Last year I grew cucumbers successfully for the very first time. It wasn't intentional. I'd bought a courgette plant from Aldi on impulse, and when I got it home I noted in passing that it didn't actually have anything other than "plant" written on its label, but thought nothing more of it, as I stowed it cheerfully into a pandemic-friendly individual shopping basket that had turned out to be very much hand-unfriendly.
The courgette grew wonderfully, but was also a cucumber, and that was great, as I like cucumber very much. But the last of the cucumbers was not great. It was a little shrunken, and had that bitter tang, almost a touch soapy, that I associate with plants that I'd better not.
Cucurbitacins made the news last year, along with slightly sniggering headlines about "improperly grown zucchini" along with first hand accounts and tabloid exposés. Hair falling out and dying are mentioned, though most of those affected seem to have just had the dicky tummy warned about by the RHS.
I didn't eat the cuke, I tend not to eat things that seem a bit iffy, not since the incident with some red quinoa from a health food shop that hadn't been properly washed to remove the saponins. Bitter lemon yes - bitter cucumbers, no.
That said, I do rather fancy growing them again this year. They seemed to like the warmth of the patio and cheerfully tumbled leaves and tendrils all over the place. I would like some actual courgettes, though, too this time. Maybe I should try buying an Aldi cucumber plant - win either way.
I quite fancy a Golden Globe or similar. These look good.
No comments:
Post a Comment