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In warmer months, enjoy cucumber in your smoothies or gazpacho for a refreshing, cool flavor enhancement. In botanical terms, the cucumber is classified as a pepo, a type of botanical berry with a hard outer rind and no internal divisions. [30], In 1630, the Reverend Francis Higginson produced a book called New-Englands Plantation in which, describing a garden on Conant’s Island in Boston Harbor known as The Governor’s Garden, he states:[31], The countrie aboundeth naturally with store of roots of great varietie [sic] and good to eat. Newer gynoecious hybrid cultivars produce almost all female blossoms.

The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around supports with thin, spiraling tendrils.

Updates? We can all agree cucumbers are easy snacks, can promote hydration because of their high-water content and are a healthy option for our diets, providing us with fibre, vitamins and minerals. Though many people think of cucumbers as vegetables, the scientific definition indicates that they’re a type of fruit.

This article looks at the science. Who cares, though, when cucumbers taste as good as they do! In the United States, these are usually grown in greenhouses, where bees are excluded. Botanists have not applied these terms consistently. Otherwise, they’re better off maintaining their kitchen-appointed designation as a vegetable. They’re typically best suited for savory dishes like entrees, soups, and salads. Botanical vs culinary definition, So, why can we classify cucumbers in two different ways, when it confuses us all? Fruit and vegetables have many healthy qualities in common.

Common examples are strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, red currants, white currants and … They originated in various parts of Southeast Asia but are currently grown all over the world.

A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Who cares, though, when cucumbers taste as good as they do! Try adding cucumber to homemade face masks and hair treatments for added moisture and a fresh scent — or include it in your favorite homemade soaps, facial toners, and body mists. The flowers are unisexual, with male and female flowers on different plants (dioecious) or on the same plant (monoecious). Revisions to Roland Brown's North American Paleocene Flora by Steven R. Manchester at Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA. Figure 2. Accessed 11 February 2020. How long will the footprints on the moon last?