Yellow Cucumber Information

Yellow cucumber is a cucumber that typically has yellow or orange looking skin which is radically different from regular green cucumbers. More than anything else, yellow cucumbers are due to overly delayed harvesting of green cucumbers leading to the obvious change in pigmentation. Other frequently cited causes such as diseases, and rain may indirectly lead to yellowing of cucumber but are hardly the main cause in themselves. Also to remember is that there are some naturally yellow cucumber cultivars which produce after themselves when planted.

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What are Yellow Cucumbers

Yellow cucumbers are cucumbers that have yellow skin. They are also likely to be oversized in comparison to surrounding green ones. The yellow pigment in yellow cucumber tends to cover the entire fruit although it can also be in patches or stripes. Most common cases of yellow cucumbers are fruits that were once green which begin to change to yellow or orange-like color whilst still on the vine. Some yellow cucumbers do not shift in color at all but are inherently yellow as faithful progenies of their respective parent varieties.

Cucumbers that have turned yellow can still be edible, for the most part, although some can become thick skinned and bitter. In many cases they taste the same as regular green ones. What is required is to cut and dispose of the sections at the beginning and end of the cucumber, which tend to be bitter. As a matter of fact, this is also the case even with green healthy regular cucumbers; they also can be bitter. Overall, once a cucumber turns yellow it can not recover its green pigmentation as this is a one way biological and chemical process.

Nonetheless, by definition, the cucumber is a vine plant botanically known as Cucumis sativus belonging to the Cucurbitaceae, gourd family. Family membership is extensive indeed and includes gourds, melons, squashes, pumpkins and more. In addition, there are different varieties of cucumbers, most of which have the common cylindrical shape most consumers of the vegetable are well accustomed to.

Colorado State University School of Public Health identifies four cucumber cultivars namely burpless, slicing, pickling and greenhouse. These different cucumbers can turn yellow under the right conditions. In many cases regular slicing and pickling green cucumber types are the ones that mostly turn yellow especially when grown by home gardeners. This write-up will thus discuss potential causes of yellowing in cucumbers in detail.

Common Yellow Cucumber Causes

The following are some often mentioned causes of yellowing in cucumber fruit. Not all supposed causes are factually correct. We shall discuss each one of them.

Over Ripening

Barring cultivation of inherently yellow cultivars (which we discuss later), the main and nearly sole reason why most home gardeners end up with yellow cucumbers is delayed harvesting. According to the University of Georgia Extension, most cucumbers mature at between 50 and 70 days and for best taste and quality, cucumbers must be picked when immature.

Many first time gardeners, who may be inexperienced, tend to leave cucumbers on the vine for too long. This results in the fruit turning yellow. Furthermore, some growers are taken aback to find cucumbers yellow after forgetting to harvest at the intended time. The basic principle is that cucumber plants produce fruit in order to propagate themselves (just like lettuce, broccoli and many others). Once a certain size of the fruit is reached, the plant’s biological and chemical mechanism triggers the cucumber fruit to go to seed.

The once chlorophyll rich, green fruit changes to yellow or orange color. Inside such cucumbers are mature seeds. At the same time, the cucumber plant will stop producing further fruit. This is one of the reasons continuous picking of cucumbers is strongly suggested. Not only does timely and continuous harvesting stop yellowing of the cucumbers, it also encourages continued plant production of cucumber fruit.

All things considered, the unintended yellowing in cucumbers is always an ominous sign that the cucumber has overstayed on the vine.

Poor Pollination

According to the Family Plot, problems with pollination have also been associated with yellowing in cucumbers. Some cucumbers that fail to get adequate pollination may turn yellow. However, in our view, this pollination related problem seems to prevent the cucumbers from turning green in the first place. This is to say, the cucumber grows but remains a pale green color. Although this explains yellowing problems in some cucumbers, it does not convincingly address yellowing that occurs on regular looking green cucumbers which later become yellow, the real problem faced by many gardeners who complain about yellowing.

Too Much Watering

Yet, some home gardeners have attributed yellow cucumber to over or under watering and even excessive rains as suggested here (video). While these can bring problems to cucumbers such as mildew and wilting, there is no demonstrable evidence to support this as the effective cause of yellowing in cucumbers.

It is conceivable that days of continuous rain prevent picking of fruit leading to a late harvest induced yellowing rather than too much rain in of itself. Cucumbers tend to grow fast. A few days of delayed harvesting due to rains, for example, are enough for the fruit to go to seed as indicated by the dreaded yellowing. According to one source, cucumbers can grow from 2 inches to 12 inches ( 5cm to 30cm) in just a day or two. Overall, as much as too much watering is blamed often, it may be a shaky reason to attribute it to yellow cucumber.

Yellow Cucumber Varieties

For the fullness of knowledge, not all yellow cucumbers are a result of delayed harvest. In the world of cucumbers, there are certain cucumber cultivars, some of which are exotic to the United States, which produce brown, yellow or orange-looking fruit. Thus, in some cases, cucumbers with yellow fruit may simply be a result of seed that has been mixed with some non-native varieties, for example. This is especially possible when dealing with heirloom cultivars.

Chinese Yellow Cucumber

The Chinese yellow cucumber is an heirloom exotic cucumber with roots in China. This cucumber variety could easily be confused for a yellowing problem. It starts off green as a regular cucumber prior to turning yellow then takes on a leathery texture before finally maturing with an orangey-brown color. It is known to be a very productive variety producing many fruits on a single plant. The fruit from this cucumber plant is perfectly edible and used in Chinese soups in homes and restaurants. Online sellers such as Plant World Seed in the UK stock the seed variety.

Poona Kheera Yellow Cucumber

The Poona Kheera yellow looking cucumber is native to India although its seeds are available in the U.S. through seed sellers such as Baker Creek. Well known for its potato-shape, this cucumber is yet another example of a legitimate yellow cucumber that yellows not because of late harvest but due to its variety. The cucumber is applied in salads, juiced or simply snacked upon with a salt and pepper sprinkle. When overly ripened, the cucumbers maintain their sweetness and do not turn bitter.

Lemon Cuke Yellow Cucumber

Yet another yellow pigmented cucumber on account of cultivar is the Lemon cucumber. This is also an heirloom cucumber variety. Although likened to the lemon due to its size, its color is yellow with streaks of darker yellow in parts. Its taste is sweet and nowhere near the lemon. The lemon name is only about its size and shape which resembles a lemon. This cucumber, however, breaks away in appearance from the regular cylindrical shape associated with the green cucumber. This cucumber variety should not be expected to turn out green. It is a yellow cucumber by variety.

What to Do with Yellow Cucumbers

Yellow cucumber brought about by delayed harvesting is edible in many cases. However, some gardeners complain of bitter yellow cucumbers. This may not necessarily be due to yellowing but the state of the plant itself, in general.

According to the Consumer Horticulture Program at Purdue University, Indiana, the compound cucurbitacin is responsible for bitterness in cucumbers. Cucurbitacin is more pronounced when the plant is under stress from low moisture, high temperatures or poor nutrition. In addition, Oregon State University Extension notes that the levels of cucurbitacin vary from one cucumber to the next. It can be a lottery. Furthermore, as earlier mentioned, removing slices from the beginning and end of the cucumber before consumption often eliminates the bitterness.

One of the most common culinary uses of yellow cucumber is making yellow cucumber pickles and cucumber curry. Below is a list of some scrumptious recipes that utilize over ripened cucumbers.

Yellow Cucumber Recipes

Yellow Cucumber Curry Recipe – this scrumptious looking recipe imitates a Zucchini curry. The recipe calls for 2.5 cups of chopped cucumber. Also included in the ingredients list are tomatoes, onions, green chili and curry leaves among other items. The seeds in the cucumber are first removed before the cucumbers are chopped. Bitter cucumbers should not be considered for this recipe. View Recipe.

Overripe Cucumber Relish Recipe – this easy to follow, easy to make recipe is designed to utilize those yellow cucumbers in your garden. The ripened cucumbers can be used with skin peeled or unpeeled although the recipe recommends peeling due to the possibility of thick and old skins. The recipe involves leaving the ingredients sitting overnight. When finally done the relish is canned in glass jars. View Recipe.

Overripe Pickled Yellow Cucumber Recipe – this is a refreshingly different Danish recipe that utilizes overripe cucumbers. The cucumbers are first peeled to remove the skin. The peeled cucumbers have all the seeds and core removed forming a canoe shape. Only the flesh is left. A sweet and sour pickling liquid is separately prepared. After all the steps are completed, the pickled cucumbers are ready to eat in 2 weeks. View Recipe.

Yellow Cucumber Pachadi Recipe – finally, if you enjoy trying out new recipes, even exotic types, this is a south India recipe that makes use of those overripe cucumbers. The recipe produces a spicy and tangy dish which can be served as an accompaniment for rice. The cucumbers are deseeded first before use. Other ingredients will include Masoor Dal (red lentils), and Asafoetida among others.
View Recipe.

There are a few other non-culinary applications of yellow cucumber that we discuss below.

Seed Saving

Even if some yellow cucumbers are used in recipes as suggested above, there will be more than enough left. One other important use of yellow cucumbers is seed saving. As earlier stated, when cucumbers turn yellow this means they have mature seeds. When cut open, the seeds are usually big and mature which makes yellow cucumbers perfect for seed saving.

Seed saving is the practice of collecting seeds from fruits and vegetables for propagation at a later stage. If new to saving seed or wanting to brush-up on existing skills, Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) provides an excellent starting point. Before collecting seeds from your yellow cucumbers, ensure that they are heirloom or open-pollinated seeds vs hybrid seeds as per advice from the University of Minnesota Extension.

How to Save Yellow Cucumber Seed

To save viable yellow cucumber seed, the cucumber is left to go as long as possible on the vine. The following are some steps to take once an overripe cucumber has been harvested.

Cut the cucumber open in half.
Scoop out the seeds out of the cut pieces, leaving as much as possible of the core flesh behind.
The scooped seeds will have a slippery gel around them. This is removed by fermenting the seeds (could be done by hand but is laborious).
Take a container and gather all the scooped out seeds in the container.
Add water to the container with the seeds and let them sit for a day or two.
After a few days, the water would have fermented off the gel around the seeds.
Drain the water away using a sieve leaving the seeds behind.
Give the sieved seeds a rinse in clean water.
Spread them on a piece of paper and leave them to dry.
After some six days the seeds would be completely dry.
Store away for next season planting.

Yellow Cucumbers as Animal Feed

Yellow cucumbers can also be used as animal feed. In particular, backyard chickens enjoy feeding on cucumbers. According to PetKeen, at 95% water, cucumbers help chickens remain hydrated during hot weather without causing any harm to their digestive systems. Other domestic animals that can safely enjoy cucumbers are ducks, birds, guinea pigs and dogs.

Composting Yellow Cucumbers

Perhaps the very final place for the yellow cucumber to end up after all applications discussed is the compost. According to one source, the high water content in cucumber facilitates speedy decomposition of composted cucumbers. In addition, the compost hip collapses equally fast as the water drains out of the cucumber. For best composting outcome, the discarded cucumbers can be mixed with other compost suitable dry matter such as dried leaves and grass.

Conclusion

Yellow cucumber is a legitimate member of the Cucumis sativus species. The main cause of yellow cucumbers is late harvesting. This yellowing is a natural flow of events as cucumbers must naturally go to seed once they have reached a certain size. Other often mentioned causes of yellowing in cucumbers are not direct causes but potential indirect causes of yellow cucumber. Furthermore, it must be kept in mind that there are cucumber varieties that naturally turn yellow in keeping with their cultivar. Finally, there is always something to do with yellow cucumber from scrumptious recipes, animal feed to compositing.

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Main Image Credit: Sleepless In The Carolinas