Freshly harvested pickled cucumbers invite you to take a hearty bite. Fresh from the jar, pickles and pickles delight with their spicy aroma. In rare exceptional cases, you should avoid eating cucumbers raw. Read these useful tips for carefree cucumber enjoyment.
Can you eat pickles raw?
You can eat pickled cucumbers raw as a snack or salad. Enjoy pickles and pickles fresh from the jar with cold and warm dishes. Do not eat pickles that tastebitter Home-grown cucumbers can in rare cases contain bitter substances that are harmful to he alth.
What is a pickle?
The pickling cucumber (Cucumis sativus) is avariant of the cucumber, which is pickled in aspicy broth. The 5 to 12 cm large fruits can also be boiled or fermented. In reference to the processing, the pickling cucumber is also called gherkin, gherkin and s alted cucumber.
Botanically, pickles belong to the pumpkin family. The numerous varieties grow as annuals, climbing or lying down, up to a height of 250 cm. In this country, pickling cucumbers are often planted in beds, greenhouses or containers. Harvest time is from July to October.
What do pickles taste like?
Freshly harvested cucumbers tastemildwith a slight bitter note. Gherkins and pickles pamper the palate with asweet-souraroma. S alted cucumbers tastes alty-sour and are also called sour cucumbers.
The difference in taste between pickled cucumbers results from how they are produced. Pickles and pickles are infused with vinegar, water and spices. S alted cucumbers are traditionally fermented in brine with dill and get their typical aroma.
How are pickles eaten?
Freshly harvested pickled cucumbers areeaten raw as a refreshing snack or tasty raw vegetable salad. You can eat pickles, vinegar and s alted cucumbers in these variations:
- In the potato and sausage salad.
- On hamburgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs.
- As a side dish to meat and fish dishes.
- With other ingredients as a filling for beef roulades.
- For a hearty snack.
- On sausage and cheese platters.
- Prepared as shaken cucumbers.
When should you not eat pickles raw?
Do not eat pickles that tastebitterThe bitter taste is caused bypoisonous cucurbitacins The harmful bitter substances are typical for all pumpkin plants, such as cucumbers (Cucumis sativus), watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo subsp. pepo).
In certifiedgarden varietiesthe bitter substances have beenbred out Cucumbers from the supermarket are generally harmless. Home-grown cucumbers are affected by a he alth-threatening concentration of toxins. The causes of the bitter taste are extreme stress conditions, such as cold, waterlogging, pest infestation or cross-pollination.
Tip
Grow pickling cucumbers yourself
For home cultivation, pickling cucumbers are grown indoors and planted out from mid-May. To do this, sow 3 seeds in pots three weeks before the planting date. At a germination temperature of 23° to 26° Celsius, the germination time is 7 to 14 days. Plant the early groups of three cucumber plants 30 cm apart next to good neighbors in the sunny bed.
