Cucumbers

Commodity Overview

Cucumbers continued to be popular with consumers, with sales increasing nearly 20% over 2020. With a variety of cucumber options to choose from, shoppers are discovering the versatility of the cukes, from using them in salads to adding them to sandwiches or eating them out of hand as a snack.

PLUs

4593 English/hothouse/long seedless
4062 green
4594 Japanese/white
4596 pickling

Varieties

Armenian Cucumbers

Japanese Cucumbers

Lemon Cucumbers

Pickling Cucumbers

Persian Cucumbers

English Cucumbers

Retail Price Data is based on USDA Specialty Crops Market News surveys. Data collection ends on the report date and encompasses ad pricing good from the Saturday before the report release date through the following Friday. Weekly data - from over 400 retailers, comprising more than 30,000 individual stores with online weekly advertised features - covers over 250 produce items. Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

USDA Specialty Crops Market News publishes FOB and Movement data on a daily and weekly basis. Pricing and volume information is aggregated by commodity and published weekly, subject to any source-data adjustments. Commodity data is further processed based on origin (domestic vs imports) and type (regular vs. organic). Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

Facts

Cucumbers contain many important nutrient, but many are in the skin. Cucumbers contain some vitamin C, which boosts the immune system and helps to fight cancer. The cucumber’s skin contains fiber, which aids in digestion. Cucumbers also contain silica, which helps keep skin healthy.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient content descriptors for cucumbers: fat-free, saturated fat-free, sodium-free, cholesterol-free and low in calories.

Dynamic Displays

Include seeded and seedless varieties in your display. Be sure to label them so consumers know what they are getting.
Add specialty cucumbers to your display to increase sales and encourage consumers to try something new.
Include cucumbers in salad vegetable displays. Display them next to carrots for a striking color contrast.
Remind consumers that they can keep cucumbers fresh after cutting by wrapping the end in plastic wrap before putting it in the refrigerator.
Keep cucumbers and zucchini separate as they can be difficult to tell apart.

Food Service

Use hollowed out cucumber skins as a bowl for condiments like bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.
Serve fried cucumbers as an appetizer with spicy mustard or cocktail sauce.
Serve fresh cream of cucumber soup for a different and refreshing soup flavor.
Cucumbers can be made into a sauce that pairs well with cold or hot meat.
Include cucumbers as a topping for sandwiches and wraps.