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If you look for zucchinis and eggplants in the Bible (for whatever reason) you won't find them specifically mentioned by name, but you will find mention of cucumbers in Numbers 11:5, and from one of my favourite places in Isaiah 1:8 where scripture contains the following excerpt "...as a hut in a garden of cucumbers". For me this brief description instantly brings to mind a small glasshouse, lush vegetation, Peter Rabbit, and of course Mr. McGregor — a special early childhood memory where bedtime stories gave me a real love for reading throughout my life still to this day. The danger of whether Peter would be caught eating vegetables by Mr. McGregor, or worse still, killed before he could return home to his rabbit family who really needed food to survive was palpable, for I was on edge until his escape was made. No matter how many times this story was read to me I needed to hear that Peter was safe again back in his underground hidey-hole bringing what he could for all the hungry mouths to feed. It was always a great relief as the finish had the same happy ending after going through such terrible suspense as the tale simply came "alive" to me. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Rabbit
I never saw Peter as a pest or a villain taking food from a man who worked hard to develop his crops so that he could feed his own family. My thoughts were that no matter whether human or animal it was so important to me that all had enough to be healthy. This was most likely the very beginnings of trying to work out pain and suffering in this world of which I did not understand. The English author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit is Beatrix Potter who wrote many books and we read them all fascinated, never wondering why animals were "humanized" by being dressed in clothing and speaking words just like us, thinking and planning their time as we do. We just accepted it all as the beautifully coloured illustrations reinforced and made sense to the story. There were so many childhood books which made a strong impression, immersing me into other unfamiliar times and places as part of fanciful escapism. Another notable author, Hans Christian Andersen (Danish) held my attention once I hit double digits as moral lessons interested me especially. Then there were the German Brothers Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm who prolifically wrote and had published numerous stories — some 200 of these such as Rumplestiltskin, Tom Thumb, Rapunzel, Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Cinderella, among so many others to hold the imagination of many a child. These were initially called "Children's and Household Tales" then they became known as "Grimms' Fairy Tales". Once an adult I naturally gravitated towards autobiographical and biographical works which are always enticing, however there is one book which eclipses any and every other book ever written, in my humble opinion, which is God's inspired Word known to us as The Holy Bible. The only supernaturally written book packed full of valuable life lessons in order to completely prepare us for God's soon coming Kingdom.
Reading the Bible is quite an adventure now that I understand what is written within because God gives understanding to those He decides to give to, for those who diligently seek out this textbook as students following Christ. As a child I took everything literally and scared myself in Revelation but was drawn to this book more than any other yet had no idea or comprehension of spiritual or supernatural concepts, only the beginnings of the physical domain of which I had little to limited experience. The number of times I spent under the covers reading prophecy as a Catholic schoolgirl without understanding anything frustrated me no end, but God knew one day in the future He would open my mind by giving The Helper, His Holy Spirit upon baptism, making it all worthwhile. Each time we open the cover of our Bible there is a real opportunity to discover something that captures our attention like we are finding buried treasure for the first time, and this for me is incredibly exciting.
Isaiah 1:8 is one of those places in the good book that drew me in and transported me to early agricultural times where societal norms revolved around the necessity of farming by growing food seasonally and then the cultivation of these crops in order to benefit economically by trading, thus the community of the day was known as an agrarian society involved in agriculture. The picture for me is one of hard work bending over picking cucumbers in the early morning before the heat of the day sets in around midday. Some might find it lonely, solitary work but God's company is always with those who talk to Him throughout the day or night — one of the delights of praying without ceasing which means to be in a constantly grateful and connected mindset with our Creator (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). It is summertime, hazy with the sound of crickets buzzing away until the baskets are full and placed in the hut, the only welcome shelter apart from a wide brimmed hat to prevent sunburn, headaches, and heat stroke. The hot climate entices the worker to have a refreshing cucumber or two for its juicy benefits, to keep hydrated until the work is done. The setting could be in Israel or anywhere in the Middle East for that matter. Ultimately, this vision gives me great hope, peace, joy, comfort, a willingness to work hard with my hands until outside conditions make it unbearable, in order to gain the healthy benefits of sustenance from a productive life.
Cucumbers are one of the good things to come out of Egypt and the Middle East created by God for humans to eat and are extensively grown and cultivated worldwide as they are refreshing and pleasant to consume. They do not have an overpowering flavour, but rather have a taste which can be paired with many things as they are a companion food as well as good on their own even with the skin on. Can a cucumber be compared to a Christian in any way? Are we refreshing to others who need to sample the fruit of kindness? You are right in thinking cucumbers belong to the fruit family rather than the vegetable family for they have seeds and grow from the flower of the plant. Cucumbers are incredibly healthy for they are packed full of vitamins (B, C, K) and minerals (copper, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium). Vitamin K is needed to help with blood clotting and for those of us who much prefer natural methods to fix or prevent medical problems we would rather eat "a cucumber a day to keep the doctor away" not forgetting the apple too as the old saying goes. Did you know that cucumbers and zucchinis belong to the classification of gourds in the family of Cucurbitaceae? That is quite a mouthful in pronunciation! In addition to that, each cucumber is nutritionally dense and filled with water, electrolytes, and fibre which are all excellent for our intestinal health. Also, cucumbers have a unique set of antioxidants, including flavonoids, lignans, and triterpenes which munch up all those nasty free radicals circulating in our blood supply.
What can we learn from cucumbers? God created them for us to eat as part of a healthy diet. It is wise to include them in salads, on sandwiches, as a refreshing part to counteract or balance a savoury Indian or hot curry dish as some of us really enjoy these spicy foods. They come in large, small or snack sizes such as the Lebanese variety and then there is the apple cucumber so named for its roundish shape rather than the traditional long stick shape. Mum used to buy this type so it is a strong memory of mine from the '60s until 1974 when she was no longer able to make meals for her family. To my delight our local greengrocer sells them along with other fruits such as old fashioned tomatoes which are rare to find anymore. The taste transports me back to simpler times when things revolved around playtime and school. A very basic and easy to understand piece of writing on the 10 benefits of cucumbers is provided in the following link which has been responsibly reviewed medically and comes replete with large images for your information: https://www.singlecare.com/blog/cucumber-benefits/
Proverbs 13:2 says "A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth…" and so we should carefully consider our speech and be very grateful for what God has created for us in order to grow and maintain our health. Do we give thanks to God daily for the blessings we receive even for just one cucumber or one meal? No matter how small the benefit is, an attitude of gratitude is such beautiful fruit to show God our appreciation. I must say that I have yet to meet a man, woman, or child who does not like cucumbers or has an allergy to them unless it is from an upset tummy due to crop spraying residue of toxic pesticides. Organic is our preference as the skin is left intact after slicing the fruit otherwise a careful washing is needed. And so every time I prepare cucumbers my thoughts are happy, contented ones as I much prefer a life with cucumbers and cannot imagine one without them to enjoy and benefit from. If they no longer were available to consume then we must remember to still count our blessings for what we do have rather than focus on what we don't have as we remember how the Israelite people constantly complained bitterly on their Exodus through the Wilderness to the Promised Land. Let us then therefore understand that we have a choice — to complain when we are without OR not to complain. We know the correct answer to this lesson as we need to choose to always give thanks from a thankful heart, because a thankful heart cannot harbour a root of bitterness. The following link is for a sermon entitled "Chipping Away at Unthankfulness" which is full of wisdom advising that the example of the Israelites "is full of what not to do". https://youtu.be/J_2KcC5gNUo