sources at bottom of page
Nutrition
Cucumbers are 96% water content with low calories and high nutrition including potassium, beta carotene, vitamin K and beneficial plant compounds. Cucumbers are also a rich source of niacin, vitamin C, thiamine, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and fiber.
A lot of the cucumber nutrition is in the peel.
Where are Cucumbers Grown
In Season
Cucumbers are available year round. Peak cucumber season is May-August
Economic Impact
In 2018, cucumber production globally was 83,753,861 metric tonnes grown on approximately 2.2 million hectares.
The global cucumber market was forecast to grow to USD 1.07 bn during 2020-2024
Cucumber production has steadily declined in the US over the last 20years. There was an estimated 5.03 million cwt produced in 2017.
Environmental Impact
Cucumber production was found to have a reduced environmental impact due to more efficient energy usage, improved irrigation, increased planting density, and other farming practices that have led to higher yields per acre. Soil quality can be maintained by using techniques such as no-till farming
Social Impact
Increasing urbanization and food security issues have put billions of people around the world at risk of malnutrition.
Cucumbers are a potential crop that is fairly easy to grow that can provide nutrients to improve health equity with minimal environmental impact.
Food Safety
Cucumbers grown on large-scale commercial farms that use pesticides have found to still contain slight traces of toxic residue. Food safety precautions should be used throughout the supply chain. Cucumbers should be thoroughly rinsed before being eaten.
SOURCES
Nutrition
https://www.britannica.com/plant/cucumber
https://www.livescience.com/51000-cucumber-nutrition.html#:~:text=There%20are%20just%2016%20calories,vitamin%20A%2C%22%20Ware%20said.
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/7-health-benefits-of-cucumber#section1
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/283006#benefits-
Nutrition
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5084017/
Protein and Fat
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2440/2
Fiber
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25623312/
Antioxidants
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ars.2012.4901
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26193861/
Anti-inflammatory
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00394-018-1792-0
https://web.extension.illinois.edu/veggies/cucumber.cfm
Heart
https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Folate-HealthProfessional/
https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/whole-grains-refined-grains-and-dietary-fiber
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/changes-you-can-make-to-manage-high-blood-pressure/how-potassium-can-help-control-high-blood-pressure#.WeoQihNSz_R
Brain
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5726210/
Weightloss
https://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2439/2
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4848697/
Immune system
https://www.verywellfit.com/cucumber-nutrition-facts-calories-and-health-benefits-4118563
Cancer
https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/ars.2012.4901
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3612419/
https://bmccomplementmedtherapies.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12906-018-2295-5
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4916550/
Digestion
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14681719/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25623312/
Diabetes
https://www.diabetes.org/nutrition/healthy-food-choices-made-easy/non-starchy-vegetables
https://www.nwac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/2012-Diabetes-Glycemic-Index-Fact-Sheet.pdf
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8569244/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20614191/
Where Grown
Historically
https://newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/170033
http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=LatinAugust2012&getid=1&query=Plin.%20Nat.%2019.23
World
https://www.atlasbig.com/en-us/countries-cucumber-production
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-world-leaders-in-cucumber-production.html
In the US
http://www.wifss.ucdavis.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/FDA_WIFSS_-Cucumbers_PDF.pdf
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Todays_Reports/reports/vegean17.pdf
https://www.statista.com/statistics/192955/us-cucumber-production-for-fresh-market-since-2000/
Season
https://www.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/in-season/2010/06/in-season-cucumbers#:~:text=Although%20you%20can%20find%20cucumbers,is%20from%20May%20through%20August.&text=Each%20medium%20cucumber%20contains%2096%20percent%20water%20and%20around%2040%20calories.
Economic Impact
https://www.statista.com/statistics/192955/us-cucumber-production-for-fresh-market-since-2000/
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200302005731/en/Cucumber-Gherkins-Market-2020-2024-Growth-Global-Online
https://www.tridge.com/guides/cucumber#:~:text=Many%20different%20types%20of%20cucumber,tonnes%20from%202.2%20million%20hectares.
https://extension.psu.edu/cucumber-production
Environmental Impact
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1658077X17301303
https://ausveg.com.au/infoveg/infoveg-search/environmental-effects-on-greenhouse-cucumber-production/
https://ideas.repec.org/a/arp/jacarp/2018p16-28.html
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40093-018-0222-x
Pesticides
https://ipmdata.ipmcenters.org/documents/cropprofiles/FLcucumber2003.pdf
https://www.jstor.org/stable/43228861
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5182257/
Social Impact
https://healabel.com/c-ingredients/cucumbers
http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/FCIT/FoodAgriCities_Oct2011
Food Safety
https://web.extension.illinois.edu/veggies/cucumber.cfm