Pbenjay's Blog

Thanks to my  favorite guest contributor Gail, our Ten Tips Thursday is taking a break from the hundreds of uses for WD-40 and is all about CUCUMBERS.  As you will see, they are way more than just a salad ingredient!

CUCUMBERS

1. Cucumbers contains most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains vitamin B1, B2, B3,B5, B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Iron, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber.  Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick  pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the surface, it will eliminate the fog and provide a lovely spa-like fragrance.
4. Are slugs and grubs ruining your planting beds?  Place a few cucumber slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long.  The chemicals in the cucumber  react with the aluminum and give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and drive them from the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to minimize cellulite before going out or to the pool?  Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumber along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer, reducing the visibility of the cellulite.  Works great on wrinkles too.
6. Want to avoid a hangover or a terrible headache?  Eat a few slices of cucumber before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache-free.  Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins, electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium avoiding both a headache and a hangover.
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge?  Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explorers for quick meals to stave off starvation.
8. Realize you have an important meeting or interview and realize you don’t have enough time to polish your shoes?  Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but will also repel water.
9. Out of WD-40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge?  Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the squeaky hinge and voila the squeak is gone.
10. Stressed out and don’t have time for a massage, facial or visit to the spa?  Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a pot of boiling water, the chemicals and the nutrients of the cucumber will react with the boiling water and will be released in the steam, creating a soothing and relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students taking final exams.
11. Just finished a business lunch and realize that you don’t have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemicals  will kill the bacteria in your mouth causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a a green way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel?  Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, it won’t leave streaks and won’t harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean.
13. Using a pen and made a mistake?  Take the outside of a cucumber and slowly  rub to erase the pen writing; also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls.

Wow – What a little gem the cucumber is!!!

The Almighty Cucumber

Check out the many uses for lemons – https://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2014/07/03/ten-tips-thursday-got-lemons/  AND – https://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2013/07/02/sooooo-when-life-gives-you-lemons/