Cucumbers
Season: summer. There are three main types of cucumbers: traditional cucumbers (the long vegetables with the waxy, shiny green skin that most of us are familiar with), pickling cucumbers (three or four inches in length with warty skin) and Mediterranean cucumbers (very long, very thin vegetables). When buying fresh cucumbers looks for bright color and firm texture. Avoid any cucumbers with yellow spots or discolorations or those which are too soft. Generally speaking, the smaller cucumbers also have the smallest, softest seeds.

Some recipes will call for you to remove the seeds from a cucumber. This is easily done by cutting the cucumber in half, then using a spoon to scoop out the seeds in the center (see photo).