Cucumbers

Fresh cucumbers taste so much better than store-bought ones and each variety has a unique flavour. The inner temperature of a cucumber can be 20 degrees cooler than the outside air. The cucumber originated in Asia Minor and spread globally. The Romans grew them and the Bible refers to them. In the late 1500's The Plains Indians and Iroquois obtained cucumbers from the Spanish by barter, learning how to grow these alongside the corn, beans and pumpkins they already grew. In Europe, while cucumbers were well known for several hundred years, the English in the 17th Century went through a period of uncertainty about the benefits of eating fresh fruit and vegetables and called them "cowcumbers" - fit only for cattle and toxic to humans.

Some cucumbers may produce bitter skins which create a digestive problem for some people known as a "burp." "Burpless" varieties have been bred to reduce or minimize this potential bitterness. Generally, bitterness is a result of moisture stress when cucumber plants are not getting enough water, or in periods of heat and drought. Try watering copiously and laying doan a mulch of straw around the bases of plants. This will conserve moisture in the ground and reduce fast evaporation seen in summers with combined heat and wind. Removing the stem-end of cucumbers, and peeling them, will eliminate any bitterness. (Family: Cucurbitaceae)

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