Smashed Cucumber

Overview

Smashed Cucumber is a cooking recipe in Starsand Island described as "a refreshing and appetizing homemade cold dish, a summer dining essential." It is one of the simplest and most accessible recipes in the game, requiring only 2 Cucumbers and no processed ingredients. The dish restores 80 stamina when consumed and sells for 147 Coins at vendors.

The recipe is unlocked by completing the Junior Farmer Trial, one of the earliest profession milestones available to new players. Because Cucumbers grow in all four seasons and are among the first crops you can plant, Smashed Cucumber is a reliable source of both stamina recovery and income from the very beginning of the game. It can be prepared at either a Campfire or a Gas Stove, with a cooking time of just 53 seconds.

Recipe Details

The cooking method listed for Smashed Cucumber is "Cutting," which reflects the real-world preparation of the dish. Despite this classification, you still prepare it at a Campfire or Gas Stove like any other cooked recipe. The 53-second cooking time is one of the shortest in the game, making batch cooking quick and painless.

Where to Get the Recipe

Smashed Cucumber is unlocked through the Junior Farmer Trial. This is one of the progression quests in the Farming profession line. The Junior Farmer Trial becomes available after you complete the Apprentice Farmer tier, which is when you first gain access to Cucumber Seeds at the Happiness Seed Shop. In practice, most players unlock this recipe within the first few in-game days, since the early Farming quests move quickly.

Once learned, the recipe is permanently added to your cooking menu. You can cook Smashed Cucumber at any Campfire or Gas Stove without needing to re-learn it or carry a recipe item.

Ingredient Sourcing

Smashed Cucumber requires only 2 Cucumbers, making it one of the cheapest recipes to prepare. Cucumbers are a trellis crop that grows in all four seasons (Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter), so you will never face a seasonal shortage of ingredients.

There are several ways to obtain Cucumbers:

• Grow them on a Trellis: Purchase Cucumber Seeds from the Happiness Seed Shop for 95 Coins each. Plant them in a Trellis, water daily, and harvest in 2 days. Each seed produces 2 Cucumbers per harvest, with 2 harvests per planting (4 Cucumbers total per seed).

• Grinder recycling: Feed 2 Cucumbers into the Grinder to produce Cucumber Seeds, then replant those seeds. This lets you sustain your Cucumber supply without buying new seeds.

• Exploration drops: Chopping trees, cutting shrubs, pulling weeds, and opening Treasure Chests across the island can occasionally yield Cucumber Seeds.

For a steady cooking supply, dedicating 4 to 6 Trellises to Cucumber is more than enough. With each Trellis producing 4 Cucumbers over a 4-day cycle, six Trellises yield 24 Cucumbers per cycle, which is enough for 12 servings of Smashed Cucumber.

Profitability

Smashed Cucumber offers a meaningful profit boost over selling raw Cucumbers. Each Cucumber sells for 66 Coins, so 2 Cucumbers are worth 132 Coins raw. Cooking them into Smashed Cucumber raises the sell value to 147 Coins, a profit increase of 15 Coins per dish. While this margin is modest on a per-dish basis, it adds up quickly when you are cooking in bulk.

The real value of cooking Smashed Cucumber comes from the 10 cooking EXP earned per dish. Early in the game, cooking proficiency unlocks access to better recipes with higher sell prices and stronger buffs. Every batch of Smashed Cucumber you cook pushes your cooking level forward. For players focused on pure profit, higher-tier recipes will eventually outperform Smashed Cucumber. But for the first season or two, it is the most accessible way to earn cooking EXP and turn your Cucumber harvest into something more valuable than raw produce.

For maximum Cucumber-based profits, consider processing Cucumbers into Pickled Cucumber once you unlock the Pickling Jar at the Intermediate Farmer tier. Pickled vegetables sell for significantly more than either raw or cooked Cucumbers. Selling Pickled Cucumbers at the Merchant Ship for double value is one of the strongest mid-to-late-game money strategies.

Gifting Preferences

Smashed Cucumber can be gifted to island residents. Below are the known NPC reactions when receiving this dish.

If you are trying to build friendship with Regis, Smashed Cucumber is an excellent gift choice since it is cheap to make and he loves it. Avoid gifting it to Matilda, who hates the dish, or to Bruce, Panda, and Sagewood, who all dislike it. For most other characters, Smashed Cucumber is a liked gift, which makes it a decent all-purpose option when you do not have a character's favorite item on hand.

Related Recipes

Smashed Cucumber belongs to a group of early-game recipes that use simple, farm-grown ingredients. If you enjoy the low-cost, easy-to-cook approach of this dish, consider these similar recipes:

All of these recipes use crops that are available early in the game and require minimal processing. Baked Potato is the closest comparison: it also unlocks from the Junior Farmer Trial and uses a single crop type. Stir-Fried Vegetables matches Smashed Cucumber's stamina recovery and costs 2 Cabbages instead. As your cooking level grows, dishes like Silken Potato Mash offer better stamina and sell price but require an additional processed ingredient (Fine Salt).

Tips

• Cook Smashed Cucumber before exploring: At 80 stamina for just 2 Cucumbers, it is one of the most efficient budget foods in the game. Keep a stack of 5 to 10 in your inventory whenever you leave the farm to mine, fish, or fight enemies.

• Batch cook for EXP: Each dish awards 10 cooking EXP. If you have a surplus of Cucumbers and no immediate need for them, cooking a large batch of Smashed Cucumber is a fast way to level up your cooking proficiency. Higher cooking levels unlock recipes with much better sell prices.

• Use a Gas Stove for faster throughput: While both the Campfire and Gas Stove can prepare Smashed Cucumber, the Gas Stove is generally more convenient for batch cooking since it is located indoors near your storage. Place multiple Gas Stoves in your home if you plan to cook in large quantities.

• Gift to Regis for friendship: Regis loves Smashed Cucumber, and the dish is cheap to produce. If you are working on building friendship with him, keeping a few cooked dishes on hand for regular gifting is an easy strategy.

• Do not gift to Matilda: She hates this dish. Giving it to her will reduce your friendship level. Check the gifting preferences table before offering food to any NPC.

• Transition to pickled products for profit: Once you reach Intermediate Farmer and unlock the Pickling Jar, raw Cucumbers become more profitable as Pickled Cucumber than as Smashed Cucumber. Save Smashed Cucumber for personal consumption and route your surplus Cucumbers to the pickling operation instead.

• Pair with sprinkler automation: Setting up sprinklers on your Cucumber Trellises means you will always have a passive supply of ingredients for Smashed Cucumber without spending stamina on daily watering.