I guess deer don't like cucs!
The cucumbers are thriving here at Cold Antler Farm! I got this haul early this morning, and trying to decide what to do with them all? Pickles? Hummus sandwiches? Gaspatcho? What would you do with a bucket of cucs?
posted by Jenna at 9:27 AM
30 Comments:
I have two things I plan to do with cucs if we get 'em. Bread and butter pickles, and relish.
We've still got loads of dill pickles from last year, but the b&bs never last long around here.
All of the above!
Personally it would be a shame to put freshly picked cucumbers in anything but on a summer salad, thinly sliced, and right next to a nice barbecue.
Ohhh slice them thin,dress with yogurt or mayo. Mix in fresh chives and mint from my garden. Grind of pepper and way to go.Chunk in some tomato if you want to. Goes with about anything when the temp is scorching.
Just for history, California deer adore all cucumber plants. The deer here even come around in the day time. The lady who lives farther up the mountain hand feeds the deer and they aren't afraid of humans,dogs and any fencing. My cat, Ranger, walks out to meet them and touches noses with one doe. Not a happy non-cuke woman here.
Back in the day when I was a kid, the 1950's, everyone had "table pickles" on the kitchen table all summer. They were sliced cukes in vinegar, salt and pepper. They could be snacked on anytime you chose and were always eaten with meals. You rarely see them now.
This is what I would do with them. Yummy! They are so easy too.
http://www.food.com/recipe/easy-bread-and-butter-pickles-115276
I have a recipe chat room called Recipezaar (food.com used to be Recipezaar as well before it was sold to Scripps). We were talking about your blog there last night so I linked it in the chat room. You might be seeing some new folks around here soon.
German cucumber salad (gherkin salat). There are a couple, but I like the one my grammy used to make:
slice the cukes, lay them on a platter or in a big colander and salt them. Let them sit and ooze their water for at least 20 minutes. rinse and squeeze the water off. Mix them in a bowl with some sour cream ( a few tablespoons) , a bit of white vinegar (like a tablespoon) and some fresh chopped dill.
Cucumbers are also good in gazpacho, tatziki sauce, tabouleh. Jacque Pepin has a recipe for 'turning' them and cooking them- they're supposed to be nice served with fish.
This is my first summer without cucumbers and I miss them.
Tzatziki
SALADS!!!!
Cucumber, mayo and dill sandwhiches on white bread was my son's favorite when he was a teen. Girl I hope you have a juicer. You will love juicing and freezing the juice from sun fresh cukes and using the juice in the cold of winter. It will really remind you of the warmth of summer on those days.
I got 1 cucumber the other day and had to parse it out to 5 people and one very persistent dachshund!!! If I had your supply I would try every recipe listed here and also make chicken, avocado, cucumber and tomato salad with salt, pepper, olive oil and fresh basil (toss the chunky salad until the avocado almost becomes part of the dressing). I would eat that every single day!!!!!!!
Pickles! My mother is making tons of pickles! Personally, though I like eating them raw.
Cucumber chutney. Here are two recipes similar to what I’ve eaten—I’ve never made them (yet) but they’re both very tasty.
Dipping style: http://padmasrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/08/cucumber-chutney.html
Relish style: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/tomato-cucumber-chutney
All the suggestions above sound delicious and must uses too!
I like to just cut them into little pieces and eat them with soy sause and sesame seeds!
just read on sufficientself.com about cucumber water.... ice water, cucumber slices and fresh mint. I'm gonna try it!
@doglady, that is one of my favorite ways to eat fresh cukes!!! I also make microwave bread and butter pickles and I just canned my very first dill pickles! Another favorite way to eat fresh cukes is on a homegrown tomato sandwich!!!!
I love ice cold cucumber water.
My grandma would just slice them up and put salt and pepper and pour vinegar over them. So good.
I also will cut up cucumbers and tomatoes and pour Italian dressing over them. Yum!
Greek salad! Cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives, some thinly sliced onion, oregano, and feta cheese tossed with some good olive oil and vinegar, salt and pepper. The perfect salad for hot summer days!
I've been cutting them up and pouring sushi vinegar on them. YUMMMM!!!
mmmmmmm
I'd make my husband's memaw's cucumber salad. :)
Cucumber relish although my gran's pepper relish is really really good.
Tzatziki, moved and seconded! I wish I had cukes. I got about four before the squash bugs found them.
Refrigerator Pickles
In a quart jar cut up
-Cucumbers
-Peppers(cold, hot or bell) if you use hot peppers be sure and shake the jar every few days or everything near it will be very hot and have a chemical taste.
-Cauliflower
-Green Tomatoes (cut up)
-Tommy Toes (whole)
-Celery and Carrots sort of work but get too soft over time so not do not add many.
-salt
-vinegar
-you can also add sweet mix pickle juice or make a little of your own to add.
Let them sit for a week or two then eat them with corn bread and milk, pintos, stews, or in a salad.
Summer Sandwiches: open-faced sandwich. Take a slice of home-made bread, butter it, add a slice of cheese, cucumber slices, tomato slices and salt and pepper on top! Yum!
Hot Dog Relish! My recipe makes a sweet relish with a bit of a kick from hot pepper. So much better than the stuff from the store.
Shrimp and cucumber curry - of course : )
Cucumber, mint and yogurt sauce dousing freshly fried falafels in a pita. Yum!
Japanese cuke salad: Slice cukes into kinda thin rounds, then cut those in half. Dress with Japanese rice vinegar, a touch of sesame oil & some sesame seeds, maybe a little salt depending on your taste buds.
Or make Greek tzatziki. Grate or finely chop your cukes, mix into Greek yoghurt with plenty of garlic, some lemon juice, a little olive oil, plenty of dill and some salt & pepper. Use as a dip or put on lamb gyros. The Greeks have many recipes for lamb. YUM!
Cucumber salad! Slice thinly, sprinkle generously with salt and let sit for a few hours or overnight (removes excess water). Then rinse well, and pat dry w/ paper towels. Add thinly sliced onions and a dollop of sour cream. Delicious!
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