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How Do I Choose the Best Organic Cucumber?

By Amanda R. Bell
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 6,838
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The first step to choosing the best organic cucumber is to determine what variety you want or need. From this point, you can decide where the best place to purchase organic produce is in your area, whether from a grocery store, produce stand, or a nearby farm. When choosing an organic cucumber, take a close look at the skin, and then feel the entire cucumber for any unusually rough spots or softness.

There are a vast variety of organic cucumbers, each suitable for different purposes. If you are looking for a standard salad cucumber, English or garden cucumbers will typically be best. With English varieties, the skin is typically thin enough that you do not have to peel it before eating. This is still possible with garden cucumbers, as long as the skin has not been coated in wax. For pickling cucumbers, girkens and kirbys are best, although garden cucumbers can also be pickled.

Once you have a good idea as to what type of organic cucumber you need, check your local area for places that sell the variety that you want, and make sure that the cucumbers sold at the location are organic. You may be able to purchase what you need at a local grocery store, and doing so is typically the easiest way to choose an organic cucumber as the produce will usually be clearly labeled as organic. Despite this, you can also purchase organic produce from farmer’s markets and local farms in your area. Some of these places may have certified organic produce, or may simply follow organic growing practices without undergoing the routine inspections required by most countries in order to label a product as such.

After determining what type of cucumber you want and your options for buying this variety in your area, it is important to pick the freshest organic cucumber possible. This will typically require a thorough inspection on your part. To start, carefully look over the entire cucumber and take note of the color of its skin. For garden, English and girken varieties, you want to choose an organic cucumber that is smooth in texture and a deep green color, with little to no yellowing. Organic kirby and girken cucumbers will typically range in color from yellow to green, and will have small bumps all over the skin.

The final step to choosing the best organic cucumber is to feel the cucumber, checking for soft spots, especially at the ends. Softness can indicate that the cucumber is starting to go bad, and will typically not last long in your home. If the ends or the entire cucumber are soft to the touch, it is most likely rotten and should not be purchased or eaten. Rotten cucumbers will not have a desirable flavor, and could potentially make you or others sick.

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Discussion Comments
By Rundocuri — On Oct 04, 2014

Here is a tip for finding the best organic cucumbers for salads and sandwiches.

If you buy large cucumbers, you will have to pick out the seeds, since they are usually too tough to eat. This is why small cucumbers are much better. They are tender, and haven't developed seeds yet. This makes them tastier and more pleasant to eat.

In addition to eating them in your favorite salad or topped on your sandwich, small organic cucumbers are also great to eat all by themselves. Try them with ranch or dill vegetable dip for a great, healthy snack without having to pick out seeds.

By Ocelot60 — On Oct 04, 2014

I like to grow my own organic cucumbers every summer. Since they don't require a lot of land to grow, I just through a few seeds in my flower garden. Then when the plants sprout, I use a trellis for them to spread their vines on. This is a great way to get very fresh cucumbers that you know for sure are 100 percent organic.

By Talentryto — On Oct 03, 2014

Sometimes when you find organic cucumbers in small grocery stores, they don't look so great. When this happens, you should ask the staff in the produce department if they have other organic cucumbers in the storage area. Often, they have fresher produce that they just haven't put out for sale yet.

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