Cucumbers

Description

Cucumber’s characteristics

Cucumbers are mainly characterised by their elongated shape, which usually becomes rounded at the ends. As a general rule, these fruits are between 15 and 25 centimetres long and about 5 centimetres in diameter. The colour of the skin is dark green, but has some yellow touches as it gets closer to the ends. Its flesh is whitish, also slightly yellowish, and inside are the seeds, which are spread all over the cucumber. The seeds of the cucumber are edible, so it is not necessary to remove them for consumption.

The unripeness of the fruit can make the taste a little bland at times. In general, the taste of cucumber is bitter, but when consuming it, the bitterness can be mitigated by soaking the fruit with water and salt.

The season with the highest quantity of cucumbers is the month of April, but depending on the year it can last until the month of October.

There are many varieties of cucumber, each with its own characteristics. The most common variety of cucumber is the Spanish cucumber, which is dark green and has an elongated shape. The French cucumber is a smaller variety, with a rounded shape and a softer skin. The Dutch cucumber is a larger variety, with an elongated shape and a thick skin.

How you will receive the Huerta de Pancha’s cucumbers

Our cucumbers are harvested at their optimum point. The optimum harvesting point, in the case of cucumbers, coincides with the ripening point. In other words, they are ready to eat. There is no need to wait for them to ripen. We use 100% recyclable cardboard boxes for packaging and we try to ensure that they are as well protected as possible in order to avoid, as far as possible, any damage during transport.

Cucumber crops from Malaga

In La Huerta de Pancha we have found a variety of cucumber that is perfectly adapted to our land. Moreover, its flavour is really exquisite. To grow our cucumbers, specific characteristics of soil, temperature and light are necessary.

As for the soil, it must be well drained and light; it must be humid but not waterlogged, and it should be noted that it tolerates saline soils.

Temperature conditions are very specific: although it is a fruit that can tolerate temperatures up to 30 degrees, the plant does not tolerate temperatures below 16 degrees.

In order to grow at their best, cucumbers must receive direct sunlight, as their growing season is summer. To ensure that the plant grows sufficiently and that the fruit does not fall off under its own weight, the cucumbers are staked with stakes. This also makes harvesting easier and reduces the possibility of disease.

At Huerta de Pancha, we harvest the cucumbers before the yellow colour reaches the ends. In this way we ensure that they reach the consumer in optimum conditions for consumption.

How to preserves cucumbers

Cucumbers should be kept away from avocados, bananas, tomatoes or melons. Together with these foods, cucumbers are more likely to turn yellow quickly due to exposure to ethylene gas. This gas is responsible for the ripening of fruits and vegetables.  The ideal place to store cucumbers is in a cool, dry area.

If there are no cool areas in the house to keep cucumbers safe, the refrigerator is still an acceptable place to store them.

our cucumber’s properties

Cucumbers are a vegetable widely used in Spanish gastronomy, both in hot dishes such as ratatouille and cold dishes such as salads or gazpachos.

Cucumbers are a nutritious and healthy fruit that offers a wide variety of nutritional benefits. This fruit contains a wealth of nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants. Cucumbers are an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron and calcium, among others.

In addition, cucumbers are characterised by being 97% water, making them a very low calorie fruit. For this reason, it is a food with a great moisturising power, so it is widely used in the summer months.

Among the main nutritional contributions of the cucumber, its quality fibre, the small amount of proteins and the practically non-existent amount of fat stand out.

It is a very healthy food.