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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Dandytown on July 07, 2011, 14:11:35

Title: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: Dandytown on July 07, 2011, 14:11:35

Yesterday I proudly cut my first cucumber, a nice and unusual orange one called Red Hmong.

Really wanted to show off with this one and glad I didn't as when I tasted it when I got home it tasted like I imagine Battery acid   :-X might....really bitter.
It did have a lovely crunch though and photogaphed well  ;D ;D

I didn't realise I had to take the males off.  Will all the others be affected if I take them off?

Does anyone know if Crystal Lemon cukes need the males taking off too?  Please say no  :-\

Photograph to follow

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: goodlife on July 07, 2011, 14:37:32

yes  :-X

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: RenishawPhil on July 07, 2011, 14:47:57

Can someone explain the male thing please?

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: chriscross1966 on July 07, 2011, 16:20:53

Quote from: notts_phil on July 07, 2011, 14:47:57

Can someone explain the male thing please?

All cucmbers apart frmo the outdoor ridge type need the male flowers removing to avoid bitter fruits. That's the reason the all-female hybrids were developed, to avoid this labour-intesive process in commercial crops. Of course the average time-poor modern householder also embraced the all female revoltution with gusto adn folks forget that apart from ridges adn picklers you hve to take off the male flowers....

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: RenishawPhil on July 07, 2011, 16:25:39

Thanks ours are very small. So hope ive got them.in Time


How soon can I remove the male flowers

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: RenishawPhil on July 07, 2011, 18:14:36

Are the male flowers actually needed then?

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: Bugloss2009 on July 07, 2011, 18:30:09

actually the advice for outdoor varieties is leave the male flowers on.

 The bitterness is caused by adverse growing conditions like it being too hot or irregular watering. you may find that the end near the flower tastes OK, but once you've tasted a bad one, the merest hint of bitterness and you start to gag

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: OllieC on July 07, 2011, 18:42:42

Crystal Lemon is definitely fine with the boys left on.

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: RenishawPhil on July 07, 2011, 18:47:08

Quote from: Bugloss2009 on July 07, 2011, 18:30:09

actually the advice for outdoor varieties is leave the male flowers on.

 The bitterness is caused by adverse growing conditions like it being too hot or irregular watering. you may find that the end near the flower tastes OK, but once you've tasted a bad one, the merest hint of bitterness and you start to gag

Are you saying male ones produce cucumbers

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: Bugloss2009 on July 07, 2011, 19:14:46

no.

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: OllieC on July 07, 2011, 19:49:38

The boys fertilise the girls, making them bitter.

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: darren2007 on July 07, 2011, 19:53:44

i was given a white cucumber plant and when i tasted the first one it was very bitter i went back later to have a taste but this time i removed the skin and i was very nice just had anoter one for my tea tonight which was the same bitter skin but very nice with skin removed

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: RenishawPhil on July 07, 2011, 19:53:58

Oh ic!well hopefully they haven't with them being in the green house

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: antipodes on July 08, 2011, 09:41:01

Quote from: OllieC on July 07, 2011, 19:49:38

The boys fertilise the girls, making them bitter.

Yeah unlike men they can't smooth things over with a BMW and a detached house  :P :P

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: no-lottie on July 08, 2011, 09:51:18

I'd never take male flowers off as they're needed for pollination in all varieties I grow.

Bitterness could be caused by something as simple as a high pH.

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: telboy on July 08, 2011, 21:00:37

'The boys fertilise the girls, making them bitter.'

Like they do, d**n antipodes beat me to it!  ;D

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: OllieC on July 08, 2011, 21:14:43

Funny how nature solves so many problems the same way.

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: Hector on July 17, 2011, 09:53:32

What does a male flower look like?

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: davyw1 on July 17, 2011, 10:06:35

Quote from: Hector on July 17, 2011, 09:53:32

What does a male flower look like?

There you go

http://completegarden.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/cucumber-how-to-identifying-male-and-female-flower/

Title: Re: Bitter Cucumber
Post by: Hector on July 17, 2011, 17:29:59

Many thanks, that's really kind of you. I'll go out and check my plants now :)