Category Archives: Recipes

Recipes

10 Easy Ways to Use Cucumbers

1 Comment

Cucumbers don’t seem to share the notorious reputation of summer squash for its summertime over abundance however they are productive. They’re also not quite as easy to preserve as something like tomatoes which are easily frozen, canned, or dried for delicious meals later on. If you’ve got baskets of cucumbers piling up on your kitchen counter try a few of these easy suggestions to make the most of your summer bounty.

Add them to smoothies.

Cucumbers are cool, mild, and refreshing making them an excellent choice for summertime smoothies.

Pickle them.

If you’re up for a more traditional preservation route there are many recipes for water bath canning pickles. Check out these recipes from Ball:

Kosher Dill Pickles

Bread and Butter Pickles

If canning isn’t your thing, try checking recipes for “refrigerator pickles.” These can’t be kept at room temperature like their canned counterparts but they will keep in the fridge for a long time.

Make frozen treats.

Cucumbers make wonderful additions to homemade fruit sorbets or popsicles. They’re nice and juicy without a lot of intense flavor.

Toss them in drinks.

Cucumbers are an awesome homegrown way to add excitement to your drinks. Sangria, gin & tonics, or even ice water with your fresh cucumber slices is sure to impress your guests.

Make gazpacho.

For those who haven’t heard of it gazpacho is a soup made from blended vegetables that’s served cool. It makes a great summer lunch and there’s tons of recipes to suit everyones’ tastes. Check out this recipe from the BBC, Green Cucumber & Mint Gazpacho.

Ferment them.

Fermented foods are great for your gut and pretty easy to make. Try this recipe for awesome fermented cucumber pickles.

Try a different cucumber salad.

Tossing a cucumber slices onto a plain salad can quickly get boring but their are plenty of recipes if you’re willing to branch out try searching for Asian cucumber sesame salad recipes or check Pinterest for more recipes.

Add them to a stir fry.

It may sound a bit odd if you’re accustomed to only eating fresh cucumbers but cucumbers are delicious in a stir fry or alone. Try frying some with a touch of oil, soy sauce, and ginger.

Make fresh salsa.

Cucumbers can easily be added to fresh salsa recipes like this one for taco night!

Make your own soap.

If you’re into crafts or diy projects or have ever tried soap making you may want to try adding some of your cucumbers. Search “cucumber soap” for recipes.

As is the case with many vegetables cucumbers are actually very versatile. If you’ve got an abundance this season trying a few new recipes can help you eat more from your garden and spend less time in the grocery store. What’s your favorite way to use cucumbers?

Pin it for later.

Recipes

Easy Fermented Cucumber Pickles

Leave a comment

Fermenting food is actually one of the oldest and safest methods of food preservation. Despite this fermenting food as a means of food preservation has largely been replaced by canning and freezing. While fermented foods may require a little extra care and attention they are still pretty easy to make and are beneficial to eat. Eating a diet that includes fermented foods promotes healthy gut flora and good digestion.

Fermented cucumber pickles are an easy way to get started with fermented foods and they’re just as tasty as home canned ones! They’re also easy to make in small batches, perfect for people with smaller gardens.

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • fresh cucumbers
  • filtered water
  • salt 
  • onions
  • spices (dill, pepper, garlic, etc.)
  • jar or crock
  • crock weight
  • *optional – grape leaves 

Directions

Rinse your cucumbers and remove any that are bruised or damaged. If you’re making a large crock and can fit them in whole they’re ready to go. If not slice your cucumbers however you desire. Spears and slice both work fine.

Mix your cucumbers, onion slices, and spices and pack them into your jar or crock leaving an inch or so of head space.

Don’t worry that the recipe isn’t specific. It doesn’t matter! Unlike canning you can mess around with ingredients without making your food unsafe. If you’re not sure what spices you’d like small batches are wonderful for trying different combinations.

In a quart jar mix 1 1/2 TBS salt and water until the salt is dissolved and pour over your cucumbers. Repeat this process as needed until they’re completely covered.

Place some sort of weight over your cucumbers to hold them under the water. You can purchase a crock weight, use a plate, or use a clean rock. In my mini batch pictured above I washed a small rock and used it.

If desired you can also layer clean grape leaves over the top of your cucumbers before weighing them down. The grape leaves help keep the air away from your cucumbers and the tannins in them help the cucumbers stay crisp.

If you’re using a jar you can now lightly put the lid on. Don’t screw it down tight. If gases can’t escape your jar will explode. If using a crock you can lay a clean towel or cloth over it. Let your pickles ferment for 2-3 days on the counter.

Once they’ve fermented they can be moved to cold storage like a refrigerator or root cellar and they’ll last for months!

Pin it for later.

Recipes

Summertime Herbal Iced Tea

Leave a comment

After a long day in the garden there’s nothing better than a glass of iced tea and chair in the shade. While I do love the classic sweet tea with just black tea and sugar, having something fresh from the garden makes it extra special. This is my favorite tea blend for hot summer days. It’s super easy to make and uses just 3 ingredients, fresh fruit slices, lemon balm, and red clover blossoms.

Lemon balm is a wonderful and easy to grow perennial herb. It can be cut and used in teas all summer long. Some studies have found lemon balm to have important antiviral properties and it’s also known to have a calming effect.

Red clover has long been used as an herbal remedy and has a long list of benefits. It’s believed to have a mild sedative effect and be anti-inflammatory.

*Red clover and other herbs can react with certain medications. Please consult your doctor with any questions or concerns regarding herbal remedies.*

Ingredients

1 pint of water

2 sprigs of lemon balm

4 red clover blossoms

fruit slices (orange, strawberry, lemon, grapefruit, etc.)

*Optional* maple syrup or honey to taste

Directions

There’s two ways to make this tea. The quickest is to pour hot water over your herbs and fruit and and let them steep for 15 minutes before placing in the fridge or freezer to chill.

Alternatively you can make sun tea. Add all your ingredients to a mason jar with a lid and let your jars sit in the sun for about 4 hours before pouring over ice. 

If desired you can strain your tea before adding ice. If you want your tea to look extra pretty save some fresh fruit and herbs to garnish once the tea has steeped.

If you’d like to have this tea year round or in a convenient travel option all of the ingredients can be dehydrated. For the lemon balm and red clover you should harvest them in the morning or evening when it’s cool. Dry them in a dehydrator at around 105°F. If you don’t have a dehydrator lemon balm can be bundled and hung upside down to dry and red clover flowers can be laid out on a screen.

Fruit should be thinly sliced and dehydrated at around 135°F until the slices are brittle. Alternatively you can dry them in your oven on the lowest possible temperature.

Once dry you can mix the herbs and fruit and store in an air tight container. Herbs will lose some of their potency and flavor as they dry so you may need more than you would fresh.

Store-bought herbal teas can be expensive however many herbs are easy to grow in your own back yard and are even better when harvested fresh!

 

Pin it for later.