The English cucumber is long, thin, and straight. It can be twice the length of a regular slicing cucumber; a typical English cucumber is around 14 inches long. The skin is dark green and smooth (meaning without any bumps found on pickling cucumbers) with ridges running the length of the vegetable.
Is it OK to eat cucumbers with bumps?
What you see: Bumps on your cucumber, sometimes of varying size. What it is: Stipples! Just a natural part of the cucumber. Eat or toss: Eat!
What kind of cucumbers have bumps?
Kirby cucumbers are usually short and they’re always bumpy. They have a range of skin color from yellow to dark green. Kirbys are wonderfully crunchy for eating raw, but flavorful enough to be perfect for pickling too. Sometimes, they’re even sold under the name “pickling cucumbers.”
What is the difference in an English cucumber and a regular cucumber?
The flavor of an English cucumber is sweeter than the standard cucumber, and it doesn’t need to be peeled or seeded before eating! Because the thin skin is so fragile, it’s sold with a plastic covering in the grocery store. Standard slicing cucumbers are shorter, with thick, dark green skin and very large seeds.
How can you tell if a cucumber is English?
English cucumbers are sweet, slender, straight and have fewer, less noticeable seeds than many other cucumbers. You’ll also see them called greenhouse cucumbers, hot house cucumbers, European cucumbers and seedless cucumbers. English cucumbers are about a 14 inches long and about 1-1/2 to 2 inches in diameter.
Why are some cucumbers bumpy?
07/30/2015. Pickles are made from cucumbers, which naturally have little spines on their skin. These spines are usually rubbed off before being sold or processed, leaving behind little bumps on the surface of the skin.
Why do my cucumbers have little spikes on them?
Cucumbers are members of the Cucurbit family along with squash, pumpkins, and melons. They are divided into two groups: pickling and slicing varieties. Both varieties may have varying degrees of cucumber prickles – so prickly cucumbers is actually quite normal.
What is the difference between Lebanese and English cucumbers?
Cucumbers come in two main varieties – lebanese and continental/telegraph. Lebanese cucumbers are a sweet, short variety with dark green, thin skin. Its flesh is crisp and pale with tiny seeds. The continental or telegraph cucumber is dark green, long and thin, 30-35cm x 5cm, with a hook at one end.
Are Mini Cucumbers the same as English cucumbers?
These varieties exist within two categories – Long English Cucumbers and Mini Cucumbers. Long English Cucumbers are considered the classic Cucumber, whereas Mini Cucumbers look the same as Long English – just in a miniature, snackable form!
Are English cucumbers good for you?
English cucumbers are rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and dietary fiber, as well as silica and other active ingredients.
Should you wash English cucumbers?
Although you don’t need to peel English cucumbers, be sure to wash and dry them before using. Their edible skin and tiny seeds means they’re great served raw to give any dish an added crunch, including in salads, noodle bowls, wraps, or salsa.
Why are English cucumbers different?
English cucumbers, Cucumis sativus, were actually bred to create a cucumber without some of the more undesirable characteristics that this vegetable has, such as a tough outer skin, large seeds, and a bitter taste. They are also known as hothouse cucumber, burpless cucumber, seedless cucumber, and European cucumber.
Why is English cucumber wrapped in plastic?
Plastic wrap serves as an extra layer of protection for cucumbers that have particularly thin skin, like English cucumbers. This snug seal reduces and prevents rehydration and potential damage that can occur during packing and transit, and continues to play an important role even once you get them home.
Should you refrigerate English cucumbers?
At home, English cucumbers won’t need to be refrigerated until you cut them—just store them in the plastic wrap in a dry area. “If you have sliced it, wrap a paper towel around the sliced end and place in a Ziplock bag,” recommends Davis-Allonce.
How can you tell when a cucumber is ripe?
A cucumber is normally considered ripe when it is bright medium to dark green and firm. You should avoid cucumber harvesting when cucumbers are yellow, puffy, have sunken areas, or wrinkled tips. These are well beyond being ripe and should be discarded promptly.
What kind of cucumbers are prickly?
The spiny-fruited vine that we use is called CUCUMIS ANGURIA. Some gardeners refer to it as Spiny Cucumber. Still, it is more often known as West India Gherkin or Bur Gherkin in other parts of the globe because pickles produced from immature regular garden cucumbers are often referred to as “gherkins” in North America.
What are the black spiky things on cucumbers?
Among the list of pests and diseases cucumbers are vulnerable to, black specks are a symptom of four: gummy stem blight, anthracnose, squash bugs or four-lined plant bug.
Do cucumbers have barbs?
Most of the cucumbers that you see at the grocery store are varieties that do have spines in their natural form. While there are spineless varieties, grocery stores don’t seem to prioritize buying them.
What are the white things on cucumbers?
Powdery mildew gives your cucumbers the appearance that they have been dusted with flour. This fungal disease will spread across the whole fruit and may also be seen on the leaves. If you have powdery mildew on your cucumbers, it is normally a result of a combination of high humidity and poor air circulation.
What are the little white things on cucumbers?
One reason that cucumber fruit turns white is a fungal disease called powdery mildew. This problem begins on the upper surface of the fruit and the cucumbers may look as though they have been dusted with flour. As it spreads, the entire fruit may become covered with the mold.
What is the best tasting cucumber?
The best-tasting cucumbers are those that are slicing cucumbers. English cucumbers don’t have the bitter chemical cucurbitacin that some cucumbers have. They also have higher natural sugar content, making them sweeter. The lack of seeds and thinner skin also English cucumbers more enjoyable to eat.