Saturday, December 03, 2011

Yellow Cucumber

The scientific name of yellow cumber is cucumis sativus and is also known as Dosakai. This yellow vegetable is found in various parts of India. It has comparatively sweet taste and easy to digest. It can be used raw and also preserved in form of cucumber pickle as well. The shape and size of yellow cucumber is different than green cucumber. They are oval with very thin skin that can be peeled easily to cherish the sweet taste of yellow cucumber.

Cultivation of yellow cucumber
The cultivation of yellow cucumber is conducted in hot areas where vegetables and fruits ripe fast. They do not form a tree rather they are grown on vine that can be planted in large pots. If you have an intention to grow cucumber vines in pots, give it proper support to go up and grow straight. Yellow cucumbers become ready within 70-75 days.

Yellow cucumber and cuisines
Cucumber is widely used in different cuisines in various ways. Chutneys that are prepared with yellow cucumber are really delicious, tangy and hot spicy. It gives its best taste when it is cherished with hot rice. The famous yellow cucumber chutneys are tomato chutney, dondakai chutney, Beerakai chutney and brinjal chutney. Yellow cucumbers are also added in soup, dal and sambar.

Varieties of yellow cucumber
Yellow cucumbers are grown in many varieties like oval, round and long. In greenhouses, long, yellow, seedless and hard-skinned cucumbers are grown. Their length varies from 12 inches to 20 inches. They are available both with hard and thin skin however you should buy the cucumbers with thin skin for they have very little seeds in them. Avoid cucumber with hard skin and wrinkled top. They must always be stored in refrigerator or else they will wither and dry soon. Then, instead of giving sweet taste, they flavor sour or often times they do not give any taste at all.

Cucumber as a medicine
Cucumber intake is very good for those who have dry or withered skin as it keeps the skin fresh and smooth. It has caffeic acid and ascorbic acid that reduce the swelling and skin irritation. It must be consumed in summers as much as you can because it balances your body water and prevents the dehydration. It is good to eat cucumber along with its skin as its outer cover has many useful minerals like magnesium, silica and potassium. Silica is best for your bones and muscles' health. Cucumber juice is best tonic for your skin and it also improves your complexion keeping the skin glowing and fresh.

Nutritious fact of cucumber
If you do not peel cucumber and consume 100 g of yellow cucumber, it will give you Fat: 0.11 g, Sugars: 1.67 g, Dietary Fiber: 0.5 g, Carbohydrates: 3.63 g, Protein: 0.65 g, Vitamin B6: 0.040 mg, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2): 0.033 mg, Thiamin (Vitamin B1): 0.027 mg, Niacin (Vitamin B3): 0.098 mg, Zinc: 0.20 mg, Magnesium: 13 mg, Calcium: 16 mg, Phosphorus: 24 mg, Iron: 0.28 mg and Potassium: 24 mg.

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