways, the distinctive crisp, cool vegetable will add extra crunch, whether in a sandwich or in a favorite salad.
Types
Two basic types of cucumbers are common: slicing varieties and pickling varieties. Slicing cucumbers include the typical supermarket variety: long and straight with thin, non-bitter skins and seeds. They are produced for fresh consumption. The skin of younger cucumbers is tender enough to be eaten. As it grows, the skin thickens, and more seeds develop. If left on the vine too long, the flesh may become bitter. Burpless cucumbers are slicing cucumbers that have been bred to produce less of the bitter chemical that releases gas in the stomach.
The pickling varieties are smaller, shorter, and squatter. They have a lighter skin and are bumpy. They are produced to have drier flesh, which allows them to soak up more of the pickling brine for processing into pickles.
Nutrition
The water content of cucumbers is high, which is why the calorie content is so low! One cup of sliced cucumbers has only 13 calories. As one might assume, the protein, carbohydrate, and fat content are also low. Cucumbers provide us with a unique combination of nutrients. At the top of the phytonutrient list for cucumbers are cucurbitacins, lignans, and flavonoids. These three types of phytonutrients found in cucumbers provide us with valuable antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer benefits. Cucumbers are a good source of vitamin K and the mineral molybdenum.
Selecting Cucumbers
When selecting cucumbers, look for those that have been kept cool. Avoid cucumbers that are yellow, puffy, have sunken water-soaked areas, or are wrinkled at their tips. Also, avoid those that have bulging middles. Overripe cucumbers, with large seeds and watery flesh, will have a poor taste. Slender, firm, bright, medium to dark-green cucumbers will taste the best. Bruises and dark spots on cucumbers are signs of decay. During the selection process, you may find it helpful to know that thin-skinned cucumbers will generally have fewer seeds than those that are thick-skinned.
Storage
Cool storage is recommended. Store unpeeled cucumbers in the refrigerator crisper drawer. If cucumbers have a wax coating, store them in the crisper and use them within a week. Unwaxed, store-purchased cucumbers will not keep as long. One way to keep cucumbers fresh longer is to wrap each cucumber individually in a paper towel and then put all cucumbers wrapped in paper towels inside a plastic bag. Put the plastic bag with the cucumbers in the refrigerator. It works – the cucumbers will stay perfectly fresh for the whole week! Keep peeled cucumbers wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and store in the cool part of the refrigerator; use within one or two days. Cucumbers should not be left out at room temperature for too long, as this will cause them to wilt and become limp.
Preparation
Wash all cucumbers before cooking or eating. If cucumbers have been post-harvest treated with a wax coating, peel them before using. Cooking cucumbers by heating is common in some regions throughout the country. The vegetable’s delicate flavor will complement meat dishes. Some recipes call for scooping out the seeds and just using the flesh. Seasoned with herbs and other dressings such as lemon, dill, tarragon, or mint adds taste.
It is important to remember that the skins and seeds of cucumbers are both rich in nutrients. In fact, the nutrient richness of both plant parts is significantly higher than the flesh. For this reason, consumption of both skins and seeds is desirable from a nutritional standpoint.
Cucumber Seeds
People often claim that the burping associated with cucumbers is the reason that they avoid them, but the seeds of the cucumber are what cause the burps. The seeds can easily be removed from a cucumber if it is cut lengthwise and the tip of a spoon is used to scoop out the seeds. My general recommendation is to keep and consume the seeds since they are an unusually rich source of nutrients. There is a variety of cucumber, called English or seedless, that doesn’t seem to cause burping, or the seeds can simply be scraped out of the cucumber. Now, there is no excuse for avoiding cucumbers!
How about a refreshing cucumber salad? It’s a perfect accompaniment to almost everything, see the recipe below.
Written by Vicki Hayman, MS, University of Wyoming Extension Nutrition and Food Safety Educator
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