Harvest of the Month: Cucumbers

Harvest of the Month: Cucumbers

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Table of Contents

Facts

Nutrition and Seasonality

Try New Foods

Add Cucumbers to Your Favorite Family Meals

Books

Try Three New Variations of Cucumber Salad

Garden Connection

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Facts

Spanish translation: El pepino

Hmong translation: Dib ntsuab

Cucumbers are 96% water.

Have you heard the phrase “cool as a cucumber”? The inside of a cucumber is 20 degrees cooler than outside temperatures during the summer.

Cucumbers come in different sizes and shapes. Fresh or slicing cucumbers are usually 6-9 inches long, while cucumbers used for pickles are smaller.

Mexican sour gherkins, also known as cucamelons, originate from Mexico and Central America. While they aren’t technically cucumbers, they have a fresh and tangy flavor similar to a cucumber.

Cucumbers were originally grown in India over 3,000 years ago. They were thought to be poisonous and people would scrape the skin off to let the poison out. Despite this belief, cucumbers spread across Asia.

Nutrition and Seasonality

Key Nutrients

  • Vitamin K – Needed for blood clotting, preventing excessive bleeding.
  • Potassium – Helps maintain normal blood pressure.
  • Vitamin C – Helps wounds heal, is important for the immune system, and is an antioxidant, which protects our cells from damage.

Seasonality

  • Fresh cucumbers are available in Wisconsin from mid-July through September.

Try New Foods

Children get excited to try foods prepared in fun ways.

Cut a cucumber in half lengthwise. Scoop out the inside. The outer shell makes a boat! Let your child fill their boat with fruit and veggie “passengers”.

  1. Select: Choose firm cucumbers with dark green color.
  2. Store: Refrigerate in a plastic bag for up to 1 week.
  3. Prepare: Rinse with cool running water and slice. Keep the skin on for extra nutrients.

Add Cucumbers to Your Favorite Family Meals

  • Add cucumbers to pasta salad for a cool crunch.
  • Pair with tomatoes and feta cheese for a simple salad.
  • Use cucumber slices instead of crackers for dips and spreads.

Books

  • A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds by Jean Richards
  • The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons
  • Cucumber Soup by Vickie Leigh Krudwig

Try Three New Variations of Cucumber Salad

  1. Chop cucumbers and tomatoes, sprinkle with feta cheese, add a dash of vinegar and oil, and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Toss together cubed watermelon, sliced cucumbers, feta cheese, and chopped mint and basil. Squeeze a lime over the salad, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
  3. Slice cucumbers and red onion. Combine 3 Tbsp vinegar, 1 Tbsp sugar, ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Toss dressing with salad. Sprinkle with 1 tsp dry dill.

Garden Connection

Planting

Plant cucumber seeds in warm soil when the danger of frost has passed. Plant seeds ½-1 inch deep and 12 inches apart. Cucumbers thrive in warm summer weather, but make sure to water them regularly. Cucumber vines grow very long and can be trained to climb a trellis or fence.

Harvesting

Pick cucumbers when they reach the desired size. Cucumbers for pickling can be harvested when they are just 2 inches long. Wait until slicing cucumbers are 6-8 inches before picking them. One vine can produce 25-125 cucumbers!

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