You have been growing cucumbers and you finally harvest a few. Then you slice one up, stick it in your mouth and quickly spit it out due to the bitter taste. I have done it and it made me mad. So what to do about it? Let me see if I can help.

First, why is it bitter? The bitter taste comes from a compound called cucurbitacin. This is found in the plant leaves, roots, and to some degree the fruit. It is also in the peel. Therefore, to minimize spreading it all over the fruit part of the vegetable when you cut it. Make sure to wash you knife or peeler each time you make a pass at peeling and also start from the blossom end of the fruit and peel toward the stem. While this system may help, I have found that I still end up throwing away the cucumber because even a little bit is too much.

So here are some other considerations.

Make sure the plant is healthy and evenly watered. The sure way to a bitter cucumber is a stressed plant. I always use a mulch with my cucumbers and I would recommend this to help keep the plant drought resistant. Other simple practices such as proper fertilization and pest control are also essential.

Another possibility of growing bitter free cucumbers is to buy a burpless variety. Now keep in mind that many seed companies will use the term burpless, but that may just be more of a marketing term than actually being bitter-free. However, it has been my experience that burpless varieties have a less chance of being bitter than normal (non-burpless) varieties.

Don’t try and pickle a bitter cucumber since it will be bitter as a pickle too.

Hope that helps.

Popularity: 25% [?]