Cucumber is a Fruit or Vegetable?

Cucumber is a fruit vegetable that belongs to the same family as melons and courgettes. The ancient Egyptians were already familiar with cucumbers. Cucumbers were first grown in the Netherlands in the 17th century. Cucumbers grow on climbing plants. One stem can produce dozens of cucumbers, hidden by large leaves.

GROWING & HARVESTING

Cucumbers are grown in greenhouses, in which they are trained upwards along wires. When the flowers are fertilised they grow into cucumbers. Nowadays, cultivated cucumber plants produce only female flowers, and therefore they no longer need to be pollinated. The cucumbers are harvested while they are still dark green. They turn paler green as they ripen.

FRESH

Fresh cucumbers must be firm and have an undamaged skin.

PREPARATION & USES

Cleaning
Rinse the cucumber and trim off the ends. You can then use the cucumber peeled or unpeeled.

Preparation
Some recipes instruct you to remove a cucumber’s seeds. That can be easily done by halving the cucumber lengthwise and scooping out the seeds with a spoon.

Uses
Cucumbers can be eaten either raw or cooked: in salads, stir-fried or enjoyed as a snack.

STORAGE & SHELF LIFE

Don’t store cucumbers in your refrigerator. Cucumbers are sometimes sold wrapped in plastic. This is intended to keep it fresh for longer, because oxygen makes cucumbers deteriorate.

AVAILABILITY

Dutch cucumbers are available from March until the end of September.

What if we told you that cucumber is both a fruit and a vegetable? Surprised? Yes, cucumber fits the bill of being both of them as in botany, fruits, flowers, leaves and stems can all be seen as vegetables. click here to know more about Is Cucumber a Fruit or Vegetable?