What is your favorite way to eat cucumbers?
Fresh cucumbers are amazing au naturel and contain about 95 percent water, so they make a refreshing snack or side dish. Some people also enjoy a dash of salt on the fresh cucumbers. They can be sliced or pureed and then added to drinks and beauty products. They also make an awesome addition to salads and other dishes such as tabbouleh or quinoa. You see them more frequently these days in sandwiches in lieu of lettuce, and they are a frequent ingredient on vegetarian sandwiches. They add vitamin K to your diet as well as calcium, iron and potassium. They also carry 2 grams of dietary fiber for one cucumber. Cucumbers are members of the gourd family and are technically classified as a fruit, like tomatoes and squash. They grow from vines along the ground, or they can climb along a trellis for ease in harvesting. The two primary ways that cucumbers are traditionally consumed are fresh and pickled.
The English variety sports no seeds, and is longer and narrower in shape. It is typically found in the produce section wrapped in plastic. The burpless variety, just as the name indicates, offers relief from the one uncomfortable “side effect” that cucumbers have on some people: excessive burping! Both the regular and English cukes can be eaten with skins left on or peeled. It seems to be personal preference as to whether the skins are removed since they can be a little bitter when not removed. Because the English variety is burpless and seedless, they make the perfect addition to a green smoothie. When seeds are removed from other cucumbers, they are less bitter and do not cause as much of the burping.
Pickled cucumbers are the salty cousin of the fresh cucumber. The variety typically used for pickling is smaller, bumpier and the color is variegated, as well. There are a number of ways to process and preserve cucumbers to make pickles. They can be kosher, dill, sweet, hot (or spicy), garlic infused or as a relish. English variety is typically not preserved as pickles. Cucumbers that are sliced can be made into what is commonly referred to as refrigerator pickles when marinated in vinegar with herbs and spices as well as creamy products such as sour cream or yogurt. It doesn’t take long in the refrigerator before they are ready to accompany a meal and add a unique taste.
Traditionally, pickles are preserved in pint and quart jars with a vinegar and salt brine and processed in a hot-water-bath canning process. Typical additives include dill, garlic, peppers or other flavors. When making pickles at home, be sure to add pickle crisp to the jars so your pickles are firmer (not soft and mushy) and crunch when you bite into them. You should choose a salt that is intended for pickling so that your pickles are not affected by the typical salt additive to keep it flakey. Pickling or canning salt doesn’t contain this additive, so it doesn’t affect the pickling process. If you are eating a low-salt diet, you can reduce or eliminate the salt for quick pickles. Do not reduce the salt or use reduced-sodium salt in brined pickles or sauerkraut — these products need a specific amount of sodium to control bacterial growth and give a firm texture.
