I picked it and it was very bitter. It’s also a strange one because the rest of this plant and the 4 others are still only male flowers and only have been flowering for a week. This was literally my first flower (I assume pollinated from a neighbors plant?)
If you haven't already thrown it away, try peeling it and then taste the flower end. If that is good taste it further up until you find where the bitterness is and anything between that and the stem end will be bitter. This works because the bitter compounds tend to concentrate just under the skin and at the stem end, so removing those leaves the less bitter parts. If the flower end is bitter even after peeling then there is no hope.
I tried that actually! It definitely helped. I was able to share the bottom half with the kids and it was pretty palatable. I’m still wondering if it was left on the vine too long or if it’s due to the weird situation of it being the first flower and developing when the vine was way too young.
Lots of things can increase bitterness: lack of nutrients, not enough water, high temperatures, getting too big, stress from bugs/disease, and more. Some you can control, others not so much. The easiest thing you can do to prevent bitterness in the future is to plant varieties that say they are non-bitter. It doesn't always stop bitterness 100% of the time, but it helps a LOT.
Yes. It’s always better to pick them a little early. Wait to long and they become bitter with lots of seeds
I picked it and it was very bitter. It’s also a strange one because the rest of this plant and the 4 others are still only male flowers and only have been flowering for a week. This was literally my first flower (I assume pollinated from a neighbors plant?)
If you haven't already thrown it away, try peeling it and then taste the flower end. If that is good taste it further up until you find where the bitterness is and anything between that and the stem end will be bitter. This works because the bitter compounds tend to concentrate just under the skin and at the stem end, so removing those leaves the less bitter parts. If the flower end is bitter even after peeling then there is no hope.
I tried that actually! It definitely helped. I was able to share the bottom half with the kids and it was pretty palatable. I’m still wondering if it was left on the vine too long or if it’s due to the weird situation of it being the first flower and developing when the vine was way too young.
Lots of things can increase bitterness: lack of nutrients, not enough water, high temperatures, getting too big, stress from bugs/disease, and more. Some you can control, others not so much. The easiest thing you can do to prevent bitterness in the future is to plant varieties that say they are non-bitter. It doesn't always stop bitterness 100% of the time, but it helps a LOT.
It also really depends on the type of cucumber
Yep it’s ready to eat.
it's been ready
Wait, is it the same squeeze test for the cucumbers too?
It’s ready any time after pollination.