Cool cucumber price hits all time low
Cool crispy sliced cucumbers with a dash of pepper and salt, are an all time favourite for many.
They not only quench the thirst but a perfect combination for a variety of food, either vegetarian or non-vegetarian.
Cucumbers scientifically known as Cucumis Sativus, belong to the same family as water melon and pumpkin.
The prices of these cucumbers, which were sold at Rs four to five per piece a month ago has nosedived. It is being sold as less as Rs two per kg.
The vendors carrying hordes of cucumbers in their baskets selling it door-to-door has become a common scene, since a couple of days.
While the cucumbers are sold based on their weight, majority of the vendors in markets sell it by per piece rate.
Good yield
Speaking to Deccan Herald, Suresh, supervisor at Regulated Market Committee (RMC) on Sayyaji Rao Road in Mysore said, cucumbers are grown in Mysore taluk and surrounding areas.
Majority of them arrive from Nagamangala, Pandavapura and nearby villages.
Though it is found throughout the year like all vegetables, the peak season of cucumbers are from May to July.
Floods market
Lot of cucumbers are flooding the wholesale market and it is sold for Rs two and three per kilo based on its quality, he says.
The native cucumbers are best sought for its taste, water content and health quantities and the varieties that are available in this part of the region is of native variety.
The hybrid variety which is completely different in appearance, size and taste is white in colour and is popular for its crispiness, comes from Holenarasipura and Hassan.
Varieties
There are also a variety of cucumber that are smaller in size, which are usually used for pickles and is purchased in huge quantities by the food processing units that makes pickles and is usually exported to other countries, where there is great demand.
Cucumbers have a little more shelf life compared to other vegetables.
And being an all time favourite for majority of foodies who are addicted to salads and raitha can now fill their refrigerators with this vegetable, which is loaded with nutrients and has a lot of medicinal properties.
Advise
Suresh also advises that when you buy a cucumber, it must be firm, especially at the ends, and dark green.
If it has already turned yellow and is wrinkled, it means that the cucumber is not fresh anymore.
Shivanna, a vendor who sells cucumbers had spread these at Vontikoppal says, he had purchased a lot in anticipation of good sales, but the rain has played spoilsport.
Moreover, change of weather is also one of the reasons for the poor sale of cucumbers, he lamented.
