By Wayne J. McLaurin
University of
Georgia
Many Georgia gardeners have sliced fresh, crisp, green cucumbers
only to find them so bitter they had to throw them away.
Occasionally, shoppers find they’ve bought bitter cukes.
The compounds that cause bitterness in cucumbers grown in the
United States are cucurbitacin B and cucurbitacin C. Wild
cucumbers, most of which are extremely bitter, may also contain a
number of related compounds.
The cucurbitacins occur in all parts of the plant. The leaves,
stems and roots of most cultivated varieties contain varying
amounts of them. Only occasionally, though, do the bitter
compounds spread into the cucumber fruit.
Bitterness varies
And when it does, the bitterness isn’t uniform in the cucumber.
It will vary from fruit to fruit and within individual fruits.
Two important points: One, the compounds are likely to be more
concentrated at the stem end than at the blossom end of the
fruit. And two, the bitterness, if it’s there, is always in and
just under the skin. It’s not deep in the fleshy portion or in
the seed cavity.
When using cucumbers for salad, taste a small portion from the
stem end of each cucumber before slicing the rest.
If it’s bitter, you can usually eliminate the bitterness by
removing the outer flesh with the peeling. Peel even more deeply
at the stem end, since this is where bitter compounds penetrate
most deeply.
Many theories
The bitterness level in cucumbers varies from year to year. There
are many theories, but it has been hard to get consistent
information as to its cause.
Temperature appears to be one cause. You generally hear more
complaints of bitter cucumbers during a cool season than a warm
one.
Research has shown that fertilization practices, plant spacing
and irrigation frequency have little consistent effect on the
number of bitter cucumbers produced. Contrary to some people’s
belief, the direction of peeling doesn’t affect the spread of
bitterness in a cucumber.
Grow in sunny sites
When growing cucumbers, especially in the cooler parts of
Georgia, select a location that’s likely to get as much heat as
possible. An area that’s not shaded during any part of the day
would be ideal.
Even though irrigation practices haven’t proven to greatly affect
the number of bitter cucumbers produced, nubbins and other
misshapen fruit associated with poor irrigation seem more likely
to be bitter than well-shaped fruits.
So, provide ample and uniform moisture and adequate nutrients for
proper growth. These practices result in rapid, uniform growth of
the fruit.
Plant for sweet success
Different cucumber cultivars vary widely in their tendency to be
bitter. In tests in several Western states, Improved Long Green,
Eversweet, Ashley, Lemon and Saticoy Hybrid had the least
bitterness.
The best advice for the gardener is to plant varieties that have
been shown to produce a low percentage of bitter fruit. Besides
the varieties already listed, bitterness hasn’t been a problem in
the new, long hybrids that have recently become popular.
In general, pickling varieties tend to have more bitter fruits
than slicing varieties. However, the amount of bitterness found
in commercial pickling varieties in the United States doesn’t
seem sufficient to impair flavor in either sweet or dill pickles
made from them, even if bitter cucumbers are used.
Personally, I think vinegar-and-sliced-Vidalia-onion marinade
helps any cucumber taste better.
