Well, I had a disappointment today. I cut up one of my beautiful cucumbers for lunch and it is BITTER. The bitterness is mostly in the skin, but even the flesh carries some of it.
Any suggestions? Does anyone have a recipe to counter that? Like maybe soaking them in sugar and water (or Splenda, etc.) and serving them sliced, peeled and slathered in sour cream?
I’ve never encountered bitter cucumbers before. I don’t think I let them get too large. They are smaller than what I buy in the store, nice and fat, and a lovely dark green. I was shocked. Shocked, I tell you...
Sounds like your cukes got stressed during growing - lack of water? Cukes tend to turn bitter most frequently at the end of the summer - when it’s good and hot and there’s a drought drying out your plants. The solution? Water, water, water.
Miss Green Genes Bender wants to know if they are picklers or salad cukes? She says picklers are naturally a little bitter and you can argue with her but I don’t dare due to my advanced age...
Bitter cukes are generally a lack of water. You can’t fix the ones that are already matured on the vine, but some water will certainly get you back to tasty cukes. I have never found anything that counters a bitter cuke. If you figure it out, please let me know.
I’m not a cuke eater, but basic stuff may help — it sounds like either too much heat, not enough water, or too long on the vine. And check soil ph.
Any suggestions?
Yes. Try a different variety of cucumber. I often had some bitter ones the first few years I gardened. I never could figure out why. Tried all kinds of “remedies”. Nothing worked. Started growing a different variety of cucumber.
Have not had a bitter cucumber in five years. Have had hot, cool, wet, dry weather and everything in between. Have harvested them large, small, early, late. Nothing makes this cucumber produce a bitter cucumber (for me, anyway).
Here’s a link. Seems they will be okay for pickling.
http://cru.cahe.wsu.edu/CEPublications/eb1250/eb1250.html