Talk:Cucumber/Archive 1

Did someone vandalize this article?
There are descriptions of bananas :O Agameofchess (talk) 00:54, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Yep, it looks like it was vandalized but someone fixed it. Thanks for catching that :)  delldot   talk  19:07, 18 February 2008 (UTC)

Also a berry
It's also a berry, you know James Random 11:51, 17 June 2006 (UTC)
 * No, not really, it's actually a false berry. So is a blueberry, actually.--66.253.174.65 02:44, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Well, PEPO is often the word to describe it. Pepos are generally considered modified berries... While the fruit can include non-ovary tissues, it's not exclusively non-ovary and I have never heard any botanist refer to it as an ACCESSORY FRUIT even though it starts to take on that definition slightly... I think it's better described as a Pepo or "false" berry. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:647:300:ACEA:21E:52FF:FE81:B7A2 (talk) 01:39, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

Cuculoupe
Copied from User talk:Pollinator

Hello Pollinator: You recently deleted an edit I made on the Cucumber article regarding Cuculoupes. Within the last week, this info was on the AP news service and was picked up by hundreds of news web sites, television and radio stations, etc. I though that it would be of interest to the reader of the article because of it's unusual nature. Your stated reason for the delete was, "rem nonsense "documented" only by pulp magazine." I don't know what kind of documentation you are looking for on breaking news. Obviously, it's too soon for it to hit the print magazines... yet. But, Here's one from a New Orleans newspaper.   Here's one from CBS News.   I found at least 500 news stories of this on Google. So what kind of documentation would you like to see? I could not find anything in "pulp magazine" that was relevant, so I don't know what "nonsense" you are referring to. I would, maybe understand it, if you were to say that it's not encyclopedic or professional or something along those lines, and I would respect your opinion. So please reconsider your edit. Otherwise, please educate me on proper citing, since I'm relatively new to WP. Thanks. Leon7 03:01, 14 July 2006 (UTC)


 * Crosses among cucurbits are not impossible, but the story has some of the earmarks of a hoax, so I'd be cautious. Note the breathless tone of the story, as presented in the pulp magazine you provided as a reference. You half expect to hear them say it was fathered by Elvis.
 * Another thing that is conspicuous to anyone who works with cucurbits is the gaps in the story. The quoted "expert" says the cucumber and cantaloupe were planted "close together." The terminology seems unlikely, as this "expert" surely must know that simply being close together would not produce a cross. It's as if the pollen magically jumped from one plant to another. Cucurbit pollen is heavy and sticky and will not be airborne; it needs a pollinator, such as a bee, to carry it from one plant to another. Of course the "expert" could be talking down to a reporter, or the reporter might not be listening very well.
 * The fact that it was picked up by major news sources like CBS (why didn't you link to that in the first place?) reduces the possibility of a hoax, as they supposedly would check the story out. I'm still not entirely convinced though, as the major news agencies have been hoaxed as well. If you want to put it back in (with better sources), I won't remove it, as the onus will be on them, if it proves to be a phony.
 * The whole fiasco was a bunch of b.s. and has been debunked by LSU scientists. I removed all references to it in the article.  You can read about it here.--66.253.174.65 02:43, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

Picture
I just added the long, thin picture of a cucumber but it doesn'tlook very good in its present location. Feel free to move/resize/delete it. Mahahahaneapneap 11:31, 11 August 2006 (UTC)

Sexual uses?
Any discussion of the use of cucumbers for sexual purposes should be (i) properly referenced and (ii) elsewhere. Mr Stephen 21:51, 18 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I would argue that the use of cucumbers/zucchinis/carrots and other phallis-shaped vegetables for such purposes is common knowledge. I would also worry that any source that could be cited would likely be pretty obscene, and inappropriate for an otherwise G-rated article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Aoystreck (talk • contribs) 03:18, 24 August 2009 (UTC)

those are gherkins, not cukes
That barrel of pickles.... them's gherkins, not cucumbers. Cucumis anguria, not sativa. NaySay 16:19, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

Cucumbers are fruit section
I'm not sure if this is true, "despite the scientific classification their sour-bitter flavor contributes to cucumbers being perceived, prepared and eaten as vegetables." Firstly I have never tasted a sour or bitter cucumber, secondly, to me cucumbers are not prepared or eaten like vegetables, most vegetables are cooked and I have never heard of cooking cucumbers, also you can eat pretty much eat all of a cucumber so you don't really have to prepare it at all, unlike most vegetables. They are certainly not eaten like fruit but they are also not eaten like vegetables. Ian 22:30, 26 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I'd say most cucumbers taste mildly sour, definitely less sweet than foods popularly classified as fruit (i.e. apples, berries). As for preparation, think salads.  I've also cooked cucumbers, and eaten cucumbers in recipes cooked by others (Chinese and Indian food).  Vegetable is scientifically meaningless anyway, it's a social and culinary category.  I suppose the basic question to ask yourself is, previous to someone telling you cucumbers are fruit, did you think of and eat them the same way you would an apple?  For most people I'd say the answer would be no, but I could be wrong.  WLU 18:01, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

I wouldn't say fruits are meant to be sweet or have to be to be like other fruits, grapefruits and lemons aren't very sweet, they taste sour and bitter but they aren't percieved as vegetables, so the taste of something shouldn't make someone associate it with fruit or vegetables if they are thinking rationaly. I'm fairly confident I never thought of cucumbers as vegetables although the only way to find out what most people think would be to do a fairly useless survey. Ian 21:52, 27 March 2007 (UTC)


 * True about the citrus fruits. But again, fruits is a scientific term, while vegetables is a culinary one.  Anyway, I'm happy with the opening sentence, as I don't think you'd ever get a referenced reason why cucumbers are vegetables and lemons are not.  Others would have to weigh in before I'd lean towards changing it.  WLU 11:24, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

My main problem was that I don't think cucumbers taste bitter at all and I'm not convinced that they taste sour either. According to this website only Japanese cucumbers taste at all bitter. Ian 17:29, 28 March 2007 (UTC)


 * What they're TRYING to say is that they have an umami taste, and most umami plant parts are thought of as vegetables. The problem is nobody is used to using that word yet. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.70.113 (talk) 02:29, 25 February 2009 (UTC)

Because there is not rhyme or reason to the culinary term vegetable, it might be better to simple omit any attempt at justifying it. You can simply say that it's a fruit and that's that. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.67.129 (talk) 18:53, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

I have always understood that, as with the tomato, the cucumber is one of the plants (of which there actually quite a few!) where there is always dispute about whether this plant is a fruit or a vegetable. In fact, I would say that tomatoes and cucumber are the two most obvious examples of this type of plant! If you look at the categories for this article, you will see that it is in a category called "fruit vegetables". Therefore, rather than keeep on arguing about whether this is a fruit or a vegetable, it would be better if this article is attributed to BOTH the category "fruit" and the category "vegetable" somehow. Thank you, ACEOREVIVED. 80.177.211.33 (talk) 13:46, 16 March 2014 (UTC)

It does not matter. 73.6.96.168 (talk) 11:45, 27 February 2021 (UTC)

Huh?
I can't quite figure out the author's intent in this passage:

The fruit is mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 11:5) as having been freely available in Egypt, even to the enslaved Israelites who hate cucumbers method of agriculture is mentioned briefly.

Maybe someone else can. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.186.59.178 (talk • contribs)


 * Fixed it, good call. It's pretty ugly, anyone else want to pretty it up?  WLU 18:07, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

Can anybody tell me when the perfect time is to harvest a cucumber? I was told the morning is the best, because of the dew or moister in the ground.

^during the full moon, in the morning or under moonlight — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:647:300:ACEA:21E:52FF:FE81:B7A2 (talk) 01:41, 20 June 2015 (UTC)

Missing sections
Cosmetic and Nutrition uses... I'd like to see a section on these things. For example, cucumber extract is often used in cosmetic products. Also something on the nutritional value of the cucumber. Also are there any medical practices associated with the cucumber?--Hitsuji Kinno 23:56, 26 September 2007 (UTC)


 * yes, i also came looking for a discussion of cosmetic uses -- the often-seen cucumber-slices-on-the-eyes. what's that all about? Doceddi (talk) 00:10, 30 June 2012 (UTC)

English cucumbers
Can someone tell me if English cucumbers (which are called 'cucumbers' in England, and should therefore be mentioned further up the article) are the same species or just some sort of variant? If they are not the same species, shouldn't they have a separate article? 199.71.183.2 22:01, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

A few questions
Are all/most cucumbers the same size?

Can cucumbers get bigger with stimuli?

Do these changes involve differences in thickness and/or length?

Are cucumbers durable when moved quickly or in a repetetive fashion?

Can cucumbers get diseases?

How can these diseases occur and how can the be combated?

Can cucumbers spread diseases to other matter they have come into contact with?

Do some cucumbers have problems with growth?

Thats all86.133.101.176 (talk) 22:13, 9 April 2008 (UTC)
 * Sorry, but this is not forum; this is a page to discuss improvements on the article Antonio Lopez  (talk) 22:15, 9 April 2008 (UTC)


 * I am just asking a few questions, is it really neccessary to push me away like that? I am starting to cultivate, it would be nice to know if these things do affect cucumbers.86.133.101.176 (talk) 22:35, 9 April 2008 (UTC)


 * These questions are indeed too much for this context, but perhaps some of them might lead to improvements in the article. --DThomsen8 (talk) 12:42, 1 August 2009 (UTC)

Burpless?
The page makes mention of cucumbers causing belching, which the "burpless" variety prevents. From my understanding there hasn't really been much research on whether certain cucumbers actually cause gas or not. I've also read that "burpless" just refers to a type of Japanese vining cucumber, or perhaps just a seedless or thin skinned variety of cukes. Anyone have more insight on this? --Fxer (talk) 05:58, 23 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Here are two references for burpless cucumbers. The first one is a scientific study.


 * http://cuke.hort.ncsu.edu/cucurbit/wehner/articles/art090.pdf


 * http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_makes_burpless_cucumbers_burpless_besides_the_fact_it_does_not_give_you_gas


 * The burpless term may be more marketing than an actual difference. The present article says that the English cucumber is burpless, while the first reference above says the Oriental (trellis) cucumbers are the burpless ones. --DThomsen8 (talk) 12:38, 1 August 2009 (UTC)

Susanna Gregory and cucumbers
I just want to say that Susanna Gregory's mystery "The Butcher of Smithfield", the cucumbers play a prominent role - maybe prominent enough to be mentioned in this article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.225.104.13 (talk) 02:07, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

Male or female?
How can you tell if the cucumber plant is all female or female and male seed —Preceding unsigned comment added by 206.75.168.7 (talk) 17:50, 4 June 2009 (UTC)

Season
When are cucumbers in season around the world? -- Beland (talk) 01:35, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

Phenylthiocarbamide
I deleted a sentence claiming that the reason a vocal minority dislike cucumbers may be because of their PTC content. 70% of the populace can taste PTC, so if PTC were the reason cucumbers were disliked, they would be disliked by a majority, not a vocal minority. Also, if we're going to claim there is PTC in cucumbers, there should be a source. As far as I can tell PTC is a purely artificial compound. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.67.129 (talk) 18:57, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Okay, my change keeps getting reverted by various people so I guess I'm offending some wikipedia rule I don't know about. This change should be made. The sentence referring to phenylthiocarbamide is unsourced and vague and illogical. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.73.67.129 (talk) 19:03, 6 October 2010 (UTC)

Destroys vitamin c in other vegetables when eaten together?
Is there any truth in this tale (or more likely, urban myth?) Malick78 (talk) 22:30, 18 April 2011 (UTC)

Error in article.
The article states that cucumbers were cultivated in Western Asia 3,000 years ago and then mentions Ur, but the article that is used as a reference for Ur states 3,000 BC. This would mean that the Cucumber was being cultivated in Western Asia 5,000 years ago, I tried correcting this error, but it keeps reverting it back. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.68.141.132 (talk) 00:57, 7 January 2012 (UTC)

Biological similarity to zucchini
The wiki for courgettes clearly states that the fruit is actually a distended ovary, while there is no mention of ovaries on the cucumber wiki. Are there more differences than apparent, or should the respective descriptions be more clearly comparable? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 82.47.37.193 (talk) 14:23, 23 May 2012 (UTC)

Lemon Cucumber?
From an eHow.com article titled "How to Grow Lemon Cucumbers": "Once a mainstay of 19th century gardens, lemon cucumbers are now making a comeback due to their their sweet, mild taste and attractive appearance. The 2- to 3-inch-long fruit possess a roughly round shape with solid yellow skin covered in small prickles, but the skin is nonetheless tasty and lacks bitterness unlike most other strains of cucumber. Like most cucumbers, lemon cucumbers grow readily from seed and will produce a large volume of fruit 65 days after planting if they are provided with adequate water and some shelter from direct sunlight in hot areas."

Lemon cucumbers are my go-to for use in gazpacho; this type of cucumber is pretty common in Northern California farmers' markets. Given that the above quote from eHow references lemon cucumbers in 19th century (American) gardens, I would expect to see it listed in this Wikipedia article. Another eHow article states that the lemon cucumber is also known as Dosakai. I suggest adding lemon cucumber to the Dosakai listing. Pegordon (talk) 01:16, 6 September 2012 (UTC)

Lemon 'Cucumber', Mother Mary's Pie Melon, Wild Melon, Dosakai,Malabar Cucumber,Sambar Cucumber all the same ? Cucumis Melo Var Agrestis? The Entire range of notes on these should be merged into the section on Melons/C. Melo and should not be referred to as Cucumbers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:6C58:4380:2988:804C:29B6:ACAE:43F3 (talk) 05:43, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

Ripe
The first section claims that cucumbers are edible when ripe. Does ripe in this sense mean mature? Cucumbers are usually picked before they are fully mature. When cucumbers mature the skin gets hard and thick, the seeds nature and get hard and woody, and the flesh becomes bitter. Also, cucumbers can be harvested at any size before they become mature.I think using the term ripe, here, is confusing. 173.185.212.188 (talk) 21:54, 9 November 2013 (UTC)

Dosakai
Baker Creek Rare Seeds at states that Dosakai melons are not cucumbers. They are actually a part of the so called “Conomon” group of Melons. Traditionally the Conomon melons have been used in the far east for pickling.Ianwuscher (talk) 21:20, 9 June 2014 (UTC)
 * A seed catalogue would not be an acceptable citation, but this research paper states that they belong to Cucumis melo. Care to make a new wikipedia page for them? Sminthopsis84 (talk) 21:37, 9 June 2014 (UTC)

Dosakai is actually a type of melon - probably the wildest form of melon. Cucumis Melo Var Agrestis. A simple google search will turn up many research articles. Wikipedia should not be hampered by the citation trap - because its incorrect to suggest that Dosakai is a variety of cucumber though it somewhat superficially resembles the Poona Cucumber ( A cucumis sativus cultivar).  The above article is not a botanical work, but refers to Dosakai as Mother Mary's pie melon - a tart melon cultivar and they may in fact be the same or related. The Oriental pickling melon ( Conomon) originated from C melo Var Agrestis .  Id rather the Dosakai stub be merged into the main article on Melons and a hyper-link provided on the C sativus page to lead there. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2600:6C58:4380:2988:804C:29B6:ACAE:43F3 (talk) 05:31, 4 April 2019 (UTC)

Slicing cucumbers picture
The cucumbers pictured in the photo described as 'slicing cucumbers' are actually about to be pickled, not to be eaten fresh. There's also dill inflorescences and blackcurrant leaves in the photo, which are used to season pickled cucumbers. 130.234.178.146 (talk) 22:44, 6 February 2015 (UTC)

Varieties for Hydroponic Culture
According to the book, "Hydroponic Food Production" 1991 page 382 by Howard Resh, the following varieties of Cucumbers are suitable for hydroponic production: Toska 70, Pandex, Uniflora D, Farona, Marillo, and Fidelio. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.104.194.10 (talk) 17:16, 6 April 2015 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 19 May 2016
please update "Link to USDA Database entry" link from (Lambsquarters, raw): https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2994?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=Full&count=&max=35&offset=&sort=&qlookup=11205 to (Cucumber, with peel, raw): https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2958

5.102.226.188 (talk) 11:18, 19 May 2016 (UTC)
 * Done, thanks. --Zefr (talk) 13:48, 19 May 2016 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 24 July 2016
Please consider adding the following somewhere in the Taste section:

Cucumbers grown in the home garden can be very bitter if the plants are stressed due to temperatures in the mid 90's and/or too much or not enough watering. Most cucumber plants contain compounds known as cucurbitacins that cause fruit to taste bitter. At low levels, they are not detectable, however, high levels of cucurbitacins produce extremely bitter fruit. Some cucumber varieties possess a gene that inhibits their formation. “The bi gene causes the entire plant to be bitterfree,” notes Todd C. Wehner, Ph.D., professor of horticultural science and plant breeder at North Carolina State University. “Bitterfree plants always produce bitterfree fruit, even under stress conditions,” he adds. Although burpless varieties are bred to produce fewer cucurbitacins, they don’t have the gene that would make them bitterfree, so they could produce more cucurbitacins if growing conditions become unfavorable.

Cucurbitacins concentrate in the stem end and skin and not through the entire fruit. Cutting the stem end by about an inch or so then rubbing the cut stub on the open end of the cucumber will produce a white foamy substance containing a large amount of the bitterness and can be washed away with water. If this has reduced the bitterness to an edible level, then the fruit can be peeled and eaten. It is recommended to provide cucumbers some shade and ample water during hot periods to reduce bitterness in the fruit. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 166.70.213.246 (talk) 05:26, 24 July 2016 (UTC)
 * This content and sources suggested are gardening advice, WP:NOTADVICE. These blog-like sources are not WP:SECONDARY, WP:NOTBLOG. There is already discussion in the article about cucurbitacins and bitter taste. Recommend no change. --Zefr (talk) 14:37, 24 July 2016 (UTC)


 * Thank you for taking the time to look this over. I did not notice that these sites were blogs. 166.70.213.246 (talk) 17:10, 24 July 2016 (UTC)

The following topic is needed

 * List of cucumber cultivars which is different from * List of cucumber varieties — Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.38.105.161 (talk) 00:49, 28 September 2016 (UTC)

Epic of Gilgamesh?
I can't actually find any references to cucumbers in the epic of Gilgamesh, and the sentence saying they are referenced doesn't have a citation. Is this really true? Colordutiful* 21:52, 7 December 2016 (UTC)
 * That section could definitely use some reliable sources. Deli nk (talk) 22:02, 7 December 2016 (UTC)

"Pickling" section - wallies
Under the section "Pickling" the following sentence: "Pickled cucumbers are called "pickles" in the US or "gherkins" or "wallies" in the UK, the latter name being more common in the north of England and London, where it refers to the large vinegar-pickled cucumbers commonly sold in fish and chip shops." It's stated that pickled cucumbers are named "wallies" in the north of England and London; this is true of London but I'm not so sure for the north of England. Doing some research I can't find any evidence of picked cucumbers being called "wallies" in the north of England, only in London. See: Called a "wally" in London and Essex (Greater London)

Should it be edited due to lack of supporting information/evidence? WarmKitten (talk) 22:48, 21 February 2017 (UTC)
 * It should be edited if there's evidence to clarify, but provide a secondary source to support it. --Zefr (talk) 22:55, 21 February 2017 (UTC)

Really
Did you know that a cucumber is a ancient fruit that the Mayans worshiped. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?tihttps://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Cucumber&action=edit&section=new#tle=Talk:Cucumber&https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Cucumber&action=edit&section=new#action=edit&section=new# — Preceding unsigned comment added by 23.29.85.43 (talk) 23:51, 21 February 2018 (UTC)

Tautology in first paragraph?
The second sentence: "It is a creeping vine that bears cucumiform fruits that are used as vegetables." contains the word 'cucumiform', meaning 'cucumber-shaped'. Since this is an article on the cucumber, should not a description of the shape of the fruit be provided instead? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 95.145.231.32 (talk) 16:11, 27 January 2019 (UTC)

Etymology
Should add a section on the etymology of cucumber. 2.24.113.240 (talk) 22:01, 29 May 2019 (UTC)

snozzcumbers
a cucumbers in popular culture section could link with BFG by Roald Dahl and snozzcumbers. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.115.204.102 (talk) 03:04, 3 September 2019 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 29 May 2020
I read Gilgamesh, and there is no reference to cucumbers. That text should be removed from this article. You can read/search the text yourself: https://archive.org/stream/anoldbabylonianv00jastuoft/anoldbabylonianv00jastuoft_djvu.txt Gggrrrvvvrrr (talk) 14:19, 29 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Red question icon with gradient background.svg Not done: it's not clear what changes you want to be made. Please mention the specific changes in a "change X to Y" format and provide a reliable source if appropriate. --TheImaCow (talk) 04:58, 30 May 2020 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 2 December 2020
Schählgurkens are not eaten with mincemeat e.g. fruit filling but with braised ground meat. Dill is correct. 84.177.212.218 (talk) 15:51, 2 December 2020 (UTC)
 * I corrected "mincemeat" to "minced meat" with the appropriate wikilink. Peter coxhead (talk) 07:29, 3 December 2020 (UTC)