Vitamins: Cucumbers

by Cheryl Harewood

Cucumbers

Cucumber is a crop that is easy to grow and maintain. These plants love sun and water so they flourish in our region. Cucumbers grow on a creeping vine. It is a member of the gourd family that bears fruit, which are used as vegetables.

Scientific Classification

Cucumus sativus

Age of Maturity

50 to 70 days. They could take as short as six weeks when grown in warm climates like the tropics.

Origin

The cucumber originated from South Asia but now grows in many parts of the world.

Types

Cucumber plants grow in two ways - as vining cucumbers and bush cucumbers.

• Vining cucumbers are prolific and produce a harvest in quick time. They have large leaves and grow on robust vines. These vines may get out of control so it is best to place them on a trellis or fence. When the vines are kept away from the ground, the cucumbers will be cleaner than those running along the ground.

• Bush cucumbers are plants with small vines. These may be planted in pots and are ideal for small gardens.

Uses

Cucumbers are commonly eaten in a pickled form, especially by persons in Barbados who enjoy the country’s pudding and souse dish. They are also often used as a stand-alone pickle or are sliced and presented as a side or vegetable dish.

How Cucumbers Grow

Cucumber is an easy-to-grow crop that grows well in our warm Caribbean soil. When choosing a planting site for cucumbers, select an area in full sun. Cucumbers also need fertile soil. The soil should be seven to eight inches deep, and it must be moist and well drained, not soggy and compacted. This may be a mixture of compost or peat.

Planting

Here are some points to consider when planting vine cucumbers:

• Create 12-inch mounds, two to three feet apart. This keeps the soil well drained.

• Plant two or three seeds at a depth of one to two inches in each mound.

• After planting, mulch the area with dry grass or wood chips.

• Set up a trellis if you have limited space and want to keep the fruit away from the moist ground. This protects it from damage. Ensure that you erect the structure as soon as the plants emerge. That way you can avoid damaging the vines.

• Make successive plantings every two weeks for continual harvests.

• Vine cucumbers can also be grown in pots vertically. It would be best to put large enough holes in the bottom of the pots for drainage so the roots. This ensures that the roots can enter the earth below.

Maintaining

• Water consistently – at least one inch of water (0.5 imperial gallons) per week per square foot of crop. Water more, if temperatures are extra high.

• When watering, use a soaker hose or drip irrigation to avoid wetting the leaves. Keeping the foliage dry will prevent leaf diseases.

• As the seedlings appear, water more frequently until the fruit forms.

• Young plants will need to be separated when they reach four inches in height.

• When the fruit forms, give each plant one gallon of water per week.

Harvesting

• Do not allow cucumbers to get too large. Large ones taste bitter.

• Cucumbers left on the vine too long will develop tough skins and hard seeds.

• Keep picking the fruit as long as it bears. If you don’t, the plant will stop producing.

• Use a knife or clippers to cut the stem at a point that is above the fruit. Do not pull the fruit from the vine. This could cause damage.

• Check for mature cucumbers every two days in peak harvesting time.

Cucumbers are simple and easy to cultivate. It is the ‘must-have’ crop for every kitchen garden.

CUCUMBERS: NUTRITIONAL FACTS

Vitamins are one of the main nutrients found in cucumbers. Vitamin C helps prevent diseases and protects and repairs the body; while vitamin K builds strong bones and allows the blood to move through veins without clotting.

Vitamin Content

One 11-ounce cucumber (average size) with peel contains:

Vitamin C........................14% of the RDI

Vitamin K........................62% of the RDI

(Recommended Dietary Intake or RDI)

Taken from Healthline.com.

Healthline.com is dedicated to making health and wellness information accessible, understandable and actionable, so that readers can make the best possible decisions about their health.

Water

Cucumbers contains over 90% water. Including them in our diet is a perfect way to hydrate.

Antioxidants

When we eat cucumbers with the peel and seeds, we get significant amounts of antioxidants and fibre. Antioxidants help with immunity and cancer prevention, and fibre assists with digestion.

Cucumbers are also anti-inflammatory. Research has shown that chronic inflammation is connected to heart problems, high blood sugar, cancer, muscle and joint disease, and bowel conditions.

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT CUCUMBERS

1. Cucumbers are fruit because gourds are considered fruit. Fruit have at least one seed.

2. There are three main types of cucumbers – slicing, pickling and burpless.

3. Burpless cucumbers have thin skin and few seeds.

4. Cucumbers are difficult to store due to their high water content.

5. They can last up to a week in the crisper drawer in the refrigerator.

Plant a Complete Diet Protein: EGGS

by Camille Alleyne

If you were asked, “What are the world’s most popular foods?” chances are your list would include eggs … specifically, chicken eggs! Did you know that 25.9 billion chickens were reared in 2019, worldwide, for meat and eggs, according to Statista Research & Analysis? If you want to experience collecting warm eggs from your backyard farm, and savour a fresh meal made with this home-grown ingredient, let us help you get your henhouse up and running. It would help if you have an experienced chicken farmer on hand to further guide you.

DO YOU WANT TO RAISE CHICKENS?

Before you begin, it is best to count the cost of raising chickens. Take the time to weigh the advantages and disadvantages to see if raising chickens is for you.

ADVANTAGES

• Chickens provide you with a nutritious food source. A hen can lay one to two eggs every two days. • Fresh eggs contain more nutrients than stored eggs. • Waste, such as egg shells and bird droppings, can be used as compost. • Free-range or pasture-fed chickens will help rid your garden of pests like flies, grasshoppers, termites, centipedes, snails, slugs, worms, caterpillars, ants and moths. • The chickens’ diet will be supplemented by grass, wild plants and insects found in your yard.

DISADVANTAGES

• Consider if you have enough time to care for your flock.

Improper care can lead to illness, low egg yield, feather picking and deformed eggs. • Extra care would be needed if your chickens get sick and injured. An epidemic can easily spread through the flock.

Observe your birds, do research but have an expert on hand to offer advice and assistance when necessary. • When you go on vacation you will need to find a reliable, competent caregiver for your chickens. This is sometimes quite difficult to do. • Chicken excrement can attract flies and emit an offensive odour, so consistent cleaning is important. Covering their droppings with straw is not enough to maintain clean surroundings. Spot cleaning is

best and you will need to find a good fly trap to reduce flies. • The idea of free-range chickens is wonderful but not always possible. If you have close neighbours, it could be problematic. Your freely roaming fowls may be unwelcomed. • Your dogs may be another issue.

Many chickens have succumbed to the attacks of householders’ dogs. • Feathered friends adore greens and flowers, so if you are not careful, there goes your treasured plants and backyard farm. • Oh, by the way, they will also eat your garden-friendly earthworms! • On a lighter note, you may inadvertently acquire a disturbing alarm clock. Yes, you may just get a rooster when you purchase your set of hens! It is difficult to tell the gender of chickens 100% of the time.

Purchase the Chicks

Purchase your chicks from your local hatchery and keep them safe by placing them in a box or basin. Avoid using newspaper as it is not as absorbant as it seems and it can become slippery. Some recommend wood shavings while others say the baby chicks may try to eat the wood shavings. It is suggested that straw is best (not hay). Layers generally start to produce eggs between 17 and 26 weeks. They continue for approximately two years before the number of eggs decline. On average, you can

expect two eggs every three days from each chicken. Twelve hours or more of sunlight can allow hens to lay up to two times in a day, since daylight stimulates laying.

Get your Supplies

You will need feed and water containers, straw, and a safe area for your chickens. Note that chickens need different supplies for the different stages of development. Ask a professional to guide you.

Acquire or Build a Coop

A coop provides shelter, safety and an area for the birds to sleep and lay eggs.

HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR BIRDS

It should take only about 20 minutes, twice a day, to care for your hens once you get used to it. The schedule can be somewhat like this:

WATER

Keep the chickens’ water clean. Place water at the chickens’ shoulder level to reduce the possibility of debris landing in the container. It is better to keep their water container centralised – between the coop and the run is perfect – so that chickens have constant and easy access. Position other containers around the yard. This reduces the extent to which each container can get dirty.

FEED AND CLEAN

In the mornings, let the chickens out of the coup and into the run area while you feed, water and clean. Cleaning entails the removal of droppings and wet, soiled bedding, before laying down fresh bedding in those areas. Droppings should be disposed far away from the coop or placed into a compost. Check for and remove eggs immediately to avoid them being damaged and to prevent droppings getting onto the eggs. In the evening, do another quick spot clean before shutting the chickens back into the coop.

Once a week, remove all bedding, and give the coop a thorough clean. Use water from a hose to spray down the area. Allow it to air dry. At the end of the day, replace the straw.

MAKE IT FUN FOR THE FAMILY!

Raising chickens for eggs can be fun. If you have children, even young children, get them involved in your backyard chicken farm. It teaches responsibility, encourages food production, and is an activity the whole family can enjoy together.

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT

Egg is a significant source of protein, as seen in the chart below.

Egg nutrition information Protein (g)

Per Small Egg (48 grams) .............................. 5.2 Per Medium Size Egg (58 grams) ............... 6.4 Per Large Egg (68 grams).............................. 7.5 Per Very Large Egg (78 grams).................... 8.7 Per 100 gram.................................................... 12.6

Taken from the article: Egg Nutrition Information, egginfo.co.uk by British Lion eggs.

DEFINITIONS

Certain terms are found on egg cartons.

These terms are used in chicken farming to give consumers information about the kinds of eggs they buy. Here are some helpful definitions:

Cage-Free Hens (Free-Roaming):

Allowed to roam in a room or open area, which is usually a barn or poultry house, while having unlimited access to food and water.

Free-Range Hens (Pasture-Fed):

Allowed unlimited access to the outdoors, where they find food (wild plants and insects) while still having unlimited access to their own food and water.

Coop:

A cage where small animals and birds are kept. The coop is the indoor space where they go to sleep on their roost, and lay eggs in their nest boxes.

Henhouse:

A small house or hutch for hens.

Chicken Run (Run Area):

An enclosed outdoor area for chickens to get some sun and exercise. It is a place for them to sun or dust bathe, forage in grass, and scratch in dirt.

Roost:

A perch upon which the birds rest and sleep.

Nesting Box:

A cosy cubicle in which hens lay their eggs.

Here in the Caribbean, one hen can lay up to two times a day, due to the fact that 12 hours or more of sunlight stimulates laying.

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