Cucumber and Jicama: A Kitchen Handbook

* Choose cucumbers that are firm and unblemished. Be sure to check the ends to be sure they haven’t softened. Thin ones won’t have many seeds. Avoid those that are turning yellow--cucumbers at that stage can be mushy.

* Keep cucumbers in the refrigerator in a plastic bag in which you’ve made a few holes. Try not to pile them one on top of another.

* Peeling most cucumbers is optional, unless they have been waxed.

* Choose jicama with smooth skin and no blemishes or soft spots. Avoid those with wrinkled skin--they are beginning to dry out.

* Store jicama like onions--in a well-ventilated place at room temperature. Whole ones keep about one week in warm weather, longer when the weather is cool. Put cut jicama in a plastic bag in the refrigerator; it’ll keep about 5 days.

* The easiest way to prepare a jicama is to cut it in half with a sturdy knife before peeling it. If the jicama is large, cut off as much as you want and peel that piece.

* For peeling jicama, a sturdy knife is easier to use than a vegetable peeler. Simply cut a wedge out of the jicama and slice off the peel, cutting downward toward the board. Under the skin, there’s a thin fibrous layer that’s lighter in color than the peel. If it doesn’t come off when you remove the outer peel, cut it off too.

* Like cucumbers, jicama can be grated, sliced, diced or cut in sticks.