THE HISTORY OF CUCUMBERS. Cucumbers for Everything!

Greetings Family,

I haven't tried and tested all of the tips for using the cucumber.

As cool as a cucumber: It is said that cucumbers are cool to the touch, and I haven't really noticed this to be true. I shall pay closer attention to this on my next purchase. Also, at one time patients with fevers were advised to lie on cucumbers to help lower or break the fever. Here I go again with some more information about the cucumber - trusting the information is accurate because there are several naturalists/herbalists in this audience who lovingly correct me whenever I err.

THE HISTORY OF CUCUMBERS

Earliest cultivation: The cucumber is believed to be native to India, and evidence indicates that it has been cultivated in Western Asia for 3,000 years, and was probably introduced to other parts of Europe by the Romans. Records of cucumber cultivation appear in France in the 9th century, England in the 14th century, and in North America by the mid-16th century. The cucumber is also listed among the foods of ancient Ur and the legend of Gilgamesh describes people eating cucumbers. Some sources also state that it was produced in ancient Thrace, and it is certainly part of modern cuisine in Bulgaria and Turkey, parts of which make up that ancient state. From India, it spread to Greece (where it was called "vilwos") and Italy (where the Romans were especially fond of the crop), and later into China.

The fruit is mentioned in the Bible (Numbers 11:5) as having been freely available in Egypt, even to the enslaved Israelites: We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely/the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic.

The Israelites later came to cultivate the cucumber themselves, and Isaiah 1:8 briefly mentions the method of agriculture - The Daughter of Zion is left/like a shelter in a vineyard/like a hut in a field of melons/like a city under siege. The shelter was for the person who kept the birds away, and guarded the garden from robbers.

Roman Empire: The Roman Emperor Tiberius had the cucumber on his table daily during summer and winter. The Romans reportedly used artificial methods (similar to the greenhouse system) of growing to have it available for his table every day of the year. They would be wheeled out in carts to sit in the sun daily, then taken in to keep them warm, stored under frames or in cucumber houses glazed with oiled cloth known as "specularia".

Pliny the Elder describes the Italian fruit as very small, probably like a gherkin, describing it as a wild cucumber considerably smaller than the cultivated one. Pliny also describes the preparation of a medication known as "elaterium", though some scholars believe that he refers to Cucumis silvestris asininus, a species different from the common cucumber. Pliny also writes about several other varieties of cucumber, including the Cultivated Cucumber, and remedies from the different types (9 from the cultivated, 5 from the "anguine", and 26 from the "wild". The Romans are reported to have used cucumbers to treat scorpion bites, bad eyesight, and to scare away mice. Wives wishing for children wore them around their waists. They were also carried by the midwives, and thrown away when the child was born.

In the Middle Ages: Charlemagne had cucumbers grown in his gardens in 9th century France. They were reportedly introduced into England in the early 1300s, lost, then reintroduced approximately 250 years laters.

Christopher Columbus Brings Cucumbers to the New World: The Spaniards (in the person of Christopher Columbus) brought cucumbers to Haiti in 1494. In 1535, Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, found "very great cucumbers" grown on the site of what is now Montreal.

Bermuda: Cucumber or "Cucumis sativus" (date of importation of plant to Bermuda - 1610): According to the book entitled BERMUDA - Her Plants & Gardens - 1609-1850 by Jill Collett; page 60: One of the first vegetables to be planted here. To quote Silvester Jordan in 1613 (his account sent home from Bermuda to London) '.. sowed divers sortes of seeds to make trial of the ground ... sprung up the fourth day after their sowing and amongst the rest of the seeds, the cowcumber and the mellon were forward'; they were still growing in 1790.

Learning together, growing together, working together - power to US. Remember to support Black Afrikan-owned businesses and Black Afrikan-centered education.

Nana Peggy

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Now for the message - sent to me by a friend:

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin

B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.

2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B

Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.

3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the

fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.

4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all

season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive

garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.

5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers

along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten,

firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!

6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and

headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost,

keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!

7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by

European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.

8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly

cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.

9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the

squeak is gone!

10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot

of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a

soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.

11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your

mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth

responsible for causing bad breath.

12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you

want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm your

fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great

on crayons and markers that the children have used to decorate the walls!!

Feel free to share with others.

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THE HISTORY OF CUCUMBERS. Cucumbers for Everything!

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