Taeng Kwa | แตงกวา | Cucumis sativus
Family: Cucurbitaceae - Genus: Cucumus
Cucumber is grown in the vegetable garden of the Special School of the Thai Child Development Foundation.
Cucumbers in Thailand are really small, about the length of a finger. They’re also really sweet and don’t taste watery like the larger ones in the West.
The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around supports with thin, spiraling tendrils.
Cucumber may also be referred to as gherkin. The fruit, flowers, sprouts and young leaves of the cucumber are edible.
Cucumber is growing from the end of the rainy season (November) and can be harvested after 40 to 45 days.
THE PLANT
The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around supports with thin, spiraling tendrils.
Cucumber plants are annual plants, surviving only one growing season and the vines can reach up to 5 meter in length.
THE LEAVES
he cucumber plant is a sprawling vine with large leaves and curling tendrils. The plant may have 4 or 5 main stems from which the tendrils branch.
The leaves of the plant are arranged alternately on the vines, have 3–7 pointed lobes and are hairy. The large leaves that form a canopy over the fruits.
Fresh, crisp cucumber sprouts make a good salad green, and tender young cucumber leaves can be eaten as well.
THE FLOWERS
The cucumber plant produces male and female yellow flowers that are 4 centimeter in diameter. Male flowers generally outnumber the female flowers on most varieties of cucumber plants. For every one female flower, most plants produce 10 to 20 male flowers, but each female flower on the plant produces fruit.
Cucumber blossoms are good too. Eat them raw or batter them and deep fry in a healthy oil of your choice.
THE FRUIT
Thai cucumber plants produce uniformly sized fruits which are traditionally preserved by pickling them in the Western world. In Thailand they are used as an vegetable in stir fried dishes. They tend to be shorter and thicker than slicing cucumbers, with a bumpy exterior and white spines. The fruit is roughly cylindrical, but elongated with tapered ends, and are approx.. 20 centimeter long.
CULINARY USES
Cucumbers have a mild melon aroma and flavor, The rind has a slightly bitter taste. Cucumber is usually eaten raw in the Western kitchen. In Thailand however, it is stir fried into delicious recipes, Cucumber becomes sweet and tender upon cooking and great in combination with Thai herbs and condiments.
Click on the link of the Food Forest Kitchen Restaurant to find recipes with cucumber.
NUTRITION
In a 100-gram serving, raw cucumber (with peel) is 95% water, provides 16 kilocalories of food energy, and supplies low content of essential nutrients, as it is notable only for vitamin K and A.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
Cucumber contains a lot of water, which can help keep you hydrated. The fibers of cucumber can help and avoid constipation.
The vitamin K helps blood clot and keep your bones healthy.
Vitamin A can help with vision, the immune system, and reproduction. It also makes sure organs like your heart, lungs, and kidneys work the way they should.
Antioxidants such as beta carotene in cucumbers can help fight free radicals in your body, unpaired electrons that damage cells and can lead to disease.
Cucumbers may also have health benefits outside your body. Putting them on your skin may help ease sunburn pain, swelling, and damaged skin.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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