Fresh At The Farmers' Market: Cool Cucumbers

This week's featured product at the farmers' market is keeping it cool even in a heat wave. The cucumber, known officially as Cucumis sativus, is made up of more than 90 percent water and can stay up to 20 degrees cooler than the environmental temperature. 

According to the Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association, the cucumber is not technically a vegetable but actually fruit in the gourd family and in the same genus as the muskmelon. Cucumbers are eaten like vegetables, though, either raw, cooked, or made into pickled cucumbers. They go well with tomatoes (another faux vegetable), onions, lettuces, and cheeses, as often found in Mediterranean cuisines.

Cucumbers are cultivated worldwide, with China being the top producer followed by Iran, Turkey, Russia and the United States. Common market varieties include English, Armenian, Japanese, Lemon, and pickling — and each has its own distinct flavor and properties. The season for cucumbers at the farmers' market is typically from May through October.

Find cucumber recipes like Chilled Cucumber Soup with Smoked Salmon on the PCFMA website.

Concord and Clayton Farmers' Market Schedules

Location: Todos Santos Plaza
Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. year-round.
Thursday, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., April 25 to Oct. 24, 2013
Information: PCFMA.com

Location: Diablo Street, between Main and Center in Downtown Clayton
Saturday, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. May 11 to Oct. 26, 2013
Information: PCFMA.com

Location: Concord High School parking lot
Sunday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. year-round.
Information: CCFM.org

Do you have a cucumber recipe to share? Leave a comment below.