Cucumbers! Who woulda thought!

Torey

I found this on a FaceBook post and it said to share, so here it is. I knew about a few of these but not all. Looking forward to trying #4!

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your taps, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but it won't leave streaks and won't harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Pass this along to everybody you know who is looking for better and safer ways to solve life's everyday problems.

MaryRowe

Wow, that is amazing! I knew cucumbers made a good snack, and took the edge off hunger and thirst, but the rest is all news to me. Yep, #4 is definitely worth a try, as are several of the others. Not sure about the squeaky hinge one though, that seems a bit messy...

LaurieLovesLearning

Well, I think it is experimentation time.

JodieDownUnder

@torey well, well whodathought! I’m definitely going to try No 4, garden pests and No5, well, I’m going to roll around in cucumber juice and watch me lose some cellulite! Seems the old cucumber is the WD40 of the veggie world.

jowitt.europe

@torey I love cucumbers and grow them every year in my greenhouse. I knew they are very very useful, but that they are sooooo useful! Thank you very much for sharing this information!

i love fresh cucumbers, I ferment them and they keep crispy and nicely sour for a few years and last year I started drying cucumbers. They are not as nice as fresh, but unexpectedly sweet and quenches hunger, when one does not want to put an extra kilo on.

Michelle D

I love cucumbers! I have always been told that they have little to no nutritional impact. I've been told it's the equivalent of eating water lol. I like this perspective on it much better! I would have to guess that most of the vitamins are in the skin. Does anyone know?

silvertipgrizz

@jolanta.wittib How do you get your cuke pickles to crisp? Grape leaves or another trick? I have a hard time finding grape leaves.

COWLOVINGIRL

Wow! Now I'm going to plant a ton of cucumber!

Monek Marie

When I came home from "city living" to the farm my mom asked if I wanted a cucumber. "No, they are tasteless and I do not like them."

She gave me a look and told me to try one. They were delicious!

They are now one of my favorite veggies to grow. I use them to sooth my eyes and I make a ton of pickles when they are all producing.

I also love all these other uses.

jowitt.europe

@silvertipgrizz I add an oak leave into every jar before closing it. Oak leaves have a lot of tannins and they clear the liquid and the keep crispy for a few years.

jowitt.europe

oh, I forgot to mention something very special. A very special desert in Lithuania: a fresh cucumber dipped in very fresh honey. A real treat! Try it! Everybody whome I treat with it are amazed!

Tave

Awesome. I love cucumbers, but people here pick them after they have big seeds. I need to figure out how to grow my own. Does anyone grow cukes on a patio?

Monek Marie

Yes @Tave cukes grow very well on a patio. Vertical growing works well with them. I put a green of some sort in the pot with them to keep the soil cool and let the cukes go crazy. Just make sure they get lots of water. I find you have less insects with vertical growing.

For a container and thirsty plant I put some sort of bottle that I can fill with water in the center (upside down pop or water bottle works well, cut off bottom and inset in soil like a funnel. Fill with water and that water goes down low in the soil instead of drying out in the sun

JodieDownUnder

@Tave you could try cucumelons. Little bite size cucumbers, look like little watermelons on the outside. Very tasty. I’ve got some going from seed, a bit late but they are flowering now. Next year, I’ll put them in a lot earlier.

water2world

@torey Thanks for posting this! What a mind-opener, I would have never thought of 1/2 of these, but WILL be trying them all!

water2world

@jodienancarrow I have never heard of cucumelons---guess I am going to be looking for some of those! May I ask where you got your seed?

Tave

@Denise Grant Great! I will definitely try that in the spring. My other plants are much happier when vines go verticle. I've done the pop bottle in the ground for my pomegranate. We're in the dry season now, and I have to remember to go water it.

I have fabric pots, and I love them. However, I have to mound the dirt around the edges and make a well in the middle so the water doesn't run out the sides before soaking the dirt.

@jodienancarrow Nice. I'll try to get some seeds. I've seen them in seed catalogs.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Monek Marie

@Tave I love cucumelons! Once you grow them you will always want them. Seeds used to be harder to find but most seed companies carry them now.

I never thought of water running out the sides. Thanks for the heads up as I planned to try a few fabric pots

LaurieLovesLearning

@Tave & @water2world They are also known as mouse melon. They have the daintiest little vines & leaves. I like to think of them as barbie doll watermelons that taste like cucumber. Any barbie would be pleased to have one on their little plate!

frogvalley

I agree, now I've gotta plant some.

Brindy

I love it and can't wait to try them in the garden. I just had a pot the other day with 4 huge slugs. I've never had them before and no idea what to use. Now I am going to try cucumber!

LaurieLovesLearning

@Brindy Let us know your results.

Please post results everyone!

JodieDownUnder

@water2world I picked them up on a whim at a local hardware store.

kfoto

Oh what can not the cucumber do. I made an chocolate mint, cucumber and lime drink. Dust the rim with green mango salt. Perfect for the summer.

happy-trails

If cucumbers can really work to prevent headaches, this will be a new staple for us! My husband gets headaches almost every Monday, without fail, and nothing thus far has really worked to stop it. I'm trying to figure out why... I'm growing two varieties this year even though I don't like them, we need to force ourselves to eat them for all these awesome benefits!

dianne.misspooz

Read this article after having ate a very garlicky plate of spaghetti and thought huh, let's see if the cucumber slice held to the roof of your mouth by your tongue for 30 seconds really does get rid of bad breath.

OH MY GOODNESS! IT WORKED!!! I AM BLOWN AWAY! I mean B.L.O.W.N. A.W.A.Y!!!!!

Forget carrying gum or TiC Tacs anymore. I'm going to carry around sandwhich bags of cucumber slices.

WOW. Just WOW!

vickeym

@Torey Thank you for sharing this. Have always liked cucumbers, not I like them even more. Will be trying many of these. Can't wait for spring to try #4. We were over run by slugs this year with all the rain we had.