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Why Are My Cucumbers Bumpy – The Odd Texture Explained

When you go to pick your cucumbers, you might be surprised to see that your cucumbers are bumpy or prickly. You’re shocked and don’t know what to do! You might wonder, out loud, why are my cucumbers bumpy?

Cucumbers of specific varieties tend to be bumpier than others. Younger cucumbers tend to be bumpy compared to older ones. Lack of water or age can also cause your cucumbers to be bumpy regardless of their type.

Bumpy cucumbers aren’t always a reason to toss out your cucumbers. It’s perfectly natural for some cucumbers to be bumpy! Read through this article to learn why your cucumbers are bumpy.

5 Reasons Why Your Cucumbers Are Bumpy

Cucumbers are bumpy for several reasons. 

Here we’ll cover the top five reasons why your cucumbers are bumpy.

Your Cucumbers Don’t Have Enough Water

Dehydrated cucumbers will have more bumps than well-hydrated cucumbers.

While your cucumbers are still growing on the vine, you can increase or decrease the amount of water that you are giving your cucumbers.

If you see that there are bumps over your cucumbers, try giving your cucumbers a little more water. Don’t overwater your cucumbers, though! You can end up choking them.

Your Cucumbers Are Still Young

Young cucumbers aren’t big enough to “swallow” up the bumps.

Cucumbers are bumpy when they’re young, but they don’t need to stay like that. 

As your cucumbers continue to grow, your cucumbers will plump up more, filling in the once bumpy sections.

Let your cucumbers continue to grow, and watch the bumps in your cucumbers start to disappear.

Your Cucumber Is Old

Conversely, old cucumbers can also be more bumpy than your average cucumber.

After your cucumbers are picked, they will get old and dried out. This also has to do with a lack of moisture in the cucumbers. 

Your cucumbers will have bumps start to appear again, just like when your cucumber was young and still on the vine!

As long as your cucumbers do not have a rancid smell or taste, you can still eat your cucumbers.

You Have A Bumpy Variety Of Cucumber

If you’re not a seasoned gardener, you may not know that there are different varieties of cucumbers!

You may pull whatever cucumber you want off the shelf at the beginning of the planting season. Your cucumbers may not look the way you assumed because the variety leads to a more prickly cucumber than other varieties.

In this case, there’s nothing wrong with your cucumbers! They look a little different than expected.

Your Cucumber Is Just Irregular 

Every cucumber you pick will be a little bit different, and you may have an irregular cucumber! 

I know, I know. This isn’t the fascinating reason you were expecting to hear, but it is a reason nonetheless.

Some cucumbers will be bumpier than others, and that’s that! Neither age nor moisture nor anything else is the reason. 

Are Prickly Cucumbers Edible

You can eat bumpy cucumbers – and even prickly – without a problem.

Bumps happen on cucumbers for many of the reasons that I described above. 

As long as your cucumbers aren’t rotten, then cucumbers with bumps or bumps that have become prickly aren’t going to pose any problem.

If the bumps on your cucumbers are prickly, then you don’t want to bite into the cucumber like it’s a carrot! 

You’ll have to take a few extra steps to enjoy your cucumber, but it’s nothing you haven’t done to cucumbers before.

How To Eat Bumpy Or Prickly Cucumbers

Now that we know bumpy or prickly cucumbers are safe to eat let’s talk about how you should prepare your cucumbers to eat.

One of the easiest ways to prepare your cucumbers is to peel them. 

For most people, peeling cucumbers isn’t out of the ordinary. I don’t know anyone who likes to eat the skin on cucumbers, so you’re probably peeling them anyway. 

Let’s say that your bumpy cucumber has a few prickly parts. To have your hands from being scratched, you can cut some of the bumps of the cucumber first.

To do this, all you need to do is run the knife over the skin of the cucumber. It’s that easy!

You can also eat the cucumbers with the skin on, of course!

Another way people eat cucumbers is raw. Some people will bite into raw cucumbers without cutting away any skin.

One final method is to boil your cucumbers with the skin on. Cut your cucumbers into smaller pieces and remove the seeds. Boil in water with salt. 

4 Types Of Prickly Or Bumpy Cucumbers

As I mentioned earlier, there are varieties of cucumbers that tend to be more prickly or bumpy.

Here are four types of cucumber plants that you may have that will yield a more prickly or bumpy cucumber.

Kirby Cucumbers

Kirby cucumbers are one of the most common bumpy cucumbers that you can purchase. When people think of bumpy cucumbers, they’re picturing Kirby cucumbers, whether they do it on purpose.

Kirby cucumbers are long and thin with a nice crunch. This means that you can happily eat them raw without a weird flavor. 

These cucumbers, though, are suitable for pickling too. 

Pickling Cucumbers 

Pickling cucumbers aren’t necessarily a variety of cucumbers. Cucumbers can be split between pickling cucumbers and slicing cucumbers.

Pickling cucumbers have a greater chance of having bumpy skin.

Pickling cucumbers are smaller than slicing because they do not grow as big, fat, or long. 

Since they are smaller, it is easier for the skins to constrict and create bumps along the surface.

Japanese Cucumbers 

Japanese cucumbers are known for their bumpy skin.

You’ll probably be able to spot a Japanese cucumber because they are small and darker green than regular cucumbers.

Japanese cucumbers have a unique flavor, and people eat them both cooked and raw. The options are almost endless for these dark, bumpy cucumbers!

Persian Cucumbers

Persian cucumbers are small, juicy, and crunchy cucumbers.

Persian cucumbers are a small variety of cucumbers, and its size may contribute to its bumpy texture on the outside.

Heat is good for Persian cucumbers, but they still may have a bumpy texture if you do not give them enough water.

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