The Care and Consumption of Cucumbers

We grew up before the development of elegant and creative American cuisine. Those were the days when big slabs of meat, potatoes, overcooked vegetables, salad and dessert were the rule at practically every dinner table in the neighborhood.

There was no arugula. There was no goat cheese. There was no balsamic vinegar or extra virgin olive oil. There were no blood oranges. Salads were made up of iceberg lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, period!

Cucumbers are low-calorie, delicate-tasting vegetables with practically no nutritional value. Like iceberg lettuce, they are almost entirely water--with a little fiber thrown in for good measure. Nonetheless, they continue to be very popular, especially among amateur gardeners. We know this from personal experience because every year our overzealous weekend-farmer friends bring us baskets of cucumbers they can’t use.

Cucumbers are actually native to Asia. Although we think of them as American food, they were brought here by Christopher Columbus and grown by Native Americans and colonists from Florida to Canada. They are botanically related to the zucchini (that’s not surprising), pumpkins, watermelons and other squashes. Although the peak harvest season is from May to July, cucumbers are actually available year-round because imports come in from Mexico.

The two varieties of cucumbers most familiar to us are those used for eating and pickling.

The cucumbers we eat usually are from 6 to 9 inches long and have a shiny, dark-green skin. To give them a longer shelf life, they may be coated with wax after harvesting. Hothouse cucumbers can reach a length of 20 inches and are often sealed in plastic in the market. They tend to be milder in flavor and seedless, and easier to digest for many people, but they are also much more expensive. There are also a few Japanese cucumbers that are long, slender and bumpy.

Pickling cucumbers tend to be smaller and kind of squat, with bumpy, light-green skins. They end up in jars as various types of dill pickles or gherkins, or as relish.

When shopping for cucumbers, look for firm specimens that do not have withered ends. The more slender cucumbers tend to have fewer seeds. Stay away from any that bulge in the middle because they will have lots of seeds and tasteless flesh.

Cucumbers need to be kept cold from the time they are harvested. If you are buying vegetables from a farmers’ market, make sure they have been kept in the shade.

Cucumbers will keep in the refrigerator for a week or more if they are uncut, unwashed and waxed. If they start to decay at all, throw them out. Once cut, they should be wrapped in plastic and used within a day or so.

Don’t wash cucumbers until just before you use them. If they are unwaxed and the skin is thin, it isn’t necessary to peel them, but if the skin has been waxed, peeling is a good idea. Getting rid of the seeds is also a good idea since they tend to be bitter.

Here are some ways to maximize the coolness of cucumbers:

* Everybody knows how to use cucumbers in a salad, but they can also be stuffed with just about anything and baked, braised, sauteed, simmered, made into soups or turned into a cooling condiment with yogurt.

* For a refreshing treat, try pureeing peeled cucumber chunks with yogurt or buttermilk, garlic and fresh mint or dill. Then season with vinegar or lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chill this mixture, and serve it with a little cucumber-slice garnish. Just like that, you have an elegant, refreshing soup.

* Or what about an almost instant gazpacho? Stir together tomato juice, chopped cucumbers, bell peppers, scallions and garlic. Chill thoroughly and serve it on hot afternoons with a dollop of yogurt on top.

* Make a sweet-and-sour cucumber salad by marinating thinly sliced cucumbers and onions in vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Chill the slices for about two hours.