Why do cucumbers taste bitter?

Question

Some of the cucumbers grown on allotments taste extremely bitter. I wonder if the taste depends on the soil or if it is just the variety.

Answer 1

I just cut up a cucumber to add to my lunch and it tasted bitter. Recently, I've been noticing that every now and then I get a bad taste from fresh cucumbers - both store bought and organic - and so today I've been doing some research on it. You're not weird, and it might not be the soil. It might just be a varying, natural thing that happens to some cucumbers, just as some apples/oranges are sour and others are sweet. Here's a good article on the subject: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/story.php?S_No=587&storyType=garde