Persian Cucumber, (Middle Eastern, Beit Alpha)
Tasty and easy. These are refreshing, mild, and unbelievably crisp through difficult summer conditions and over a long harvest period. Middle Eastern cucumbers like this are much crisper, more dependable, and more digestible than the usual American types, and hold their quality even when a bit wrinkled or past prime. We grow a huge bed of these every summer and eat them every day. I particularly like them diced and added to potato, bean, tuna, or egg salad for a cool, easy lunch.
Middle-Eastern cucumbers like this have many names, and often the only difference is the size at harvest. They are harvested at about 3"-4" for pickles. At 4"-5" they're called Persian cukes, and are incredibly crisp and sweet. For normal salad and sandwich use, 5"-7" is usual. Just as with zucchini, they are picked larger for commercial sale because the farmer is paid by the pound, but smaller fruits have superior texture and flavor in both summer squash and cucumbers.