Bitter Cucumbers
Question
:Can you
please tell me what to
look for, as the reason
why all of my English
cucumbers are super bitter
this year? I have grown
them for years in the same
green house with no problems, same
conditions..
Thanks in
advance Linda
Hi Linda
Bitterness is caused by
the compounds Cucurbitacin
B and cucurbitacin C found
in all parts of the
cucumber plant, and
leaves, stems, and roots
of most cultivated
varieties contain varying
amounts of these
compounds. Only
occasionally does the
bitter principle spread
from the vegetative parts
of the plant into the
cucumber fruit.
Bitterness does not
accumulate uniformly in
the cucumber. The amount
of bitter compounds will
vary from fruit to fruit.
The compounds are likely
to be more concentrated at
the stem end than at the
blossom end of the fruit.
Bitterness, if present, is
always found in and just
under the skin of the
cucumber and not
deep in the fleshy portion
or in the seed locules.
The amount of bitterness
cucumbers contain varies
from year to year. There
are many ttheories about
what causes bitterness in
cucumbers but it has been
difficult to obtain
consistent information to
pinpoint a single or
direct cause.
Temperature appears to be
one cause of bitterness.
More complaints of bitter
cucumbers will generally
occur during a cool
growing season than during
a warm one. Research has
shown that fertilization
practices, plant spacing,
and frequency of
irrigation have little
consistent effect on the
number of bitter cucumbers
produced.
Contrary to the belief of
some people, the direction
of peeling does not have
an effect on the spread of
bitterness in a cucumber
fruit.
Different varieties of
cucumbers vary widely in
their tendency to be
bitter. The best advice
for the gardener is to
plant varieties which have
been shown to produce a
low percentage of bitter
fruit. In addition,
bitterness has not been a
problem in the new, long
hybrids which have
recently become popular
with the
home gardener.
In general, pickling
varieties tend to have
more bitter fruits than do
slicing varieties.
When using cucumbers for
salad, taste a small
portion from the stem end
of each cucumber before it
is sliced. If the fruit is
bitter, the bitterness can
be eliminated by removing
the outer flesh with the
peeling. Peel more deeply
at the stem end, since
this is where bitter
compounds penetrate most
deeply.
The best advice for the
gardener is to plant
varieties which have been
shown to produce a low
percentage of bitter
fruit. In addition,
bitterness has not been a
problem in the new, long
hybrids which have
recently become popular
with the
home gardener.
See
also Garden Guides Growing
Cucumbers
