This post is called Lemon, but it is actually about a cucumber. A heritage or heirloom cucumber that is called Lemon. It is not difficult to guess how it got this name, since it looks much more like a lemon than a cucumber. But it is slightly bigger than a lemon.
I do grow regular cucumbers, but I find that some varieties are disappointing in that they do not produce many fruits. This year though, I have a variety that is called "long green" and has proved to be quite productive.
However I always grow Lemon cucumbers, because they can be relied upon to produce heavily and are disease resistant. They were introduced in 1894 and came from Australia. They are quite tasty, mild and never bitter. They are often described as slightly sweeter than regular cucumbers and mature in 65 days. Their shape is quite different from the traditional cucumber but as you can see, they look very much like any other cucumber once they are sliced.
Their skin has tiny bristles which can be rubbed off. It can easily be peeled, but we eat them with the skin. Of course, being a heirloom variety, you can keep seeds of ripe fruits to plant the next spring. If you want to keep seeds, let a fruit ripen on the vine when the season is almost over. Do not let one of the first fruits get too ripe, because having completed its natural cycle, the vine will probably stop producing.
I do grow regular cucumbers, but I find that some varieties are disappointing in that they do not produce many fruits. This year though, I have a variety that is called "long green" and has proved to be quite productive.
However I always grow Lemon cucumbers, because they can be relied upon to produce heavily and are disease resistant. They were introduced in 1894 and came from Australia. They are quite tasty, mild and never bitter. They are often described as slightly sweeter than regular cucumbers and mature in 65 days. Their shape is quite different from the traditional cucumber but as you can see, they look very much like any other cucumber once they are sliced.
Their skin has tiny bristles which can be rubbed off. It can easily be peeled, but we eat them with the skin. Of course, being a heirloom variety, you can keep seeds of ripe fruits to plant the next spring. If you want to keep seeds, let a fruit ripen on the vine when the season is almost over. Do not let one of the first fruits get too ripe, because having completed its natural cycle, the vine will probably stop producing.
We have not had a decent cucumber crop in years. Lemons next year!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are lovely! Bonjour de Montreal!
ReplyDeleteHow interesting! I am growing lemon cucumber for the first year this year. I had thought it was a hybrid. I'm happy to know its an heirloom variety! It is a good producer. Thanks for the info :)
ReplyDeleteThis was news to me. I've never heard of a lemon cucumber, and I like to think I know my cucumbers. Quite unusual.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look for seeds for this variety for next year.
ReplyDeleteYour description is great. Thanks for sharing!
Very cool! And very different looking. I have given up growing cucumbers because they do tend to be bitter and then I am always missing some under the leaves and they grow until they are inedible. We love to make fresh tomato and cucumber salad in the summer. Fortunately there is always the farmers' market.
ReplyDeleteI was not aware of this variety Alain so thank you for the education. I shall try them next year.
ReplyDeleteTerrific! We've heard of lemon cukes but never tried them. The varieties we have tried, even in our sunny community plot, produce very little. I'll show E.g. your post.
ReplyDeleteIn my native Australia, our most popular cucumber is the similarly shaped 'Crystal Apple'. I could not ever source seeds so I tried the lemon hoping it might be similar but I found it so bitter it headed for the trash. The apple has a sweet flavor and a skin so thin it only has to be scored with a fork not peeled.
ReplyDeleteAbout five years ago, I found seeds at Baker's Creek. If you think the Lemon has merit, you'll love 'Crystal Apple.
I don't think you got the same thing as for me they have never been bitter, on the contrary. They are quite mild. I will look for Crystal Apple out of curiosity. The varieties that do well in Australia, where you have so much heat, and in Canada, where we don't have much of it, might be different.
DeleteWhat does it taste like? I like the fact that it looks like a lemon but isn't. A bit of funny trickery. :o)
ReplyDeleteTo me they don't have a particular taste - just like regular cucumbers and they have never been bitter. Bitterness was bred out of cucumbers and zucchinis, but sometimes a rogue gene seem to come through. I remember one year growing a zucchini plant that produced extremely bitter fuits but all the other plants from the same package of seeds were fine.
DeleteI haven't heard of these either. I'll have to make a note for next year. They look like a handy size, what can be eaten at a meal. Thanks.
ReplyDelete