To be "cool as a cucumber" add them to your menus during the warm summer months when they are in season. Although slicing cucumbers are available year round, they are at their best from May through July.
Cucumbers belong to the same family as watermelon, zucchini, pumpkin, and other types of squash. Varieties of cucumber are grown either to be eaten fresh or to be pickled. Those that are to be eaten fresh are commonly called slicing cucumbers. Cucumbers such as gherkins are specially cultivated to make pickles and are oftentimes much smaller than slicing cucumbers.

Storage

Fresh cucumbers are firm, rounded at their edges, and their color should be a bright medium to dark green. Avoid cucumbers once they have yellowed, are puffy, have sunken water-soaked areas, or are wrinkled at their tips.

Cucumbers should be stored in the refrigerator where they will keep for several days. If you do not use the entire cucumber during one meal, wrap the remainder tightly in plastic or place it in a sealed container so that it does not become dried out. For maximum quality, a cut cucumber should be used within one or two days. Cucumbers should not be left out at room temperature for too long as this will cause them to wilt and become limp.

Preparation, uses, and tips

Our cucumbers are unwaxed so they do not need to be peeled, but should be washed before cutting. Cucumbers can be sliced, diced or cut into sticks. While the seeds are edible and nutritious, some people prefer not to eat them. To easily remove them, cut the cucumber lengthwise and use the tip of a spoon to gently scoop them out.
(most of the info above is from WHFoods.com)

Nutritional Highlights

One serving Cucumbers (raw, unpeeled), 1 cup (52 g)
Calories: 8
Protein: 0.34g
Carbohydrate: 1.89g
Total Fat: 0.06g
Fiber: 0.3g
(quoted from About.com)

Cucumbers are a very good source of vitamin C. They are also a good source of vitamin A, potassium, manganese, folate, dietary fiber and magnesium and contain the important mineral silica. (from WHFoods.com)

Cucumber Salad

Recipe from Healthy Eating for Life for Women by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine with Kristine Kieswer. Makes 3 one-cup servings.

• 1 large cucumber
  
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil or 1/2 tsp dried
• 3 TBS balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
  

1. Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise, scoop out seeds, then cut into bite size pieces.
   
2. Add remaining ingredients and toss to mix.
3. Chill before serving.

Gazpacho

Recipe from Kake's (Vegan) Cookery Site.

You will need a blender to make this soup; and you'll need to start it in advance to allow time for chilling. The vegetable stock can be made with a cube or powder - just put the right amount of water and stock cube or powder into the blender with everything else. Makes 4 servings.

• 3 large tomatoes
• 1/3 cucumber
• 1 small green bell pepper
• 1 small red bell pepper
• 1/2 small onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 1/2 cup vegetable stock
• 3 TBS red wine vinegar
• salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 1 TBS chopped fresh chives or mint or both
  
  

1. Dice the tomatoes, cucumber and bell peppers. Reserve about a quarter of each for garnish, and put the rest into the blender. Finely dice the onion and garlic, and add these to the blender too.
2. Pour the tomato juice, stock and wine vinegar into the blender and blend until smooth. Mix in the reserved vegetables and the herbs, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
3. Serve with croutons or French bread if desired.

Cucumber, Mint, and Yogurt Salad

This recipe comes from VeganFamily.co.uk. It's a lovely accompaniment to spicy hot dishes such as curry and chilli.

• 1 whole cucumber
• a handful of fresh mint or three teaspoons of dried
• 1 cup of plain soy yogurt
  

1. Cut the cucumber into bite size cubes and mix in the mint and yogurt.
2. If using dried mint it is a good idea to mix it into the yogurt at least half an hour beforehand to reconstitute it.

Refrigerator Pickles

This recipe comes from Ann's Quick and Easy Recipe Kitchen. There are lots of other pickle and relish recipes on the website, but this one looked the simplest.

• 6 cups sliced cucumbers
• 1 cup slice onion
• 1 cup green pepper (optional)
• 1 cup vinegar
• 2 cup sugar
• 1 TBS salt
• 1 tsp celery seed

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.
   
2. Place in jar and refrigerate.
   
3. The pickles will be ready in 24 hours and will keep up to 1 year.
   

More Cucumber Recipes

More Information on Cucumbers