Kitchen Garden Forum

Hi. Have just harvested our first 4 'Crystal Apple' cucumbers and found them to be inedible due to bitterness.

Heyasson doesn't mention this. His advice is that outdoor varieties should not have their male flowers removed. He recommends this outdor variety.

Could it be that they need to ripen? I though most veg tastes better the smaller and less mature it is.

Our only other cumber (a gherkin variety) is producing fruits which are good to eat even when picked very small.

Does anyone have any advice or experience with this problem?

Thank you

Mark

I was told that the peel can be bitter so try peeling them.

I had this prob. last year.First cucs.sweet crisp then hit and miss,peeling does not help.Some ridge cuc.last year Master Piece this ,though due to weird weather I won`t know what these taste like for a few weeks.
I hope someone ealse knows the answer,I thought outdoor cucs.did not need any flowers removing or maybe it`s a general rule and depends on varieties.

Give them time and the problem should go, water and feed shortage can cause bitterness.
Allan

Not sure why they are bitter, but I grew up with bitter cucumbers in NZ. I thought the bitterness had been bred out of them since those days. But adding to Sarahlee's comment re peeling them, the other trick is once you have peeled them, run a fork vertically down the outside and all the way around. This not only gets rid of the bitterness, but also gives the 'rounds' once sliced, an attractive appearance. Great if you want them for a more special occasion too.

Ooohhh chez, My grandma used to do that, but I never knew why!

She also used to pickle them in vinegar and sugar...yummy.