Cucumbers: Cool, Crisp and Refreshing by Patty G. Leander

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Jay White

Easy to grow and refreshing to eat!

Now that we have harvested, admired, ogled and savored the first of our home-grown tomatoes it’s time to let cucumbers, another summertime classic, share the limelight.

Cucumber plants have responded to the rain with oodles of fruit

This has been one of the best cucumbers seasons I have seen in several years; my plants have responded to the generous rains with vigorous growth and a steady supply of bright yellow flowers yielding firm, emerald fruit. I planted six varieties in my garden in mid-March and we have been slicing, dicing, dipping, pickling, steeping, even sautéing, cucumbers since early June with no signs of letting up any time soon. Below are a few of my favorite recipes for enjoying the non-stop cucumber harvest.

Make these quick, no-cook pickles any time you have a surplus of cucumbers

No Cook Sweet and Sour Pickles

6 cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup white vinegar

1 teaspoon celery seed

1 tablespoon coarse salt

Mix all ingredients and let stand 1-2 hours. Spoon into covered glass jars and store in refrigerator.

A refreshing blend of mangoes, cucumbers and Japanese buckwheat noodles in a sweet-sour dressing

Soba Noodle Salad with Cucumber and Mango

¾ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded and chopped

3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 tablespoon sesame oil

12 ounces soba noodles or thin spaghetti

2 large cucumbers, seeded, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced

1 ripe mango, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

1 cup chopped fresh basil

1 cup chopped fresh mint

1 cup chopped peanuts

Heat vinegar, sugar and salt over medium heat until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and jalapeño and set aside to cool. Mix in lime juice and sesame oil.

Cook noodles in large pot of boiling water until tender but still firm to bite, 4-5 minutes. Drain then rinse under cold water. Drain again, shaking off excess water.

Transfer noodles to a large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Add cucumber, mango, basil and mint to noodles and toss gently. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts and garnish with lime wedges just before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings

Grow your own sprouts or microgreens to top these little cucumber sandwiches.

Cucumber Sandwiches

Thanks to my local Central Market for this light and easy recipe – perfect for a little pick-me-up.

1 thin-skinned cucumber, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

Salt & pepper to taste

8 oz cream cheese, softened

½ cup chopped pecans

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

8 slices bread, crusts trimmed

Microgreens or sprouts

Sprinkle vinegar over cucumbers and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Mix cream cheese, pecans and mustard and spread lightly on 4 slices of bread.

Top with seasoned cucumber slices, microgreens or sprouts and remaining bread. Cut into 4 triangles to serve.

Peanuts add a nice crunch to this refreshing Thai Cucumber Salad

Thai Cucumber Salad

Sweet, tangy, minty, spicy – this salad has it all.

2 cucumbers, cut into matchsticks

1 onion, thinly sliced

¼ cup chopped mint

1 teaspoon Asian chili paste

2 tablespoon lime juice

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Salt to taste

½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Combine cucumbers, onion and mint in a large bowl. Whisk remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl. Pour over cucumbers and mix gently. Let sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts just before serving. Yield: 4 servings

Raita

We love this refreshing Indian condiment; serve with spicy chicken, naan bread, pita chips or whole grain crackers. Tweak the seasonings to suit your taste.

2 cups plain yogurt

2 medium cucumbers, peeled and seeded

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon chopped dill, cilantro and/or mint

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

Coarsely grate cucumbers. Place in a sieve to drain for a few minutes then pat dry. Mix with remaining ingredients and chill 1-2 hours before serving. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne before serving.

Pickling cucumbers (these are a variety called ‘Calypso’) are best for making dill pickles – they have thin skin and can stand up to the pickling process . Harvest regularly and use the smallest ones for pickles.

And last, but certainly not least, my favorite recipe for dill pickles. A few years ago my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Greg Grant in his little East Texas kingdom of Arcadia (population 57). One of the highlights while we were there – and there were many – was dinner at his parent’s home…unfortunately his parents were off on a visit with grandkids but Greg played host and served us a delicious dinner, mostly prepared by his wonderful mother before she left town. When Greg set a quart jar of homemade dill pickles on the table I couldn’t stop eating them. I asked about how she made them and it will come as no surprise that his mother’s recipe is almost identical to Mary Stewart’s recipe for dill pickles. Both have been previously published and I am sharing them again here. Hope you will make and enjoy!

You know it’s gonna be good when two amazing cooks – who don’t know each other – use the same recipe!

Dill Pickles

This recipe makes 2 quarts, double if you have an abundance of cucumbers. Start with clean, sterilized jars. Use the grape leaves if you can find them – they contribute to crispness.

Small, whole pickling cucumbers, washed and drained

1 cup vinegar

2 ½ tablespoons pickling salt

2 cups water

4 heads fresh dill

4 cloves of garlic

4 hot peppers (optional)

4 grape leaves (optional)

Bring vinegar, water and salt to a boil. Meanwhile place one hot pepper, one clove garlic, one head of dill and one grape leaf in each quart jar. Pack tightly with cucumbers and add another head of dill and garlic clove. Fill jars with hot pickling solution, leaving ½” headspace at top of jar. Wipe rim and seal with lid. Process jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes OR skip the water bath, let jars cool, top with lids and store in the refrigerator for short term enjoyment.

I share these posts on Our SimpleHomestead Blog Hop. Be sure to stop by. The “hop” has tons of great information from gardeners and homesteaders all over the world!

Tip of the Week – Week 22 in the Zone 9 Garden

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Jay White

I am getting a lot of questions about what to do about all of this rain. I really don’t know. According to the weather man we are experiencing “historical rain events”. This means that nobody really knows how all of this water is going to affect our yards and gardens. I am certain that if all of this moisture doesn’t kill our plants out right, we are going to have problems with fungus and mold and bugs once the sun comes out. The only advice I have right now is pray that all of these “historical rain events” end soon!

Planting time is slipping away. However you can still plant southern peas like crowder and black eyes.

Vegetables

Pick cucumbers regularly. With this much rain it is not unreasonable to expect to harvest every day
Make pickles with all of those cucumbers
You can still plant basil. If you have basil ready to harvest pick often and pick early in the morning when flavors are strongest
We are nearing the end of planting season but you can still plant sweet potatoes, lima beans, okra and southern peas. However, your planting window is closing.

Prune your climbing roses after they finish blooming

Ornamentals

Prune running roses after blooms fade. Train new growth onto or around structures
Feed roses and other blooming shrubs. Add compost monthly and blended fertilizers every six weeks
All of this rain is going to make fungal diseases a problem. Inspect roses regularly for black spot or powdery mildew. Treat with a fungicides easily found at your garden center.
All of this rain will leach nutrients from your potted plants. Now is a great time to replant, or at a minimum, fertilize them. I like to use a slow release fertilize like Osmocote so they are feed all summer long

Lawns

If you can stand it, do not mow until things dry out a bit, especially if you use a riding mower. The ground is so wet you can damage your lawn and your equipment.

This cool, wet weather has extended the time we have to plant small trees and shrubs.

Trees

Take advantage of the unusually cool temperatures and large amounts of water to plant small trees and shrubs. This extended planting season for trees and woody perennials is the only bright spot I can think of right now.
If you grow fruit trees in containers be sure and fertilize them regularly. Right now they have fruit so they need water and nutrients. Feed weekly with a liquid organic solution like compost tea. One of my favorite liquid organic applications is John’s Recipe from Lady Bug.

Growing Cucumbers (Cucumis sativus)

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Jay White

I love the holidays. The kids come home. We eat, we visit, and then I try to get them to help me in the garden. Before they get here, my wife always reminds me that when company comes they are “company” and not “labor”. She encourages me to leave the gardening alone and play host all weekend. And, since I love my wife, I try. I really do. However, I rarely succeed.

My son in law Ramez is skeptical of the “little thing he can help with in the garden”

This weekend I made it until about noon on Saturday. By that time I had whined enough, that the kids (and even my wife) told me to go. So, my son in law Ramez (Moose) put on his work shoes (that I keep here for him for just such opportunities) and we headed out.

Moose helped me move my cattle panel trellises from my “old garden” to the “new garden”. I use cattle panels, supported by T-Posts, in place of tomato cages. I also use them to grow vining crops like cucumbers.

This year, Sally and I are going to make pickles. So, I am growing a bunch of cucumbers. Moose and I set up two sixteen foot panels so I can grow a full 30’ foot row. Since cucumbers are so productive, a 30’ row will give Sally and I more than enough pickles to meet our canning needs.

My daughter Jessie is planting “pickling” cucumbers along my cattle panel trellis

Growing – Cucumbers are cucurbits. People often ask me how I know how/when to plant so many types of plants. Well, I cheat. Instead of trying to learn all of the traits of single plants, I learn the traits of plant families. If you learn the cultivation requirements of some of the basic plant families (like Cucrbitaceae or Brassica), you know how and when to grow a whole lot of different plants that fall in those families. Generally, all cucurbits can be planted and grown in the exact same way.

Blue cucumber seeds have been treated with an organic, sulfur based fungicide called thiram. This protects against certain pests and makes sure the seeds do not rot in moist soil.

Cucumbers can be planted about two weeks after the last frost date. For me, that is usually around March 15. Plant them in a sunny location that receives at least 8 hours of sun a day. They are heavy feeders and they need good drainage. Plant cucumbers about an inch deep in beds that are well worked with organic material. As they grow, watch their leaves. If they show signs of yellowing, side dress with a good aged manure.

Cucumbers produce lots of vines. While you can let them run, the fruit quality and appearance will be better if they are trellised. I have grown them on three legged trellises with a lot of success. However, since I am going for production, I now grow exclusively on cattle panels.

Untreated “Muncher” cucumber seeds

Since cucumbers produce so many vines, they need a lot of water. Plus, the fruit of a cucumber is 90% water. If you do not give them enough water, they can become bitter. At a minimum, they need 1” a week from a slow deep watering. However, at flowering and fruiting, it is a good idea to up the amount of water to 1 ½” to 2” per week (especially in sandy soils). Ideally, cucumbers should not be allowed to dry out. The soil should stay moist throughout the growing season. Also, mulch your vines heavily to get the most out of all of that water you are applying. This mulch will save water and keep the roots cool. Cool roots mean longer production.