Cool as a cucumber
Cucumbers are the world’s fourth most cultivated veggie and a favourite of ours. While many of the cucumbers you’re familiar with are greenhouse grown, all of our cukes are grown right in the field. One thing to know about our field grown cukes is that they’re a very delicate crop. Once picked, they have a short window of freshness so make use of these babies right away! Since they’re not coated with any preservatives (wax, plastic wrap, etc) their skins are all the protection they’ve got. It’s important to keep them cool (as a cucumber) and enjoy them quickly.
Here are 5 easy new ways to enjoy your cucumbers right away!
Japanese Cucumber Salad – sweet and sour with sesame seeds to boot, what’s not to love?
Bread and Butter Quick Pickles – the best sweet/sour pickles you’ve had, ready in under an hour.
Cucumber Tomato Salad – I had to stop writing this newsletter to go make this salad. I’ll give you a moment to go do the same.
Seared Scallops with Sauteed Cucumbers – The trick here is to just lightly sautee the cukes. Like maybe on your side burner while you sear your tasty scallops?
Tropical Cucumber Salad – a little spicy pepper, a little sweet mango, tons of fresh cucumber goodness.
Cucumbers are a great snack because they have, well, almost no calories (about 16 per 100 grams). But don’t let their low calorie count fool you, these guys are packed with all kinds of good things. Here are a few reasons why you should reach for a cuke to fill that mid morning/afternoon or midnight craving.
Quick Pick Me Up – Cucumbers are a good source of the B vitamins and will give your body that boost it needs without all those sugary side effects.
Rehydration – Since cukes are 95% water, these veggies will hydrate your body while helping to eliminate toxins. Not only that, the skin has about 10% of your body’s vitamin C needs for a day. Keep it on and enjoy the benefits.
Skin care – If you’re not a fan of cucumber skin and get your vitamin C in other ways, try using it to sooth skin irritations and sunburns. The anti-inflammatory properties in cucumber skin will help cool that nasty summer burn.
Bad Breath – Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
Hangover Help – Had a great night on the patio but not a great morning? Eat some cucumber slices before falling into bed, the sugar B vitamins and electrolytes will help replenish nutrients and in turn reduce the intensity of your headache.
Get you moving – Cucumbers are an excellent source of silica, which is known to help promote joint health by strengthening the connective tissues. When mixed with carrots juice they’re proven to relieve gout and arthritis pain by lowering uric acid levels.