Cucumbers are one of my son’s favorite vegetable. He will just take a whole one and start chomping away. I can’t blame him because they’re one of my favorites too. Cucumbers belong to the squash family along with pumpkins and zucchini. They have a cool, crisp and fresh taste; they are in season from May to July, but can be found year-round in grocery stores and markets.

Cucumbers are crunchy and healthy for you and are easy to incorporate into many culinary dishes.

Cucumbers have many health benefits. They are high in the antioxidant vitamin C. Vitamin C helps protect cells from free radical damage, lowers your risk of cancer, regenerates your vitamin E supplies, and improves iron absorption. The silica found in cucumber is a key component of healthy connective tissue, which includes muscles, ligaments, cartilage, tendons, and bones. Cukes have a high water content and are used for many skin issues. Two compounds in cucumbers prevent water retention so they are great when used topically for swelling under the eyes and soothing sunburns.

Cucumbers contain a good amount of vitamin A and potassium too. Vitamin A helps preserve and maintain your eyesight and helps fight off viral infections. Potassium helps your muscles and nerves function properly, maintains the proper electrolyte balance in your body, and helps lower your risk of high blood pressure. When selecting cucumbers from the grocery store, choose ones are refrigerated because they are very sensitive to heat. Look for cukes that are firm with rounded edges and are bright medium to dark green. If you have access to organic cucumbers, like at your local farmers’ market, definitely go with those. Avoid ones that have the waxy coating on the outside; many of the nutrients are found in the skin of the cucumber, and you don’t want to ingest the chemicals that are involved in the waxing process which get trapped in the skin. Cukes will keep in the refrigerator for several days. If you only use part of one, wrap the remaining part in plastic wrap so it does not dry out. If you want to add some vitamin C and fiber to your diet, selecting cucumbers will give you lots of health benefits as well as a crisp, fresh taste.

There are lots of ways to enjoy cucumbers besides slicing them up in your salads. The three recipes below offer wonderful ways to use your cucumbers any time of year. Of course, if you just want a healthy crispy snack, just grab one and start crunching.

Melissa McCabe

Ingredients

• 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
• 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup light Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped basil
• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a salad bowl. Refrigerate for at least 45 minutes, then serve. Makes 2 servings.

Ingredients

• 4 cucumbers, peeled and finely diced
• 1/2 cup celery
• 3 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1/2 cup light mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon onion, diced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 32 slices multigrain sandwich bread*
• *If you cut off the crusts, save them for breadcrumbs
• Salted butter

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine and blend all ingredients except bread. Lightly butter 16 slices of bread. Place 2 tablespoons of the cucumber mixture on each buttered slice and cover with remaining slices. Cut diagonally across sandwiches to make 4 triangular sandwiches. 

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber, peeled & diced
• 1 medium sweet onion, diced
• 1 can cream of celery soup
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 cup Greek yogurt 
• Tabasco sauce to taste
• Worcestershire Sauce to taste
• Fresh dill, chopped, to taste

Directions

In blender blend onion and cucumber. Add soup and broth, blend for 1 minute. Add seasonings and Greek yogurt and blend about 20 seconds. Chill. Sprinkle dill on top before serving.