Slicing or Garden Cucumber

Scientific Binomial Name: Cucumis sativus

Selection Information

Usage: Salads, sandwiches or on vegetable platters.

Selection: Good quality cucumbers are an even dark-green color, firm and relatively thin but can be either long or short.

Storage: Unwashed cucumbers should be placed in a perforated plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator.

Avoid: Avoid cucumbers that are soft, yellow or wrinkled on the ends. Huge fat cucumbers may be full of large seeds and bitter.

Seasonal Information

Available year-round. Washington cucumbers are available from July through September.

Cucumber Nutritional Information

Serving Size: raw cucumber with peel (52g)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 8	Calories from Fat 0
	% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 1mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 2g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0g	1%
Sugars 1g
Protein 0g	0%
Vitamin A 1%	Vitamin C 2%
Calcium 1%	Iron 1%
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. Source: PMA's Labeling Facts

Cucumbers are low in Saturated Fat, awith very little Cholesterol and Sodium. They're also a good source of Vitamin A, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Manganese, and a great source of Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Potassium.

Cucumber Tips & Trivia

The cucumber is originally from India where it has been cultivated for over 3,000 years.
There is a reference to people eating cucumbers in the ancient story of Gilgamesh.
From India, the cucumber spread to Greece, then Italy where became favored by the Romans, and it eventially appeared in China.