Cucumbers

Feelin' Cool as a Cucumber

Cucumbers are the lowest-maintenance vegetable. They don't need a fancy recipe with 10+ ingredients to be enjoyed, nor do they need much attention. Below you will find storage, preparation tips with nutrition information and a featured recipe. Let's get cucumber-educated!

Storage
Cucumbers are best when kept in a dry, cool place. We recommend wrapping each cucumber in a paper towel and placing them all in a plastic bag or eco-friendly alternative before placing then in the refrigerator. The paper towels will absorb any excess moisture and the plastic bag prevents chilling injury which is when cucumbers get watery/mushy spots. This strategy will have your cucumbers look, and taste, fresh all week. Do not place cucumbers directly in the refrigerator because this temperature quickly leads to chilling injury. Cucumbers can be left on the counter if they will be consumed in 1-2 days. Cucumbers will taste fresh until they begin to look wrinkled, in which case you should eat ASAP.

Already sliced? Place sliced cucumbers in a container and add a wet paper towel overtop to increase water retention.

Source for recommendations here

 ​Preparing
Fortunately, cucumbers shine brightest when left raw. Just throw together a few ingredients and you have an incredible cucumber salad. We will be highlighting cucumber salad recipe below. If you are preparing a salad and wish to remove the seeds of the cucumber, simply ​slice in half the long way and run a spoon along the inside to remove seeds. If you are slicing into rounds to snack, seed removal is not necessary. Same goes for the skin! The skin adds a beautiful color and texture, so we recommend leaving it on. Not to mention a boost of nutrition.

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​Nutrition
Per half-cup, cucumbers only contain 8 calories but plenty of phytochemicals. Pytochemicals are the biologically "active" component in plants which are associated with anti-cancer benefits. Cucumbers are 95% water so they also offer hydration. We actually get a lot of our fluid need fulfilled from food, so cucumbers are a great option!

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Featured Recipe:
Creamy Cucumber Salad courtesy of Lemon Tree Dwelling
Serves: 8  |  Prep time: 15 mintes  |  Total time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups thinly sliced peeled cucumbers
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp minced fresh dill
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together sour cream, vinegar, dill, sugar, salt, and garlic powder.
2. Add cucumbers and red onion; toss to coat.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 2+ hours.

NUTRITION
CALORIES: 47  TOTAL FAT: 3 g  SATURATED FAT: 1 g  TRANS FAT: 0 g  UNSATURATED FAT: 1 g  CHOLESTEROL: 8 mg  SODIUM: 151 mg  CARBOHYDRATES: 6 g  FIBER: 1 g  SUGAR: 3 g  PROTEIN: 1 g