Orange Cucumber

Jul 9th, 2011, by Alex Zorach

This photograph shows an orange cucumber which was for sale at the Clark Park Farmer's Market in West Philadelphia. This was one of many interesting varieties of cucumbers that had been grown at the Pennypack Farm in Horsham, PA; all were organically grown. For comparison, a white cucumber is shown above, a lemon cucumber to the left, and "normal" green cucumbers below this one.

The orange cucumber is one of the many fascinating varieties of cucumber which are not widely available at supermarkets. This was the orangest-colored cucumber of the batch, and the orange color was subtle. However, unlike the yellow and green cucumbers which become very pale in the interior flesh, the orange color on these cucumbers extends into the flesh of these cucumbers. This is not the orangest orange cucumber out there--if you search online you can find a number of more boldly colored ones.

This variety, owing to its thicker size, can be on the seedy side, but it is worth tolerating the seeds for reasons discussed below.

The orange color may seem a bit strange or unnatural, but if you think about how closely related cucumbers are to melons like canteloupe, and squash like pumpkins, its orange color makes more sense. Since the orange color in these vegetables and fruits comes from beta carotene, a form of Vitamin A, these orange cucumbers are a good source of vitamin A, whereas the more familiar green varieties are not. We are missing out on important nutritional value by limiting ourselves to standardized varieties of fruits and vegetables.