My neighbor just visited and left us with a great big bag of fresh cucumbers. He didn’t realize how much each plant would produce and he planted way more than his family could possibly eat. So, we were the lucky recipients of the overflow.

I love cucumbers, especially mixed with some fresh tomato, vidalia onion and a little italian dressing. That’s just a perfect summer salad for me.

Anyway, I thought I’d do a little research into cucumbers and find out what they’re all about. Here’s what I found out:

• Cucumbers were first introduced into North America in the 16 century. It’s thought that they originated in India.
• Cucumbers belong to the squash family along with pumpkin, zucchini, yellow squash and watermelon.
• There are different varieties of cucumber with the most popular being English, Persian, and Pickling. (Persian is the variety usually offered in our grocery stores)
• Cucumber skin is usually waxed to seal in moisture.
• English cucumbers are sometimes known as “burpless” or seedless since their seeds are very small and don’t need to be removed.
• The best cucumbers are firm and have a rich green color with no soft spots.
• Cucumbers should be stored in the refrigerator and keep well for up to a week. Unwaxed cucumbers will store longer if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.