Any suggestions for using a "million" cucumbers?

[femmocrat]

I decided to use up all of my old seeds this year.... bad idea. I have dozens and dozens of cucumbers from only 12 mounds.

I have already made enough pickles and salads, and there are still more little ones out there! they are the only crop that is really doing well this year.

[beac]

1. Wish I had your luck with cukes!

I think mine just get too much sun. Well, that and the %$#@!*&^ cucumber beetles.

Anyway, cucumber sandwiches are always a treat. Thin slices of cucumber and thin bread is the secret. I like Durkee's spread on them or dill mayo. Fresh ground salt and pepper to finish it off. And open-faced. :)

Or, serve those thins slices with tzatziki sauce (also made w/cukes!) as a side dish. If, like me, you are sometimes to lazy to make your own sauce, I really like Marzetti's Otria Greek Yogurt Dip in the Cucumber-Dill falvor: http://www.marzetti.com/products/marzetti/dips/otria-greek-yogurt-veggie-dips.htm?cmpid=106


Another idea: Does your local food bank accept fresh produce?

[femmocrat]

2. Thanks for the good tips.

I thought about a food bank.... but I don't think we have one here. It's a rural area. I might put some out by the road with sign, "Free Cucumbers" and watch them disappear. :)

[beac]

3. You might want to post this in the Cooking & Baking forum too.

Lots of smart foodies over there (and a great tzatziki recipe from a few weeks ago, BTW) :)

[Blue Gardener]

4. Local food pantry

Or Table to Table.

[Le Taz Hot]

5. I freeze mine whole

and then use them as one of the ingredients in vegetable soup and vegetable stock, taking them out as I need them. I do the same thing with my green onions. One caveat, I grow Armenian cucumbers. Actually, technically, they're a muskmelon but they look and taste like cucumbers. They're gasless and don't have to be peeled. Here's a link to see what they look like:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenian_cucumber

They also make GREAT bread-and-butter pickles -- won 2nd place at the County Fair 3 years ago with them.

[NJCher]

6. cucumber juice

I started making my own cucumber juice years ago. I learned about it when I was straining the cucumbers for a salad. I took a sip of the drippings, which had salt in it because I'd salted the cucumbers in the strained. I was hooked!

Since then I've made cucumber juice every chance I get.

I Googled it and found someone else who does cucumber juice, too, though this recipe has sugar in it, which I've never put in. Also, this recipe uses the whole cucumber:

http://acozykitchen.com/cucumber-juice/

Nice pics at this link, too. I note this blogger used Armenian cukes, but I've always used regular cucumbers and also Kirbys.

My husband noted that this would also make a good Bloody Mary: just substitute the cucumber juice for the Bloody Mary mix.

One other summer recipe I like with cucumbers is cucumber soup. I use a Mollie Katzen recipe. Oh man, I could sip that all day long.

Vive la cucumber!


Cher

[Botany]

7. Local food bank

n/t