Asian Cucumber Salad

 INGREDIENTS
1 large cucumber, peeled and sliced
1 T. toasted sesame oil
2 tsp. sriracha
2 tsp. maple syrup
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. rice vinegar
1-2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 T. sesame seeds

DIRECTIONS

Slice prepared cucumbers and set aside. In a bowl combine remaining ingredients. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers and stir. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pickle de Gallo

A delicious and healthy alternative to regular salsa and a great and easy way to use up some of those garden vegetables that are just waiting to be eaten!

INGREDIENTS

1 large cucumber, finely chopped

1 c. dill pickles, finely chopped

1/2 c. red onion, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalapeño, finely chopped (remove seeds for less heat)

1/2 c. brine from jar of pickles

salt, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix until combined. Cover and refrigerate for an hour until ready to eat. Enjoy with your favorite tortilla chips!

Sweet Success Cucumbers

Our cuc vines have been pushing out some great cucumbers this year. These Sweet Success Cucumbers are so mild and sweet that they have quickly become a summer favorite. Sometimes when cucumbers get too big they become bitter to the taste but even when these sneaky cucumbers don't want to be found until they are giants we have been surprised to find they still have plenty of juice, crunch and continued mild flavor.  

I like to find ways to use them in drinks. The easiest and most refreshing way is simply by adding a few to your water. Throw in a couple lemon slices and mint leaves and you have a beautiful and energizing flavored water to keep you going throughout the day.

My kids can't pass up an after school snack and slicing up cucumbers with some of their favorite dips helps curb their hunger until dinner. Some of their favorites are simply ranch dip and hummas. Or why not sprinkle a few with salt, Tajin or drizzled with a bit of lemon?! Adding flavor keeps my kids from remembering they are eating something healthy. 

Do you have a favorite appetizer or beverage using fresh garden cucumbers? What is your favorite variety of cucumber?

Cucumbers and Pickling

Gardening is one of my favorite things to do. I love researching and planning out ahead of time what I want to grow for the year. Creating a map of where I think things will grow best in our raised garden beds helps me to be prepared when it comes time to plant. Watching things grow from a tiny seed to a beautiful plant that my family can eat is hugely satisfying. I feel like the more years I garden, the less I really know. Gardening takes trial and error, patience, practice and not giving up but the rewards are addicting. Some years we'll have great success with tomatoes and then the very next year do the same thing but might end up disappointed. I love the problem solving aspect with trying to figure out which plants need the most sunlight or shade, best watering techniques, getting rid of pesky bugs, best times of year to plant depending on your growing season, and how to fertilize. One of my favorite aspects of gardening has always been with how to maximize smaller spaces to get the most produce possible.  We've been working on adding trellis's to our garden which creates an added dimension as you watch these beautiful green plants climb high into the sky.  

One of my favorite things to grow this year has been cucumbers. They are sneaky little buggers. Ive been watching on the trellis for weeks thinking we weren't going to get any and then all of a sudden they were there.....giants! Normally at this size my cucumbers would have a bitter taste but these Sweet Success Cucumbers have been fantastic. I would definitely recommend this variety! 

What is your favorite way to eat cucumbers?

One complication I have been working on is where my herbs can thrive. Some herbs are super temperamental in how much water and sunlight they like to receive each day. This year I have had a lot of success with keeping most herbs in individual pots on the west side of our garden. Other taller vegetable plants have given them extra shade and they have thrived on the extra hot summer days. This dill plant has been a god-send when we decided to can pickling cucumbers last week.

I have been hesitant to can pickles. Crunch is important to me and the more I read about preserving and other people's fails, the less confident I felt about the effort in canning pickling cucumbers and creating something my family would actually like and eat. Here are 2 recipes that were successful for us this year and the things I learned.

1. Stick with tried and true recipes which include recipes from the Ball canning book/website.

2. Use 1/8 tsp. xtra crunch pickling crisp granules for pint jar and 1/4 tsp. granules for quart jar. This helps the cucumbers not get mushy.

3. You can use dry dill but I prefer fresh. 

4. If you want to can and store vegetables long term you need to plant multiple plants that can produce higher yields in a shorter amount of time. Getting a couple cucumbers off 1 plant each week isn't going to be worth your time. This year I planted 3 plants and I'm still not getting enough pickling cucumbers to equal a batch worth processing. My brother planted 20+ pickling cucumber plants. This allowed him to process several batches each week and then share....because they keep coming! The first week I processed 25 pint jars of dill and bread and butter pickles. Last week with 4 gallon ziplock bags we processed 11 quart jars. 

Dill Pickles

INGREDIENTS

8 lbs. 4-6 inch pickling cucumbers, cut to desired length

3/4 c. sugar

1/2 c. canning salt

1 quart vinegar

1 quart water

3 T. mixed pickling spices

green or dry dill (1 head per jar)

garlic cloves

1/4 tsp. xtra crunch granules per quart jar or 1/8 tsp. per pint jar)

DIRECTIONS

Wash cucumbers. Slice off ends and cut to desired length. Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water into a saucepan. Tie spices into a spice bag and put into the vinegar mixture. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add dill and a garlic clove to each jar. Pack cold and cut cucumbers tightly into hot jars. Ladle the hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Add xtra crunch granules to top. Remove air bubbles and clean off rim of jars. Put on lid and ring. Process pints and quarts for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.Turn off heat and remove jars. Let cool for 12-24 hours. Check lids to make sure they have sealed.

Bread and Butter Pickles

INGREDIENTS

3 1/2 lbs. pickling cucumbers (about 14 small to medium)

2 1/2 c. vinegar

2 1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. Bread and Butter Pickle Mix

DIRECTIONS

Wash cucumbers. Slice off ends and cut to desired length. Combine vinegar, sugar and Bread and Butter Pickle Mix to saucepan and bring to a boil.

Pack pickling cucumbers tightly into a jar and then add liquid, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Add xtra crunch granules to top. Remove air bubbles and clean off rim of jars. Put on lid and ring. Process pints and quarts for 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. Turn off heat and remove jars. Let cool for 12-24 hours. Check lids to make sure they have sealed.

Swedish Cucumber Salad

This salad is so refreshing and easy to make. I love using cucumbers and parsley straight out of the garden in the summer time.

INGREDIENTS
2 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp. salt
1/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup vinegar (I've been using the Nakano brand of vinegar that is infused with roasted garlic but regular vinegar is good also)
1/3 cup parsley, chopped
pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Mix the salt, sugar and vinegar together until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add remaining ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Refreshing limeade

My sister in law Stephanie shared this drink with us at our annual Cinco de Mayo party. No one could get enough of it; I think she whipped up 3 batches that night. I think it would serve great at any wedding reception, bridal or baby shower, or if you're like me, I made it last week all for myself, put it in the fridge, and sipped on it for the next couple of days.

INGREDIENTS
1 two liter bottle of Sprite Zero
1 can frozen limeade, thawed
1 cucumber, peeled and sliced into circles
ice

DIRECTIONS
Combine ingredients in a pitcher, stir and serve.

Cucumber Salad

My sister in law Jenny makes this salad often for us and we love it. It's fresh and the dressing is very versatile. For example, last night I made this salad and used cider vinegar but I've used regular vinegar and balsamic as well. Same goes for the oil; just use what you have on hand.

INGREDIENTS
Combine:
1/4 cup onion finely chopped
2-3 thinly sliced cucumbers
1/4 bunch parsley chopped

Dressing:
2 T. EVOO
2 T. vinegar
2 T. soy sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste