Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Cucumbers

Summer

Description: Slicing cucumbers usually have smooth skins and are long, round cylinders with a sweet flavor. Long, slender English cucumbers (also called Dutch or Japanese) have thin skins and contain few seeds. Pickling cucumbers are best used for making sweet or dill pickles.

Selection: Select firm, crisp cucumbers with no blemishes or yellowing. Ones that feel heavy for their size are likely to be crisper. Small cucumbers generally have fewer seeds.

Storage and handling: Store in the refrigerator in a loosely sealed plastic bag for up to a week. Before eating, wash in cold water.

Preparation: Remove tough or waxed skin with a vegetable peeler. Remove large seeds by slicing the cucumber in half lengthwise, then scraping seeds out with a spoon. Salting cut cucumbers and letting them sit in a colander for about an hour will remove some of their water, which will keep them from diluting salad dressing. Dry them thoroughly before tossing with the dressing.

Serving suggestions: Not usually eaten cooked. Eat cucumbers plain or with a light sprinkling of salt or a flavorful dip. Slice and chop for use in tossed salads. For cucumber salad, slice and dress with a simple vinaigrette or yogurt (SIS, p. 98).

Nutrients: Vitamin K.

1 lb raw = 4 cups
1 lb cooked = n/a

The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.

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Cucumbers

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	Guide General Tips Apples Asparagus Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Collards Corn Cranberries Cucumbers Edamame Edible flowers Eggplant Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melon Mesclun Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Persimmons Potatoes Pumpkins Raspberries Rhubarb Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Strawberries Swiss chard Sweet potatoes Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips Wild greens Winter squash Fruit and Vegetable Guide Cucumbers Summer Description: Slicing cucumbers usually have smooth skins and are long, round cylinders with a sweet flavor. Long, slender English cucumbers (also called Dutch or Japanese) have thin skins and contain few seeds. Pickling cucumbers are best used for making sweet or dill pickles. Selection: Select firm, crisp cucumbers with no blemishes or yellowing. Ones that feel heavy for their size are likely to be crisper. Small cucumbers generally have fewer seeds. Storage and handling: Store in the refrigerator in a loosely sealed plastic bag for up to a week. Before eating, wash in cold water. Preparation: Remove tough or waxed skin with a vegetable peeler. Remove large seeds by slicing the cucumber in half lengthwise, then scraping seeds out with a spoon. Salting cut cucumbers and letting them sit in a colander for about an hour will remove some of their water, which will keep them from diluting salad dressing. Dry them thoroughly before tossing with the dressing. Serving suggestions: Not usually eaten cooked. Eat cucumbers plain or with a light sprinkling of salt or a flavorful dip. Slice and chop for use in tossed salads. For cucumber salad, slice and dress with a simple vinaigrette or yogurt (SIS, p. 98). Nutrients: Vitamin K. 1 lb raw = 4 cups 1 lb cooked = n/a The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season. Subscribe to a recipe a week from the Simply in Season cookbook. More from our readers Do you have a tip, comment or recipe you would like to add to this page? Send your tips, helpful comments or recipes Name Email Address Email Address confirm Comments
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