Cucumbers are in season in supermarkets all year round. Of course, if you grow your cucumbers and braised cucumbers yourself in the greenhouse, you can only start harvesting seven to ten weeks after sowing. The cucumbers should be about 20 cm - 30 cm long and have a strong green color. Overripe, yellowish cucumbers belong in the compost. Cucumbers can be eaten raw or dressed up in delicious salads. When processing, the question arises: to peel or not to peel?

A potato peeler is the best way to peel cucumbers

Should cucumbers be peeled or better not?

Given that most of the nutrients are hidden under and in the skin of a cucumber, it certainly makes sense not to peel the cucumber. However, you can assume that cucumbers from the supermarket were sprayed with chemicals during their ripening period. Some of it always penetrates the shell. So you should always peel these cucumbers.
Organic cucumbers or cucumbers from home cultivation are normally free of pesticides and other pesticides. Here you can eat the cucumber peel with pleasure.
Stewed cucumbers have a harder skin than the cucumber. Their peel should therefore always be removed, as they do not become really soft even during cooking.

Tips and tricks for peeling cucumbers

If you want to peel your cucumber, first cut off the stalk with a sharp knife. There is a reason for this really important measure. Cucumbers naturally form bitter substances first at the base of the stalk, which can sometimes make the entire cucumber inedible.
It is therefore advisable to generously remove the base of the stem. If you were to use the knife in this area when peeling, the bitter flavors could spread throughout the cucumber.

Prepare cucumbers

  1. Wash the cucumber thoroughly under running water.
  2. Remove the stem attachment at the top and any flower remains at the bottom.
  3. Take a sharp paring knife or vegetable peeler and start peeling the cucumber from top to bottom.
  4. Turn the cucumber after each cut.
  5. If you want, you can always leave a small strip of green skin between the peeled areas (unsprayed cucumbers only). Such "colorful" cucumbers look interesting in a salad or as a decoration on the buffet.
  6. You should process the peeled cucumber immediately.

Prepare pickles

For stewed cucumbers, proceed in a similar way to the snake cucumber.

  1. Wash the fruit thoroughly.
  2. Here, too, the stem and flower base are generously removed.
  3. Peel the cucumber completely with the vegetable peeler from top to bottom.
  4. Now cut the cucumber in half lengthways.
  5. Scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon.
  6. The stewed cucumber can now be processed and filled if desired.

The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

  • as a free PDF file to print out yourself

Category:

Vegetable garden