Commodity Articles
Florida's "Coolest" Commodity: The Cucumber
March 2007You can almost taste the sunshine in every slice. The flavor of Florida cucumbers is delicate, bright, and sweet, almost melon-y. Beneath the thin, tender skin, the flesh is juicy and cool. The expression "cool as a cucumber" is a cliché that is soundly rooted in fact. On a hot day the temperature inside a cucumber can be up to 20 degrees cooler than the air outside.
Florida ranks second nationally in the production of cucumbers for the fresh market and third in the production of cucumbers for pickling and processing. Most of Florida's cucumber farms can be found in the west-central and southern portions of the state, specifically in Manatee, Hillsborough, Hardee, Hendry, Collier, Dade, and Palm Beach counties.
Cucumbers are 95 percent water, which makes them very low in calories. In fact, there are just eight calories in a half-cup serving. They are free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium, and are a source of vitamins A and C and potassium. To get the maximum health benefits out of your cucumbers, don't peel them (so long as they haven't been waxed). The colorful skin is where you'll find most of the nutrients.
When shopping, look for firm, dark green cucumbers with no soft spots, bruises, or yellowing. Avoid cucumbers that bulge in the middle, since they are likely to be bland and watery, with lots of big seeds. You should also avoid cucumbers with withered tips. Instead, choose cucumbers with firm, rounded ends.
For best results, store your cucumbers unwashed and uncut in your refrigerator crisper. Waxed cucumbers will keep for up to a week. Unwaxed cucumbers should be wrapped tightly in plastic to prevent dehydration. Even when carefully wrapped, the shelf life of unwaxed cucumbers is short, about two or three days. Unfortunately, freezing won't help your cucumbers last longer-it will just make them mushy.
Before eating or preparing cucumbers, scrub them thoroughly. The seeds are usually small, soft, and inoffensive, but if you'd like to remove them it's easy to do. Simply cut your cucumber in half lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a spoon.
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