Information about Vegetables: Cucumber

About cucumber, information about the vegetable, production, history and varieties in the world.

Cucumber

Grown in temperate climates all over the world, it grows wild in India. Most of our crop comes from Florida, South Carolina, and Virginia. Cucumbers are usually eaten in salads, and should be peeled because they are often waxed. They can also be baked or boiled, and served with butter. Eaten raw, they possess the enzyme erepsin which has the same powerful protein-digesting properties as the papaya. They contain vitamins C, B1, and G, and are generally regarded as a cooling food ("cool as a cucumber") when eaten in hot climates. Ripe cucumbers and small green ones sand good for pickling.