Cucumber Recipes: Dealing with Abundance

This sign — spotted while riding my bike around town — made me laugh. Faced with an abundant cucumber harvest, who hasn’t wanted to give it all away?

Cucumbers are the crop du jour, and I know I’m not the only gardener with more cucumbers than they know what to do with. I’ve already made a big batch of bread-and-butter pickles, but there are more things to do with cucumbers than just preserve them. Here are two easy, delicious ways to use cukes with abandon.

Easy Marinated Cucumbers

This recipe works really well with cukes that are a little large. Peel a large cucumber, cut off the ends, then slice it in half length-wise. Using a spoon, scrape the seeds out of the cucumber. Slice each half into slices about 1/4 inch thick. Mix the slices in a dish with 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and a big grind of black pepper. The salad tastes even better after it has rested in the refrigerator a couple of hours.

Cucumber Water

I got this recipe from one of Prevention magazine’s diet books. Even if you are not watching what you are eating, this is an incredibly flavorful summer drink, and it does calm your digestive system nicely. Peel and slice one cucumber into thin rounds. Wash and slice an organic lemon thinly. Mix the sliced fruits with 8 cups of water, 1 Tablespoon grated ginger, and a few mint leaves. Let it sit a few hours or overnight to blend the flavors.

Enjoy!