When it comes to cucumbers, freshness is key. Cucumbers are high in moisture content, making them perishable but also desirable when presented at the peak of freshness. They are a good source of vitamins C and A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium. They are cool, crisp, nutritious and, as dieters know, low in calories.
Cucumber Varieties
Japanese
Japanese cucumbers are smaller and have few to no seeds, making them a wonderful fresh produce item. They have a smooth dark-green skin with light-green internal flesh. The skin is very tender so there’s no need for peeling before eating. They have a distinctive crisp texture that is second to none. Japanese cucumbers have less bitter flavors compared to other common cucumbers. And best of all, with a little effort, they make an excellent item for the home garden.
Sweet Success
This All-America Selections winner yields bumper crops of nearly seedless dark green 12″ fruits. Burpless, parthenocarpic fruit means they remain bitter-free and do not need outside pollination to set. Resistant to cucumber and watermelon viruses, scab and leaf spot.
Tasty Green
- Mild, sweet, and crisp cucumber
- Slender, burpless cucumbers great for slicing
- Holds up to heat and humidity, and resists typical cucumber diseases
Cocktail Cucumber
“Lebanese” or “cocktail” cucumbers. In theory, the fruits are harvested when about sx inches long.
Miniature Cucumber Varieties
Picolino: This sweet little cuke starts producing just 45-50 days after planting the seeds. The fruits reach only 4 inches long and are packed with flavor. They produce early and keep on chugging along for many weeks. It’s also resistant to many viruses and other pathogens.
Excelsior: This super-productive miniature cucumber bears so many fruits, our family can hardly keep up. Topping out at about 4 inches long, each fruit is dark green and evenly colored. Grow them up a trellis just to see the way the fruits hang off the vine; one is produced at nearly every leaf node!
Mini Munch: Quite possibly the cutest of the miniature cucumber varieties, Mini Munch cucumbers are seedless and tasty. Best when picked between 3 and 4 inches long, the crispiness of this variety is superb. The vines are very vigorous and prolific.