Tag: Cucumber

Tuck Them Inside a Bag Take your dry, wrapped cucumbers and tuck them inside a plastic bag like you’re tucking your swaddled baby into bed. You do not need to use a resealable plastic bag: a little airflow is a good thing, since it helps prevent condensation from collecting around your swaddled cucumber babies. How […]

Water stress during the early stages of growth will cause bitter-tasting compounds to concentrate in the fruit. Water cucumbers deeply once or twice a week or place plants on a drip so that the soil stays moist but not wet. Why are my cucumbers tasting bitter? The actual cause of bitterness in cucumbers and other […]

Use small, firm cucumbers. This is, hands-down, the most important! If you start with a big ol’ soft cucumber, you’ll end up with big ol’ soft pickles. Always, always select the smallest, most firm cucumbers and leave the big soft ones out of the pickle jar. Can you still pickle overripe cucumbers? You can use […]

Mushy pickles are still quite edible, and if I get super-duper mushiness going on, I usually use those for chopping up to add to potato salad, making relish, etc. Just keep experimenting– you’ll get into your crispy-pickle groove eventually. Can you still pickle overripe cucumbers? You can use overripe cucumbers even when they’ve ripened to […]

Managing cucumber beetles is the most effective way to prevent bacterial wilt. Excluding cucumber beetles is very effective. In the field, floating row covers can be placed as seedlings emerge and plants start to grow, just make sure to remove them as flowers appear to allow pollination. What causes bacterial wilt in cucumbers? Causes of […]

Extra-large cucumbers are great for dicing or slicing in recipes that call for cucumbers. Cut them into quarters once they’ve been peeled. Slice or shred the leftover pulp after removing all of the seed-containing pulp. You can make tzatziki sauce, a green gazpacho, and a cucumber-yogurt soup. What can be done with large cucumbers? These […]

You shouldn’t allow cucumbers to turn yellow. If you encounter a yellow cucumber, it’s usually over ripe. When cucumbers become over ripe, their green coloring produced from chlorophyll begins to fade, resulting in a yellowing pigment. How can you tell if a cucumber is overripe? Use a couple of your five senses to tell if […]

If you have cucumber skin that is tough, yet another reason may be that the fruit has been left on the vine too long. Cucumbers that are left to grow larger will have tougher skin. Just because the cucumber skin is too hard doesn’t mean the fruit is lacking in any way, however. How do […]

When cucumbers become over ripe, their green coloring produced from chlorophyll begins to fade, resulting in a yellowing pigment. Cucumbers become bitter with size and yellow cucumbers are generally not fit for consumption. A yellow cucumber can also be the result of a virus, too much water, or a nutrient imbalance. Are yellow cucumbers healthy? […]

The mandurian round cucumber is roundish to a tad oval. Its skin is marked with patches or spots of varying green and white shades and is slightly fuzzy, almost like peach fuzz. When ready for consumption they are about the size of a tennis ball, although they will get much larger. Why are my cucumbers […]

Cut out the entire seed cavity and chop or shred up the rest. This can be used for making cucumber-yogurt soup, Green gazpacho or tzatziki sauce. What is this? One of our favorite ways to use up these monster-sized cucumbers is in a basic vinegar and sugar cucumber salad. What can I do with cucumbers […]

Reasons For White Cucumbers: Why Cucumber Fruit Turns White. Many cucumber seeds on the market today are bred to produce white fruit. They often have the word “white” or “pearl” in their name, and the cucumbers are very similar to green varieties in flavor and texture. What does white on a cucumber mean? Excessive Moisture […]

The short answer is yes, they are safe, but you likely won’t want to eat them because of the taste. Too ripe cucumbers that have been growing longer than they should will be bitter and not enjoyable to eat. There are some ways to eat them, though. Can you eat big yellow cucumbers? If you […]

You can keep cucumbers in the refrigerator for about a week, but the flavor is best soon after you pick them. Pickling cucumbersPickling cucumbersGherkins, or baby pickles, are small cucumbers, typically those 1 to 5 inches (3 to 13 cm) in length, often with bumpy skin, which are typically used for pickling. The word gherkin […]

Soak cucumbers in an ice water bath for a couple hours. If I can’t get to work canning my cucumbers immediately after picking them (or when I get home from the farmer’s market), submerging them in an icy bowl of water in the fridge will help them firm up/stay firm. How do you fix soft […]

No. Unlike tomatoes, stone fruit, and avocados, cucumbers will not ripen off the vine. How do you ripen a picked cucumber? Cucumbers won’t ripen after you pick them, so pinch off all the flowers 30-40 days before the first expected frost date for your area. This will cause the plants to put all of their […]

Soft fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, peaches, and tomatoes are a no-go if they have mold. Fruits and vegetables with high moisture content are more easily contaminated by mold below the surface and should just be tossed in the trash. Can you cut around mold on cucumber? Small mold spots can be cut off […]

Store cucumber seeds in a cool, dark, and dry place in an airtight container to keep out moisture and humidity. When stored under these conditions, cucumber seeds will remain viable for 5 years. How do I dry and save seeds for next year? Store seeds in tightly sealed glass containers. You can store different kinds […]

Parthenocarpic cucumbers are cucumber varieties which don’t require pollination to produce cucumbers. Sometimes described as self-pollinating, this is technically not true; as unpollinated female flowers will still produce fruit, and because they are not pollinated, you also get seedless cucumbers. Can cucumbers grow without pollination? Without their pollination, you may get deformed cucumbers, slow growing […]

Cut the Cucumbers Take the cuttings from the end of the stem, about 1/8 inch behind their second set of leaves and leaf node. Cut straight and cleanly across the stem. Then, remove the second set of leaves and gently place the cutting aside on a clean, cool and dry surface. Can you start cucumbers […]