| Cute Cukes, Gadzooks! | |
by Judy Sobeloff, from the November 2003 newsletter
You’re familiar enough with the average cucumber to pick one out of a line-up, right? You can probably swagger into the produce department and put a few prime specimens in your cart without even having to check the little identification sign, unlike what you might need to do with, say, arugula. Well, those of you who think, ‘End of story, I know a cucumber when I see one,’ Behold the golden orb of a lemon cucumber.
Lemon cucumbers range in color from pale to bright yellow and are shaped like apples or lemons. Information on their origins is scanty, though I read on the Internet that they date back to 1894. They’re slightly and deliciously milder and sweeter than the typical long green cuke. I even imagine them to have a subtle lemon flavor, but then again, if they were purple I’d probably imagine I tasted grape. I also read and am told that they are “never bitter,” which is not the case with the long green ones.
My neighbor, Betsy, always a wealth of ideas, said she prefers lemon cucumbers to the other kind, in part because she always knows where they came from, as they tend to be favored by gardeners; the lemon cucumbers carried by the Co-op are, in fact, locally grown and organic. She says they’re easier to grow than regular cucumbers when space is limited because they don’t have to sprawl on the ground. As far as flavor, she finds them “tastier and crunchier than most regular cucumbers,” adding that they taste “like summer.”
She also sees lemon cucumbers as being more versatile. People tend to use regular cucumbers only in salads, she pointed out, in part because they’re not that easy to lug around, whereas lemon cucumbers are not only pretty in salads because of their yellow peel but also are portable and work well as a snack. “They’re very refreshing and you can eat them almost any time of day. They’re more fun to eat because you can bite into them like an apple if you want a fresh, low-fat fruit. They’re a little drippy in the middle but it’s not a sticky drippy. They’d be great for backpacking,” she said. She puts them in sandwiches instead of tomatoes because they’re not wet. She did note that lemon cucumbers have a larger seed-to-meat ratio, which leaves less cucumber for people who like to pull out the pulp.
As for the roundness factor, Betsy noted that the slices tend to have a larger diameter than those of the green, oblong variety and thus would work better for use on tired, puffy eyes, the way women’s magazines are always recommending. She commented on the lemon cucumber’s “fresh taste,” how they keep really well; perhaps this is a result of the lemon cucumber’s shape, with its lower surface-to-volume ratio.
I test-drove the lemon cucumber with “Lemon Cucumber Salsa,” expecting something sweet and mild like the lemon cucumber itself. Instead the salsa was so fiery hot I ate only a few bites. Fred said, “I love it, but the jalapenos really overpower the cucumber taste. You could probably have wood chips in there and have pretty much the same effect.” Next I used lemon cucumbers in a cucumber sandwich recipe with other veggies and cream cheese. (Attention, cucumber sandwich buffs of the Palouse, did you know there’s a piece called “Cucumber Sandwich” written for a string quartet by someone named Darren S. Pullman?) Fred found the sandwich “tasty,” but noted that, again, any distinctive flavor of the cucumber was buried by the other ingredients. His preferred cucumber sandwich, by the way, is sliced cucumbers on bread with mustard and nothing else.
Jonna, now 22 months, loved the lemon cucumber sandwich. She ate it in layers, like a leaf cutter ant with her precision chewing. When she got to the cucumber, she said, “Garden,” and pointed outside. We did in fact grow lemon cucumbers last year but this year have the regular ones. So, maybe the lemon cucumber doesn’t knock anyone’s socks off when surrounded by other ingredients, but it’s sweet and mild, so that’s probably not its primary objective.
Lemon Cucumber Salsa (Adapted from Paul James’ Home Grown Cooking on DIY)
1 cup lemon cucumber, peeled and diced
1/4 cup red onion
3/4 cup Roma tomatoes, diced
2 Tbsp. jalapeno peppers, minced [NOTE: Use less than this, unless you want your salsa very hot.]
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. fresh mint, chopped
Juice of half a lime
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. NOTE: Hot pepper preparation warning – after cutting peppers, do not touch eyes or other sensitive areas before thoroughly washing hands with hot soapy water.
Cucumber Sandwich (from ‘Culinary Café’)
2 thick slices whole wheat bread
2 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened
6 slices cucumber
2 Tbsp alfalfa sprouts
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tomato, sliced
1 leaf lettuce
1 oz. pepperoncini, sliced
1/2 avocado, mashed
Spread each slice of bread with 1 Tbsp. cream cheese. On one slice of bread, arrange cucumber slices in a single layer. Cover with sprouts, then sprinkle with oil and vinegar. Layer tomato slices, lettuce, and pepperoncini. Spread other slice of bread with mashed avocado. Close sandwich and serve immediately.
REFERENCES
http://www.culinarycafe.com/Sandwiches/Cucumber_Sandwich.html
http://www.diynet.com/DIY/article/0, 2058,4454,00.html
http://www.shortsongs.co.uk/catalogue/works/cucumbersandwich.htm
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