Garden Life: Cucumber
Our gardening experience with cucumbers has been chequered (I prefer the British spelling) with triumph and failure. The pictures you are going to see are of various vines we have cultivated over the years. Only one of those years was successful—and then hugely so.
The vines themselves have always been very sturdy, and it is satisfying to see the quick expansion of their thick, prickly stems and broad, prickly leaves. Their hardy appearance is a great comfort to me as I struggle to revive the fainting fennel and toppling tomatoes.
The cucumber vine stretches vigorously upward—ardently entwining its thin tendrils around the cage, the pool screen, the chain-link, a nearby plant, anything it can reach. Tiny, hairy buds make a regular appearance along the branching stems.
The crumpled petals open to reveal a frank and cheerful face.
Very soon, numerous black ants are marching up and down the vine, collecting nectar and distributing pollen.
When the flower has been fertilized, the prickly, green fruit elongates and fattens right behind it. The bright petals crumple, fade, and drop.
Here is where our troubles begin. Because (I think) of the moisture and shade of our garden plot, the young cucumbers (and other vining fruits) rot when still quite tiny.
So this late cucumber was a surprise to me. It was the only fruit this vine produced. Would you believe that I actually didn’t notice it until it was this size? It isn’t as though luxuriant leaves are screening it from sight, even.
Cucumbers must sometimes accommodate themselves to tight places. This cucumber had poked through the wire mesh, and we had to cut it free. (This, by the way, was our successful year. We were gardening on the pool patio then, and I think the cucumbers preferred the strong sunlight there. We had four vines tangled together in the raised bed, and they bore substantially.)
Cucumbers are a refreshing summer treat. Not only do they taste delicious in soups and salads, but they are valued in folk medicine for their heat-dissipating and detoxifying effects, and for the treatment of excessive thirst and dryness of the lips and throat. Cucumbers have another summer application.—Blend fresh cucumber juice with equal quantities of rose water and glycerine and apply it to the skin to soothe sunburn, or to help prevent freckles and wrinkles.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011