Huai'an Cucumber

Huai'an Cucumber

The Huai'an Cucumber is a geographical indication agricultural product.

　　“Huai'an Cucumber”: High Efficiency Through Cucumber-Mushroom Crop Rotation

　　The “Huai'an Cucumber” has over 30 years of cultivation history. Known for its high yield, superior quality, and excellent economic returns, it has long been favored by both growers and consumers, and sells well across China. In April 2011, the “Huai'an Cucumber” passed the product evaluation organized by the Jiangsu Provincial Green Food Office, and the application materials have been submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture.

　　The “Huai'an Cucumber” is cultivated in solar greenhouses using a unique “cucumber-mushroom crop rotation” method. The growth of straw mushrooms accumulates large amounts of organic matter for cucumbers, reducing issues like continuous cropping obstacles and root-knot nematode disease. In addition, farmers apply soil testing and formulated fertilization, mainly using organic fertilizer, resulting in Huai'an Cucumbers that are of higher quality, better taste, and greater yield compared to other cucumbers, with a net income exceeding 10,000 yuan per mu. Currently, the total planting area in the city is 100,000 mu, with an annual output of 350,000 tons and sales revenue of 850 million yuan.

　　The “Huai'an Cucumber” follows unified branding, standards, packaging, and supervision, forming a set of Huai'an solar greenhouse cucumber cultivation technical standards that have been issued and implemented. These measures continuously improve the quality of Huai'an Cucumbers and drive the development of the cucumber industry. In 2006, the “Huai'an Cucumber” received green food vegetable certification from the National Green Food Development Center and won the third prize at the 4th Jiangsu Horticultural Exposition.

　　Geographical Scope

　　The production area of the “Huai'an Cucumber” is located within the prefecture-level city of Huai'an, covering counties and districts such as Huaiyin District, Qinghe District, and Chuzhou District. The region lies between latitude 32°43′00″ to 34°06′00″ and longitude 118°12′00″ to 119°36′30″. It borders Lianyungang City to the north, Yancheng City to the east, Yangzhou City and Chuzhou City of Anhui Province to the south, and Suqian City to the west. The maximum east-west straight-line distance is 132 kilometers, and the maximum north-south straight-line distance is 150 kilometers, covering a total area of 10,072 square kilometers. The total planting area of the “Huai'an Cucumber” is 80,000 mu, with its core area encompassing six towns in Huaiyin District: Dingji Town, Liulaozhuang Township, Yugou Town, Yuanji Township, Wuli Town, and Mianhuazhuang Town. This core zone includes over 20 villages, covering a total area of 30,000 mu.

　　Product Quality Characteristics

　　The “Huai'an Cucumber” measures 20–30 cm in length, with a diameter of 4–5 cm. It has a uniform thickness, short neck, no ridges, and dense spines. The flesh is light green with high water content, crisp and delicate in texture, mildly sweet and refreshing. It can be eaten raw, served cold, or stir-fried, showing distinct regional characteristics. Each 100 grams of “Huai'an Cucumber” contains more than 10 mg of vitamin C and over 0.85 g of protein. The “Huai'an Cucumber” strictly adheres to the “Green Food Huai'an Cucumber Planting Production Technical Operating Procedures” established by the Huai'an Vegetable Circulation Association to ensure the safety and quality of the “Huai'an Cucumber.”