The Lebanese cucumber is green skinned, white fleshed and only 12?15 cm long. It has a juicy texture and a tender skin that does not need to be peeled.
What to look for
Choose cucumbers with a firm skin and an even colour. The shade of the cucumber is important with telegraph and short cucumbers; a vibrant green colour assures the buyer that the cucumbers have recently come from the vine, while a dull green or yellow indicates age.
Availability
All year with short and apple cucumbers most plentiful in the summer.
Store
Store in the warmest place in the fridge and use promptly. Cooler times of the year they can be stored on the bench. Lebanese cucumbers are always best refrigerated.
How to prepare
Young cucumbers have a mild and tender skin and it is unnecessary to peel them. Telegraph, Lebanese and cocktail cucumbers never need to be peeled. European recipe books may advocate peeling and removing the seeds, but this is not normally necessary.
Ways to eat
Cucumbers are most popular raw as a salad vegetable. Slices of raw cucumber can be used like crackers when serving nibbles with drinks. Cucumbers can also be used in cold soup. They can be chopped and saut?ed, or juiced.
Cooking Methods
Microwave, saut?, steam, stuff.
