Cucumber — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Cucumber is a vegetables available in New Zealand during November, December, January, February, March, peaking in December, January. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy cucumber, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
About 96% water. Lebanese cucumbers have more flavour and fewer seeds than telegraph.
How to pick a good one
Telegraph = long ones. Lebanese = small crunchy ones (better flavour). Both should be very firm.
How to store it
Fridge, about a week. Don't store near tomatoes or bananas (ethylene).
Goes well with
dill: Dill and cucumber share similar aromatic compounds. The combination appears in Scandinavian, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern cooking independently, which is a reliable indicator.
yoghurt: Yoghurt's mild acidity and creaminess moderate cucumber's water content and cold flavour. Every culture with both makes some version of tzatziki or raita for this reason.
sesame: Sesame's richness and warmth contrast with cucumber's cold, watery flavour. Used together in Japanese and Korean cucumber salads, the combination adds substance to a vegetable that lacks it.
rice vinegar: Acid and cucumber is a combination found across Japanese, Korean, and Southeast Asian cooking. Rice vinegar's mild sweetness and acidity create a pickled effect without lengthy preparation.
mint: Mint and cucumber are both cool-tasting and refreshing. Together they're more cooling than either alone. The combination is used in drinks, salads, and raita.
Recipes
Tzatziki
Cool, garlicky, goes with everything grilled.
Ingredients: 1 cucumber (grated), 200g yoghurt, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, pinch salt, dill
Method: Grate cucumber. Squeeze dry in tea towel (important). Mix with yoghurt, garlic, oil, lemon, salt, chopped dill.
Smashed Cucumber Salad
Chinese-style. Addictive.
Ingredients: 2 cucumbers, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp chilli oil, pinch sugar
Method: Smash cucumbers with flat of knife until cracked. Tear into chunks. Toss with garlic, soy, vinegar, sesame oil, chilli oil, sugar. Rest 10 min.
Quick Pickled Cucumbers
Ready in 30 minutes. Fridge for weeks.
Ingredients: 2 cucumbers (sliced thin), 100ml rice vinegar, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp sesame seeds
Method: Dissolve sugar and salt in vinegar. Pour over sliced cucumbers. Leave 30 min minimum. Sprinkle sesame seeds.
Nutrition
One whole cucumber provides 40% of your daily vitamin K and 15% of your vitamin C. About 96% water. Only 45 calories for an entire cucumber. The skin contains most of the vitamin K and fibre. Contains fisetin, an anti-inflammatory flavonoid being studied for brain health. One of the most hydrating foods available.