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Ever wonder how to beat the scorching summer? Remember crunchy cucumber! This wonderful, low calorie vegetable has more nutrients to offer than just water and electrolytes...!   General Description:   The cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is commonly an oblong, dark green, seedy vegetable with flesh that is more than 90 percent water. One of the oldest cultivated vegetables, the cucumber is believed to be native to India and has been cultivated in western Asia for 3,000 to 4,000 years. Cucumbers were brought to the New World by Columbus in 1494, first arriving in Haiti and spreading to Canada. Cucumbers were being grown by the Iroquois when the Mayflower arrived.       All cucumbers have crisp texture and mild flavor. Common American cucumbers, usually 8 inches (20 cm) long, are bred to have thick skin for protection during shipping and longer shelf life. Their smooth, dark green skin is often waxed. Unwaxed local cucumbers may have tiny spines that should be rubbed off.   Many slicing cucumbers are grown in greenhouses. Originally grown in Holland, they’re sometimes known as Dutch cucumbers. They are invariably shrink-wrapped. These superlong (12 to 15 inches [30-38 cm]), smooth, lightly ridged dark green cucumbers are uniform in shape and length and are practically seedless, making them more easily digestible. Extremely thin-skinned, they taper at the tip (where they will spoil quickest) and have a mild, sweet flavor. Pickling cucumbers, suck as gherkins, American dills, and French cornichons are small. Gherkins and cornichons are about 2 inches (5 cm) long; American dills, about 4 inches (10 cm) long. American pickling cucumbers have knobby warts or spines, pale stripes, and skin that ranges from light to dark.       They have solid crunch, evenly distributed juiciness, and sweet flavor. They are often called Kirbys, though this is a misnomer, because the original Kirby is no longer cultivated. The name gherkin also refers to the West Indian gherkin (Cucumis anguria), related to the cucumber. These are 1 to 3 inches (2.5-7.5 cm) long, light green with prominent spines, and filled with tiny seeds. They are used mainly for pickling.   Middle Eastern or Beit Alpha cucumbers cultivated in the early 1900's and are also called Persian cucumbers. Thin-skinned and smooth, they are slightly ridged, slim, small, and slightly curved. The pale green flesh is crunchy, juicy, and fine-textured, perfect for diced Middle Eastern cucumber and tomato salad. American cucumbers (Cucumis melo) are grouped botanically with melon although they look and act like a cucumber. They are long, thin-ribbed, chartreuse-colored coils with downy, almost nonexistent skin and mild flavor. The flesh is pale and very crisp. Asian cucumbers have concentrated crispiness and deep flavor. They exist in a dramatic range of lengths, colors, and flavors, from mild to bitter, and may have conspicuous dark or light spines, which are easily brushed off. Their flavor is rich, slightly earthy, and not sweet. The Japanese cucumber is a mild, narrow, thin-skinned variety with few seeds.       Season: Slicing cucumbers are available all year but peak season is in the summer months. Most pickling cucumbers are sold only during the summer months. Hothouse cucumbers are available year-round but peak March to November. Purchase: Choose common cucumbers that are well shaped and firm with deep green color. Choose hothouse cucumbers that are firm all the way to the tip with no soft spots. Avoid: Cucumbers are quite perishable because of their high water content. Avoid exceptionally large cucumbers or those that are yellowing, puffy or shriveled. Examine cucumbers for any soft spots or soft ends, indicating spoilage. If the cucumber flesh is yellow rather than pale green, it has started to deteriorate. Precaution: Whenever possible, buy organic cucumbers as cucumbers may be waxed or be covered with pesticides. If you buy non-organic cucumbers, at least wash them under cold running water and scrub them gently with a vegetable brush. It might help also to soak it for 5-10 minutes with 1-2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. Storage: Refrigerate cucumbers in the crisper for up to 1 week. Preparation Tip: 1. Pickling cucumbers should be scrubbed to remove loose spines. Greenhouse cucumbers do not need to be peeled or seeded. If unwaxed, outdoor varieties may be peeled and seeded or not, as desired. Waxed cucumbers should be peeled with a vegetable peeler. 2.   To seed a cucumber, slice in half lengthwise and scrape out the seed with a small spoon.       Serving Suggestions: • Peel, dice and garnish cucumbers with fresh mint, dill seeds, white onion and drizzle macadamia nut cream (10 macadamia nuts, juice of 1 orange, 4 pit-less dates blended until smooth) •   Slice, salt, and rinse firm cucumbers then sauté with chervil, dill, or tarragon. •   Juice one cucumber, 1 teaspoon of lemon peel, and 3 cored apples. •   Use like citrus slices to garnish mixed drinks, lemonade, or sparkling water. Flavor Affinities: Chervil, dill, mint, scallions, tarragon, tomato. Health Benefits: • Cooling properties, meaning it has the effect of cooling the body. This is literal! You will feel cooler if you eat enough cucumber. •   Very low in calories; provides just 15 calories per 100 g. Contains no saturated fats or cholesterol. Cucumber peel is a good source of dietary fiber that helps reduce constipation and offers some protection against colon cancer. •   Good source of potassium, an important intra-cellular electrolyte. Potassium is a heart friendly electrolyte; helps reduce blood pressure and heart rate by countering effects of sodium. •   Contains unique anti-oxidants in good ratios such as ß-carotene and a-carotene, vitamin-C, vitamin-A, zea-xanthin and lutein. These compounds help act as protective scavengers against oxygen-derived free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) that play a role in aging and various disease process. •   Mild diuretic property probably due to their high water content, which helps in checking weight gain and high blood pressure. •   High in vitamin K, provides about 17 mcg of this vitamin per 100 g. Vitamin-K has been found to have potential role in bone strength by promoting osteotrophic (bone mass building) activity. It also has established role in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease patients by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.     Do You Know what a Sea Cucumber is?   Sea cucumbers are found throughout the waters of the Galapagos and play a major role in the marine ecosystem of the Galapagos Marine Reserve (GMR). Unfortunately, overfishing of one particular sea cucumber species (Isostichopus fuscus) has caused their numbers to drop dangerously. Learn more about Sea Cucumbers and how to protect them -- http://www.seashepherd.org/galapagos/sea-cucumbers.html