I was weeding the cucumber bed and thought about the phrase “Cool as a Cucumber.”
“What is the origin?” I wondered.
Once inside at a computer I googled it and at a website (http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=cucumber) Online Etymology Dictionary I read this:
The “phrase cool as a cucumber (c.1732) embodies ancient folk knowledge confirmed by science in 1970: inside of a field cucumber on a warm day is 20 degrees cooler than the air temperature.”
Who knew?
I do know that cucumber water is a cooling drink…very clean and refreshing on a hot day. Earlier this season, a friend made some for the gardeners at the community garden.
The recipe: peel a cucumber, slice it and add the slices to a pitcher of cold water. Let it sit an hour and serve. It is a nice break from sugary summer drinks.
