Cucumbers

Published at

June-Sept

Know that you may receive pickling cucumbers (also called Kirby), slicing cucumbers or the occasion beautiful English-type cucumber. If the cucumbers are quite ripe, their seeds will be pretty large. Depending on how you feel about cucumber seeds, you may want to scoop them out like you would the seeds of a butternut squash. The English cucumber will always tiny seeds that should never present an issue.

Cucumbers are mostly water, so they need to be refrigerated in such a way that they don’t start to wilt. But they also need to be eaten up pretty quickly. They will start to develop mushy spots and soon the whole cucumber is ruined. So put them somewhere that they will remind you they’re waiting to be consumed.

And you can use my favorite trick of going ahead and prepping them for snacking so they’re easy to just grab and eat.

When I can, I like to make my favorite cucumber sandwiches, which I find are best when I peel and slice the cucumbers and then marinate them just a while in rice wine vinegar. A slice of bread spread with seasoned cream cheese (fennel fronds, garlic, dill, basil, seasoned salt – your choice) and then layered with cucumber slices – I wait for those sandwiches the way some folks wait for the first tomato sandwich of the year.

Pickles are a great way to use a lot of cucumbers in a hurry, and pickles can be very easy or very complicated. The easiest pickles are kosher dills, which at their simplest are just cucumbers packed in a jar with a salt brine, garlic and fresh dill. You just need a quart jar, your washed cucumbers (whole or in quarters), some garlic cloves (also in the box), fresh dill and a brine of about 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt to a quart of water. Pack the jar with the cucumbers, garlic and dill, and cover them with brine. I like to put them immediately in the refrigerator, and in about 2 days they are like the half dills you get at a great Kosher deli. In a week or two they’ll be fully brined, and they will keep in the refrigerator all summer. It’s a great way to use up just a few cucumbers at a time. Be sure to do it while the cucumbers are freshest, though. And if you have some salt brine left over, just put it in a jar and keep it until you’re ready to put up another jar of pickles.

(2023) 5-Ingredient Apple Cider Vinaigrette

And for the cucumbers and sweet peppers and tomatoes and radishes, I’m going to make them into a big salad and dress them with this Apple Cider Vinaigrette recipe from Emily Nunn and the Department of Salad. I’ll make a bigger batch and keep it in a jar in the refrigerator to anoint salads for the next week or two. AND I’m going to slice an apple or two into the salad. Love adding fruit to salads. That little bit of sweet crunch is always a welcome surprise.

(2023) Sichuan Cucumbers

If you’d prefer to go savory, here’s a Sichuan Cucumber recipe from a restaurant in Charleston. I have black vinegar in my pantry from recipe testing for the AJC. If you don’t, and don’t want to buy a bottle, you could skip it and up the rice vinegar. Definitely not balsamic (which some people think they can substitute just because it’s black)!

(2023) Sweet Cucumber Relish

It’s been a bountiful year for cucumbers, that’s for sure. When I looked in the refrigerator last weekend and saw a half dozen cucumbers and a few peppers, I realized I needed to do something with them to make way for what would undoubtedly be more this week. So I made the Sweet Cucumber Relish you see below. It’s hugely adaptable so if you want to make some, consider this just a general notion of what you could do. Great way to use up any quantity of cucumbers, any quantity of peppers, etc.

(2023) Victory Sandwich Bar’s Watermelon Salad  

So, so happy to see more melons this week. Cantaloupe and watermelon for us, alongside a spaghetti squash, red potatoes, slicer tomatoes and Kirby cucumbers.

I’ve got the perfect salad for two of those items. A watermelon and cucumber salad. Salads combining those two are not new, but I’ve never seen a recipe with a dressing like the one at Victory Sandwich Bar. AJC will be publishing this recipe Sunday and it will be online August 16, but down below is a sneak preview. So delicious! Substitute, or add, cantaloupe to the salad.

(2023) Sabich Bowls

The Sabich Bowl makes great use of that eggplant in today’s box as well as a tomato and a little sliced cabbage for garnish.

(2023) Cucumber and Mint Salad

One more idea for those cucumbers, this Cucumber and Mint Salad adapted from Joshua McFadden’s “Six Seasons.” I’m skipping the green onions and just using a bit more red onion.

(2023) Cucumber Salad, Sichuan-Style

If you’re ready for another idea of cucumbers (since we got so many both slicers and Kirby variety today), I have a Mark Bittman recipe for a spicy cucumber salad.

(2023) Pickled Cucumber Salad

I’ll probably substitute finely sliced basil for the dill called for in the recipe since I’ve got a pot of basil growing on my back deck, and dill, although my absolute favorite herb, is not something that has ever grown well for me.

(2022) Cold Peanut Noodle Salad with Cucumbers

And because we have a bounty of cucumbers, I’ll make the Cold Peanuts Noodle Salad with Cucumbers from Alexander Stafford, down below. We like the dressing a little sweeter, so we add some honey.

(2022) Cucumber-Ricotta Sandwiches

Adapted from the New York Times. AThey suggest making your own ricotta – which is probably not in the cards for me so I will use some really good cream cheese or queso fresco. I’m finding sometimes cucumbers are bitter – so before you make this, cut a bit of peel and taste it. If it’s bitter, peel the cucumber before slicing.

(2021) Melon, Cucumber and Cherry Tomato Salad

I haven’t cut into those melons yet. They’re in the refrigerator chilling. But I’m sharing a recipe I saw in the New York Times for a melon, cherry tomato and cucumber salad. Nothing particularly unusual in it, except for the concept. I just wouldn’t have thought to add melon to a tomato and cucumber salad. That’s the great thing about looking for and sharing recipes. It’s always fun for me to look for things that sounds intriguing and just a bit different from what I’d traditionally make.

(2021) Cucumber Basil Gazpacho

I think it was last week I shared a quick tomato gazpacho recipe. Here’s one from Aluma Farm that’s a cucumber version. I’m going to use yogurt and I’m sure it will remind me of tzatziki sauce. I love the combination of yogurt and cucumbers, but had never considered making it into a soup. Farmers do the smartest things with their produce.

(2021) Speedy Summer Gazpacho

For a recipe that won’t heat up the kitchen, I’m considering this easy gazpacho published in a story called “Eat to Beat Illness” by Rupy Aujla. It calls for a few more tomatoes that were in the box, but …. you could use some cherry tomatoes, you could just cut down on tomatoes, or maybe just like me, you bought some tomatoes last weekend at a farmers market and have a few to spare. The proportion of ingredients is totally up to you and what’s sitting on your counter. The recipe calls for serving right from the food processor, but I’m going to chill mine before serving. Which I guess defeats the “speedy” of the title, but I just like my gazpacho cold!

(2021) Kachumber Cooler

This one from Smittn Kitchen. We were away at the beach last week so missed the late June box, but I’ve enjoyed the cucumber lemonade recipe I shared two weeks ago over and over again.

To make simple syrup, heat 1 tablespoon water with 2 tablespoons sugar, stirring, just until the sugar dissolves. Pour into cup or bowl and 1 tablespoon ice-cold water to cool it somewhat, then chill in the fridge until needed. Scale up as needed. Leftovers keep in fridge.

(2021) Cucumber Lemonade

I just found this recipe but didn’t make a note of the source. So sorry not to be giving it proper attribution.

(2021) Salt-and-Squeeze Slaw

That bok choy may be stumping you. For some of us, it’s a challenge to come up ideas several weeks in a row. I dug out this old recipe from Bon Appetit – a salt-and-squeeze slaw. You could use almost anything in today’s box. The recipe is down below.

(2020) Aluma Farm’s Veggie Pickles

Love that the Aluma Farm recipe helps you understand how much brine to make, depending on how many pickles you’re putting up. Really helpful for those of us pickling on the fly.

(2020) No Cook Refrigerator Pickles

This one was published in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin from the Georgia Department of Agriculture but I don’t remember when! It calls for onions, but I like making it with rounds of zucchini or yellow squash, and maybe some sticks of green onion for that onion flavor.

(2019) Mexican Shrimp Cocktail

Because there’s always room for one more recipe and I’ve got shrimp to cook, how about this one from “Live, Eat, Cook Healthy” by Rachel Khanna?

(2018) Chopped Salad

Here’s one more idea for a salad using many of the things in this week’s box. You want to make it ahead so the vegs have a chance to marinated. It’s perfect for a potluck – just take all the containers of vegs, then assemble onsite.

(2017) Quick Pickled Vegetables

From alexandracooks.com. She suggests using these as a pizza topping. You can try it with the peppers and even the green tomatoes from today’s box.

(2017) Pork Larb

I love larb and never think about adding green beans. But seeing the beans in today’s box and then this recipe made me decide to share. It’s adapted from a chicken larb recipe in “Adam’s Big Pot” by Adam Liaw. The rice, chili powder and chile flakes combine to make the equivalent of a Thai seasoning mix. Serve it on lettuce leaves if you wish.

(2017) Sweet and Spicy Grilled Pickles

We got enough cucumbers this week that this recipe might make sense. I had never even thought about putting cucumbers on the grill until I ran into this recipe at seriouseats.com.

(2017) Gazpacho with Tomato Sherbet

I love gazpacho, especially when it’s as hot as it is right now. This recipe is from “Julia Reed’s South: Spirited Entertaining and High-Style Fun All Year Long.” There’s the gazpacho and then there’s a sherbet. You can make one or the other, or both – but it’s a very impressive combination if you can make the time to do the sherbet. Gazpacho goes together in minutes.

(2017) Summer Bread Salad

Craig Richards of St. Cecilia demoed this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Love the combination of melon, cucumber and peppers.

(2017) Cucumber Soup with Almond Milk

This simple, simple recipe comes from the ladies of Treehouse Milk. Do you know they do home delivery? Or you can pick up their milk at Freedom and Peachtree Road farmers markets on alternating weeks. Love their products.

Cucumber Potato Salad

I love this recipe from Sunset magazine. Who thinks of these combinations? Love this one. And I like the idea of steaming the potatoes instead of boiling. Just be sure your potato pieces are all the same size so they’ll steam evenly.

Feta-Pecan-Stuffed Cucumbers

Combine pecans and parsley in blender or food processor and pulse until powdery in texture. Add cheese, milk, garlic, paprika, and ground red pepper and puree until smooth. Fill cucumbers with mixture, patting into place with fork or spoon. Slice into wedges and...

Squash/Cucumber Bread and Butter Pickles

As far as I’m concerned, it’s never too early in the season to put up pickles! I wish I could remember where this recipe came from, but it’s full of good instructions about proper canning. If you don’t want to do the sterilizing and boiling bath canning, then make the pickles and refrigerate them as soon as the brine cools. Consider them refrigerator pickles and eat them in a week or two.

To sterilize canning jars, submerge them in boiling water for at least 10 minutes and until they are ready to be filled. Use new lids, and sterilize them according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Notes on Spring Produce

Another amazing week of vegetables. That head of romaine is just right for grilling – if you’re so inclined. I shared directions for grilling lettuce a few weeks ago, but basically – wash the head, cut it in half lengthwise, brush the cut sides with olive oil and grill. Dress it with a simple vinaigrette. Read More…

CSA Salad with Buttermilk-Green Onion Dressing

The gorgeous head of lettuce in my CSA box made me run for the salad bowl. Slice up the radishes you don’t put into a sandwich, add the cucumbers and then make this simple dressing. You could sliver some of the Napa cabbage into your salad as well. And what about boiling up a few of those eggs and adding egg halves? Now you’ve got a perfect lunch or light dinner.

Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

The contents of a box like this one just beg to be turned into refrigerator pickles. You should have just enough cucumbers for this recipe. You’ll use a pepper or two, and if you’ve still got an onion around (mine are all gone – sadly), then you’ve got most everything you need. This makes a sort of bread-and-butter pickle. Other fresh refrigerator pickles don’t use sugar and add garlic and dill to make a kosher style pickle. There’ll be a million recipes online.

Easy Greek Chopped Salad

Loved getting cucumbers back again – perfect for a Greek salad. This one came from seriouseats.com but there are a million variations. This one salts the tomatoes and cucumbers to get rid of some of the water, and rinses the onion to calm a little of its bite.

Cucumber Soup

Yes, Virginia, you can eat cooked cucumbers. (Goodness, am I the only one old enough to get that reference?)
Probably 2 years ago I put out a recipe that called for adding peeled chunks of cucumber to a stir fry. You put them in just at the last minute and cook only until the cucumbers are heated through, stopping before they lose their crunch. Really delicious.

And we’ve a recipe or two for cold cucumber soups, usually yogurt- or buttermilk-based, and with the cucumbers used raw. This recipe for a soup with cooked cucumbers is from Paige Witherington of Serenbe Farms. She adapted it from “Home Made” by Yvette Van Boven.

Bread and Butter Pickled Onions

How did I miss this in the bounty of onion ideas we’ve been sending your way? Hope you still have a few onions to experiment with.

Garlic Dill Pickles

Refrigerator dill pickles could not be easier to make. Last year when my garden was producing a huge crop of cucumbers, I made up the brine and refrigerated it. When I came in with my cucumbers-of-the-day, I would rinse them and put them into quart jars, add dill, etc. and fill the jar with brine. Tucked into the spare refrigerator to “ferment”, these pickles make half sours in a day or two, and full sours in a week. They’ll keep for a month or so, but really not much longer since they’re not processed. The nice thing is that you can just make up a jar or two. So if you want to give it a try, don’t worry about needing 3 pounds of cucumbers. Make up the brine and fill your jars with as many of this week’s cucumbers as you want to pickle. We’ll cross our fingers that there are more cucumbers in our future.

Cucumber Sangria

Let’s talk cucumbers. I’ve got two ideas for you. One drink, one pickle (see Garlic Dill Pickles).

From “The Deen Brothers Get Fired Up: Grilling, Tailgating, Picnicking, and More” by Jamie & Bobby Deen and Melissa Clark (Ballantine Books).

Serves 6

Cucumber-Corn Soup

And finally, how about one more chilled corn soup? This one will use your cucumbers, too. With all this heat, I’m searching for all the cool meals I can find. This one is no-cook, perfect for this weather and came from “Everyday Food” magazine. The avocado provides the creamy component for this soup – a fabulous raw recipe. You’ll have to rustle up your own avocado; they’re not an organic crop for this neck of the woods so we’ll never see them in our Riverview box. Unless of course global warming advances faster than we think ….

Smashed Cucumbers

I never get tired of just eating cucumbers like an apple but maybe you’re ready for a new cucumber salad idea. Smashed cucumbers are quite the thing. This recipe’s adapted from one in the New York Times which adapted it from a recipe from Superiority Burger, a vegan burger restaurant in Manhattan.

Cucumber Mint Water

Unfortunately, this is another one of those recipes that I’ve had around so long I don’t remember its provenance. But it’s wonderful, wonderful if you just have too many cucumbers to eat fresh. It’s lightly sweetened and enhanced with a little mint and lemon juice. It’s a take-off on the version Lisa Rochon sells at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. You can vary the herbs – Lisa makes her cucumber water with basil.

Cucumber and Onion Salad

This easy recipe is adapted from one prepared by Seth Freedman, the East Atlanta Village Farmers market chef. It’s really a quick pickle and will keep in your refrigerator for up to a week, with the cucumbers and onions softening and becoming more pickle-like the longer they sit in the brine.

Yogurt-Cucumber Dressing/Dip

I’m sharing two dips, one of which use cucumbers in the recipe. Both would work just as well as a salad dressing, but I was thinking of them as dips for fingers of fennel and kohlrabi, and disks of summer squash and cucumber. Green Goddess Dressing is traditionally made with a mixture of herbs and anchovies, but you can adjust it to suit your household’s taste.

notes about cucumbers

What an amazing box this week. The cucumbers are my favorites and in my box there were both pickling cucumbers and one beautiful English-type cucumber. The pickling cucumbers are quite ripe, so their seeds will be pretty large. Depending on how you feel about cucumber...

Spicy Quinoa, Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Adapted from a recipe by Martha Rose Shulman who writes the “Recipes for Health” series for the New York Times.

This refreshing summer salad can sit in the refrigerator for a few hours without deteriorating, so it makes a great choice for bringing to work or to a summer picnic. There was a hot pepper in my box which I will use for this recipe, or you can substitute one of the other sweeter peppers. Since the cucumbers in my garden are coming in like crazy, I’ve got everything I need for this salad. And of course you could substitute bulgur or some other grain for the quinoa.