Galaxy has worked in commercial catering for over 30 years and is a committed vegetarian. She is also a qualified nutritionist.
Cucumbers Look Good and do you Good.
Health Benefits of Pickled Cucumber.
Cucumbers belong to the same family as pumpkin, squash and watermelon. As with watermelons, cucumbers are almost entirely water, at least 95 percent. This high water content makes them an excellent source of hydration.
Pickling is one of the oldest methods of preserving food, the process has been traced back at least five thousand years and is thought to have originated in India.
Cucumbers contain high levels of vitamin C, B1 and K and minerals Potassium, Manganese and Magnesium.
Pickled cucumber is an excellent source of antioxidants. It is much healthier to store the cucumber freshly picked as any cooking would destroy antioxidants present in the fruit. Antioxidants are important to health as they help to fight free radical damage in the body. Free radicals are chemicals produced by cellular metabolism that react with cells, damaging our DNA. This process creates even more free radicals, eating pickled cucumber can help protect us from this damage.
Many recent medical studies have shown that the consumption of pickled foods can improve the haemoglobin levels in patients suffering from diabetes. It is believed to be the high levels of acetic acid found in vinegar that is responsible for these improvements.
Pickled cucumbers, in fact, all forms of cucumber, contain a flavonol called Fisetin. Fisetin is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent that has been linked to improvements in brain health and memory. It is thought to help protect the brain from age-related degeneration of nerve cells. Fisetin has even been shown to help slow the progressive memory loss associated with Alzheimer's Dementia.
Possible Cancer Reduction Risk.
Cucumber contains a variety of polyphenols called lignans. These lignans may help to protect the body against certain types of cancer. They might be able to lower your risk of developing uterine, ovarian, breast and prostate cancer. Medical research is ongoing but the early results do look promising. Eating more fruit and vegetables is never going to be a bad thing.
Cucumbers have a cooling and calming effect on the body. Phytonutrients found in cucumbers are excellent for fighting inflammation and preventing an inflammatory response in the body. This makes cucumbers a wonderful food for people suffering from inflammatory diseases such as Rheumatoid Arthritis.
Cucumbers contain B vitamins which in turn can help to balance the bodies hormone levels. The hormone Cortisol is released by the body as a direct response to stress, consuming cucumber can give the body a boost of vitamin B5, which in turn can help to balance adrenal gland secretions of cortisol and lower stress levels and anxiety.
Cucumbers are high in fibre yet very low in calories, eating pickled cucumbers can help make you feel full and as the fibre in them breaks down into a thick gel-like substance that slows down digestion that full feeling lasts a long time. So they are an excellent food choice if you are trying to watch your weight.
Health Benefits of Pickled Cucumber
Vitamins C and K
Please take the time to answer this simple poll.
A Great Tasting Pickled Cucumber Recipe.
Cucumber pickle is a wonderful store cupboard standby, it goes great with cheese, cold meats or pies. This cucumber relish recipe is quick and easy to make and vegetarian and vegan-friendly but it is essential to soak the diced cucumber overnight or for at least twelve hours. If you don’t soak it the relish with be far too runny and it can have a bitter taste.
I have made this relish using small marrows instead of the cucumber and it also works well, if you are using marrow then you will need to deseed and peel them before cutting into dice. I add a teaspoonful of a mild curry powder to the relish when I use marrow as I think the flavours blend really well.
If you dress up the jars you put this cucumber relish into then they make great little presents to give to people. In my experience, people love getting something homemade, a present that someone has spent time and effort making is always welcome. The ingredients given here will make around 3 ½ pounds of cucumber relish which should be enough to fill about six medium jars.
I hope that you enjoy making and eating this great vegetarian/ vegan cucumber relish as much as I do.
|Prep time||Cook time||Ready in||Yields|
Makes around six medium jars.
- 4 large cucumbers, diced
- 2 red peppers, de-seeded and diced
- 1 green pepper, de-seeded and diced
- 6 large white onions, diced
- 4 sticks celery, chopped
- small handfull salt, will be washed off.
- 12 0z sugar
- 16 floz white wine vinegar
- 2 tbls wholegrain mustard
- pinch ground black pepper
- Start preparing this dish the night before you are going to make the relish. In a large mixing bowl spread out the diced cucumber and sprinkle with the salt. Cover with a lid or some cling film and set aside overnight. In the morning drain off the water that will have been released from the cucumbers overnight. Rinse the diced cucumber well with cold water to remove any excess salt drain and put the cucumber into a large heavy-based saucepan. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir well.
- Bring this mixture to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer the relish for about thirty minutes. The relish will thicken quite a bit if it seems to be getting too thick simply add a splash of white wine to loosen it a little. Remove from the heat and allow the relish to cool before pouring into sterilized jars. This cucumber relish will keep for several weeks in a cool place.
- To sterilize the jars either put them through a cycle in the dishwasher or boil them in a large saucepan, or you can wash them out and then put them into a hot oven for twenty minutes. Make sure that the jars you use are really dry before you start filling them with your relish. Fill the jars right to the top so that most, if not all, of the air has been eliminated.
© 2010 Galaxy Harvey