Health benefits and harms of bitter cucumbers

It's time to harvest, your cucumbers have turned a rich green color. You pluck them, and they turned out to be bitter! That's a shame. But don't be in a hurry to get upset. Bitter cucumbers have a number of useful properties and are widely used in cooking and cosmetology.

From the article you will learn why cucumbers are bitter, what are the benefits and harms of bitter cucumbers, what are the features of their composition and how to use them for culinary, medicinal and cosmetic purposes.

Is it okay to eat bitter cucumbers

Can! They do not contain any toxic substances. The most unpleasant thing you may encounter is bitterness itself.

Bitter fruits are not harmful to health, but can ruin a salad dressed with mayonnaise. Better to choose vegetable oil as a dressing. This will make the bitterness less noticeable.

It is important to know why bitterness arises and if there is a way to combat such a phenomenon.

Why bitterness arises

There are several reasons for the appearance of bitterness:

• insufficient watering;
• excessive watering;
• uneven watering;
• watering with cold water;
• drought, intense heat;
• direct aggressive sunlight;
• lack of sunlight;
• an abundance of weeds;
• neighborhood with tall garden trees;
• unsuitable soil, for example, clay;
• lack of fertilizers.

All these factors provoke the bitterness of cucumbers. Watering the vegetable should be uniform. It is dangerous to both overdry and overmoisten the plant.

Remove weeds in time, keep away from direct sunlight.

Important! There are varieties of cucumbers, on the packaging of which it is indicated that the cucumbers are not bitter. But novice summer residents should know that the bitterness in vegetables does not depend on the variety. Its presence or absence depends on the care of the plant.

Differences in composition

Cucumbers contain many useful microelements. But their deficiency affects the taste perception.

The bitter taste is primarily caused by a lack of potassium in the fruit. Nitrogen exchange is disrupted. Outwardly, this is evidenced by too small plant leaves.

A lack of sulfur will also spoil the taste of cucumbers. Yellow streaks appear on the leaves.

The bitterness in cucumbers is caused by deficiencies in iron, boron and molybdenum. That is, in vegetables without bitterness, these trace elements are in abundance.

But in bitter cucumbers there is such a substance as cucurbitacin. AND in fruits without bitterness it is not. It appears in vegetables with improper care. Sharp temperature changes make the plant "nervous", and this chemical compound appears.

reference... Cucurbitacin originates in the stalk of a vegetable. If the cucumber is young, chances are that the middle is not bitter at all. Cut off the "ass", rinse the vegetable.

The benefits and harms of bitter cucumbers

It is interesting how the composition affects the human body. It would seem that a vegetable consists practically of one water - where do the beneficial properties come from.

But no, cucumbers contain:

• vitamin PP - useful for stress and nervous disorders;
• vitamin C - for strengthening immunity;
• vitamin B1, B2, B5, B6, B9 - for the organs of vision, the normal functioning of the nervous system, to maintain youth, beauty and health;
• vitamin E is an excellent antioxidant. Allows you to keep your youth. In bitter fruits, its content is several times higher than in ordinary ones. Also, the vitamin is useful for those who are experiencing mental overload. For example, students when writing their graduation work, school graduates when taking entrance exams;
• iodine;
• molybdenum;
• phosphorus;
• sulfur - there is very little of it in bitter fruits;
• potassium;
• calcium;
• iron;
• copper;
• manganese;
• fluorine;
• sodium.

Almost the periodic table turned out! And all this is in those vegetables that are often sent to the trash bin because of the bitter taste. Experienced and experienced gardeners know that everything can be used.

Healing properties

What are healthy bitter vegetables:

1. Pain relieving effect. The bitter vegetable can relieve pain in the head, abdomen and back. A noticeably beneficial effect on the female body during menstruation.
2. Against radiation radiation. If you live in an area with high radiation levels, these vegetables will help to avoid negative effects on the body. Eat them as often as possible.
3. Choleretic property. Common cucumbers also have this property, but in bitter ones it is most pronounced.
4. Benefits for the gastrointestinal tract. Bitter cucumber is good for the stomach and small intestine. However, they cannot be eaten during an exacerbation of gastritis. If you do not have such a problem, then the vegetable will improve the work of your digestion.
5. Revealed a positive effect on the heart and blood vessels.
6. From burns, abrasions and wounds. For such purposes, the cucumber is dried without a peel, crushed, and then used as a powder.
7. It is useful for diabetes.
8. Antineoplastic property. Bitter vegetables slow down the division of cancer cells. As a preventive measure for the appearance of various tumors, bitter cucumbers are a good remedy. At the same time, they need to be eaten whole, preferably without salt and oil.

So, the spectrum of beneficial effects is wide enough. For summer colds, it is also helpful to eat slightly bitter vegetables. They have anti-inflammatory properties, prevent bacteria from multiplying.

With regard to harm, no negative impacts were noticed. Overeating can lead to diarrhea, frequent urination, bloating, and aching stomach pain. Don't eat more than three vegetables at a time.

Note! Avoid overgrown cucumbers. Useful properties are seen only in those vegetables, whose length does not exceed 10 cm. Further, with each millimeter, the degree of usefulness decreases.

Contraindications

Not everyone can eat a harmless vegetable.

We recommend that you familiarize yourself with the contraindications:

• exacerbation of gastritis;
• open ulcer;
• thyroid disease;
• urolithiasis disease;
• renal failure and other kidney diseases;
• swelling during pregnancy.

Eating bitter fruits will make the situation worse. Be careful not to eat blackened or even slightly rotten fruits.

What to do with bitter cucumbers

There are many options for using bitter cucumbers. But first it is worth trying to prevent their occurrence. If you've already picked a couple of vegetables, and they turned out to be bitter, it's time to take action.

Fertilize the soil with nitrogen fertilizers, ensure uniform watering. Over fertilization is just as bad as deficiency.

Important! Don't use manure. It will only increase the bitterness of the fruit.

If you have poorly chosen a place for a borage, and the sun burns the leaves with its bright rays, you need a greenhouse. Cover the fruit during active sun. If, on the contrary, you have chosen a too shady place, then plant the cucumbers away from each other. This way they will not take light from each other.

If you do not live in the country all the time, it will not be so easy to follow the watering rules. If it has been raining recently, do not rush to the dacha after work. Cucumbers have enough moisture. But if the weather is dry for several days, and your cucumbers are not watered, it means that the fruits are already bitter.

Read also:

How to deliciously cook cucumbers with turmeric for the winter: recipes and recommendations.

Very tasty and fruitful Stella cucumbers.

How to prepare cucumbers with ginger for the winter.

How to use bitter cucumbers

The easiest way is salad. Add any other vegetables and green herbs, season with refined oil and enjoy a good tart flavor. Rye bread is a great addition.

Bitter vegetables are also suitable for winter preparations. The main thing is to add more sugar. Double the rate. Do the rest as usual. Bitter vegetables are stored better, jars with pickles are less likely to "explode" and deteriorate. The heat treatment will keep the bitterness to a near minimum.

Bitter fruits contain more antioxidants. What does it mean? That the youth of your skin is in good hands. The cucumber mask will keep your face and neck firm and healthy. From the pulp of bitter vegetables, you can make masks for the skin of the hands and feet.

Advice... A dried and grated vegetable is used as a healing powder. This powder contributes to the rapid healing of abrasions on children's knees.

Summing up

Bitter cucumbers can grow in your garden due to improper watering, lighting, and a lack of fertilizer.

You can eat such vegetables, they do not cause harm. But they help to alleviate the course of many diseases and protect the radioactive effect. Among the main contraindications are kidney disease and stomach ulcers.

Bitter cucumbers can be used in the same way as regular fruits: roll into jars for the winter, prepare fresh salads, use pure. The cosmetological property of bitter cucumbers is more pronounced than in fruits without bitterness. We wish you a good harvest!