Uses for cucumbers
Our cucumbers are just starting to produce but I can tell that eventually I will have too many to deal with. Too bad they can't be frozen & used for later. I think they would turn mushy & loose their "crunch". Any ideas as to how to use them up before they go bad on me?
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I am not a canner, so for me, it's refrigerator pickles.I slice them paper thin and store them in a big covered plastic container (9x12x6") in the refrigerator in a pickling brine of vinegar, sugar, water, thin-sliced onion, spices, and sometimes a little green pepper and they last for months.
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I was taught to always cut a cucumber in half first then slice or cut the two ends. It will stop the bitter taste. Anyone do it that way?
We eat cucumbers almost every day. I slice them and sprinkle generously with Ranch powder. I leave them on the counter for snacking. The grands like them too. |
I also make refrigerator pickles but mine are sweet. For one quart--thinly slice enough cucumber to almost fill the quart jar (in winter, this would be a large english cucumber) and one onion. Put in bowl and sprinkle with pickling salt (regular will do in a pinch) Leave for a couple of hours and then rinse very well.
Mix 3/4 cup white vinegar, 1/4 cup cider vinegar (use all white if you have no cider), 2/3 cup white sugar, a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 heaping teaspoon mustard seeds, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric. Bring to a boil and let simmer a few minutes. Pour over vegetables, clean jar rim, tightly screw on lid and put in the fridge. Lasts for months and I can eat them like candy! |
Pickles or relish come to mind for lots of cucumbers. There are several cucumber salad recipes but you can only eat salad so many times without getting sick of it.
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I have made bread and butter pickles that can be frozen. They are(were) awesome!
My Mom had made some and I used them ten (or more) years after she froze them - and they were still good. (I can see and hear the groans out there - ) |
Thanks to all! I've made pickles before but am not into that anymore. The relish sounds like it might work if I can find an easy recipe that does not require having to "can" in a pressure cooker. Frozen pickles sound interesting but I don't have enough freezer space. I'll probably be giving a lot away to neighbors!
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We never used a pressure cooker to can our pickles. We did use a hot water bath for some. I remember packing the quart jars with cucumbers, adding some canning salt, garlic, dill, pouring a hot brine over it, putting the tops on then processing in a hot water bath. Mom did not trust presser cookers to not explode in the old days.
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I like to slice a few and put in pitcher of water. It is very refreshing after being outside in the heat.
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Muddle some cucumber slices into lemonade!
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