cucumber tastes bitter some times
- Thread starter gsarathy
- Start date
manojsinghchandel
Well-Known Member
The bitter taste of cucumbers comes from a natural organic compound called cucurbitacin, the most likely reason is plant stress. The problem tends to be worse when extremes exist. Extreme heat, cold, drought or excess water, lack of plant nutrients or even extreme pest and disease pressure can bring on a problem. If you can identify and correct the stress, the plant may stop producing excess amounts of the bitter compounds. Other reason is Genetics also.
If you find you have some mildly bitter cucumbers it helps to know the bitter compound is usually more concentrated in the stem end rather than in the blossom end of the fruit. Also, the skin tends to accumulate these compounds more than the flesh. Therefore, if the fruit is only mildly bitter, peel the fruit by starting at the blossom end of the fruit and also cut off a couple inches near the stem end. Wash the knife frequently to avoid spreading the bitter compounds to other fruit
If you find you have some mildly bitter cucumbers it helps to know the bitter compound is usually more concentrated in the stem end rather than in the blossom end of the fruit. Also, the skin tends to accumulate these compounds more than the flesh. Therefore, if the fruit is only mildly bitter, peel the fruit by starting at the blossom end of the fruit and also cut off a couple inches near the stem end. Wash the knife frequently to avoid spreading the bitter compounds to other fruit