What's your opinion on waxed cucumber skins?

[julesmoz]

What do you guys think about waxed cucumber skins? Do you eat them?

I don't like the idea of eating the wax, but there are so many nutritious things in the skin that I hate throwing it away! How bad do you think the wax really is?

[misslinda]

Nope, I won't eat it. I feel the skins and if any of the produce selection have it, I wont' buy it.......I suppose you could scrub it but I'm lazy :D Yesm the skin has a great offering of silica.

[Purl]

I read somewhere (possibly Patricia Braggs book on Fasting), that the wax is toxic- petroleum based. I NEVER eat it.

[PATH301]

don't eat the wax :eek:
Try to find an organic cucumber. If you can't find one that's orgainic then peel the wax skin off and then eat it. :)

[solarliving]

I used to peel the skins until I bought organic cucumbers. They're so crunchy and so worth it.

[JennaBoBenna]

ugh, the wax is sooo sticky! I was so relieved to find organic cukes weren't sticky and waxy!!

[RawMagnolia]

We don't have organic cucs here... so I buy the waxy ones, and peal and eat. But once spring come baby I'll be all over my garden planting some organic ones of my own!!!! :p

[greeninlosangeles]

That's why I will raise my own cukes this summer in the pot in the balcony-they don't have deep roots. I already raise one tomatoe and it is growing very quickly.

[Shivananda]

I think the #1 kitchen implement every raw foodist should buy is a Japanese "Tiger" brush. It's all natural fibers, maybe sisal?, and is an AGGRESSIVE brush for scrubbing down hard to clean food like parsnip and sunchokes and... waxed cucumbers!!

Sure, if you can find unwaxed... typically at a natural foods market or farmer's market... take those first. But if you buy at most supermarket you won't have a choice, because the wax allows a shelf life wtice as long. The only exception is those long English cucumbers which come wrapped in plastic, and are not waxed. So even though it IS an edible food grade wax on those cukes, and not petrolum based (as someone suggested), and nutritionally harmless, it's not food either, so let's scrub it off.

I use a little grapeseed oil extract in water to help , and scrub hard with the tiger brush until the waxy sheen is removed. Rinse well. Done.

[Revvell]

Unless the produce is organic, some may be coated w/ a petroleum-based wax. http://www.rawpaleodiet.org/whole-foods-1.html

Besides organic or hothouse cukes, one can also get the pickling cukes and the Persion cukes, neither of which I've seen waxed.

My question, which I've seen previously in other places is ~ does the wax also hold the pesticide against the skin making it impossible to eliminate them?

I eat only organic, unwaxed cukes, myself.

Revvell

[julesmoz]

I was wondering that same thing, Revvell.

[Shmoopie]

Probably not a good idea to eat the wax. In a book I have (Juice Fasting and Detoxification by Steve Meyerowitz), there are 4 ways to wash non-organic produce - including washing the wax off of cucumbers and peppers. The easiest one is this:

"Fill your sink with cold water, add four tablespoons of salt and the juice of a lemon.
Soak the fruits and vegetables for ten minutes then rinse under cold water.
1/4 cup of white vinegar can be substituted for lemon."

Hope it helps.

[rawpriestess]

Shmoopie, that's almost exactly what I was going to say,

I like that idea

we grow our own cucumbers, so not an issue for us, but I would suggest either a hydrogen peroxide spray and then scrub and rinse, or a vinegar spray then scrub and rinse, or better yet, do one then the other.

Organic is best by far, but I also like the tiger brush Idea, I don't know if I have one or not, I do have a sisal brush, but hardly ever scrub my veggies, I'm into the dirt being still on them, I know it sounds gross, but that way I get my B12 LOL

[Sheryl]

I think the long cucumbers wrapped in plastic are not waxed... they don't feel like it anyway. If you can't find organic you could give those a try!

Sheryl

[honeybee joy]

I have noticed that if I buy a organic cuke at a health food store, they are wax free. I have noticed if I buy a organic cuke at a convetional store, some of them still have wax, in spite of being organic. I prefer buying organic foods at health food stores, they seem better. I won't eat the wax. I knew if was bad, but not why.

I have also noticed that some conventional veggies like red peppers do not have wax on them, when they are in a health food store. (I cannot ever find organic red bell peppers.) :mad:

Has anyone else had that experience?

[fiddler]

FWIW, I'd fast before eating waxed produce of any kind -- yuck!!!

[Shivananda]

I think the long cucumbers wrapped in plastic are not waxed...

That is correct. Wrapping in plastic is done for the same reason as waxing, to give them longer shelflife by inhibiting their drying out.

As to the waxed ones, as the University of Illinois Extension, and a thousand other reputable sources will tell you:

"Supermarket cucumbers are covered with an edible wax to protect them from moisture loss. The wax gives them an unnatural sheen. Fresh cucumbers are dull green in color."

I know it sounds weird, but many plants and fruits produce wax naturally in their skins or leaves to inhibit water loss. The cuke just needs a little help.

Also, in days gone by cukes were always peeled before eating, because the skins were naturally very bitter and unappetizing and "burpy." The only reason it occurs to anyone today to complain about the harmless wax on their skins is that slicing cukes today have been heavily hybredized to make their skin edible. I don't care, I still peel mine.