Five Ways To Use Up All Those Cucumbers

Wow, our cucumber plants are OUT OF CONTROL!

The cukes are coming out of the garden much faster than we can use them up, no doubt.

My nephews came for a visit on their motorbikes this weekend and I sent them home with two saddlebags filled with cucumbers!

Zucchini is easier, because you can sneak it into a bunch of different recipes and freeze it to be used later.

 

Did I mention I snuck a grated zucchini or two into the chili I made this weekend?

 

Oh, and into the chicken tortellini soup I made last week.

 

Nobody noticed!  Shhhh, don't tell them. It will be our little secret.

Cucumbers are eaten fresh out of the garden, for the most part.

So what do you do when you have what seems like a million of them? Aside from giving them away, of course....sometimes to unsuspecting family  members that just stop by for a quick visit!

You get creative, that's what you do.

And  if you know anything about me at all, no doubt by now you know how much I like to experiment in the kitchen.

Good thing, huh?

So, here's what I've been doing with the millions of cukes the garden is spitting out this year.

1. Make cucumber water.

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There's nothing more refreshing than infused water on a hot summer day.

I have been keeping a pitcher of cucumber water in the fridge, and my daughter and I have been drinking it constantly.

You can add mint, melon, or limes to it to enhance the water further. This morning I added a cut up lime, but generally I  just have cucumber in the water - it's a subtle taste, perfect for a summer day.

And it couldn't be simpler. Wash and slice one whole cucumber, throw it in the pitcher, fill with water. Easy peasy!

2. Infuse some spirits.

I'm a huge fan of infused spirits. I've tried everything, including peppers in vodka, which made a great bloody mary!

It's so simple to do, and also makes a fantastic gift.

You can find my instructions in this post and I'll tell you, cucumber tequila makes a killer margarita!

3. Make pickles.

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I know, duh, that's so obvious. But it wasn't to me.

 

I admit, I am not a pickle fan. But when faced with a mountain of cucumbers, what's a girl to do?

My sweetie likes pickles, so I was quite happy to experiment with a couple of different recipes.

I did some searching online and settled on these two recipes.

The first is from Minced Blog - Sweet & Spicy Refrigerator Pickles. I have to say, although I'm not a pickle fan, I have to try one of these! The spice mixture that goes into them is a blend of cinnamon, allspice, mustard seed, coriander, bay leaves, ginger, chilies, cloves, black pepper, mace and cardamom. How can you go wrong?

 

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The second pickle recipe came from The Kitchn, for their Garlic Dill Refrigerator Pickles.

 

Sweetie specifically requested garlic dill pickles, and I was happy to oblige.

 

The only change I made was to double the garlic, because seriously folks, GARLIC!

 

I'm not sure how tempted I am to try these, we'll see. I'll give them a sniff when my sweetie is eating one and see if they speak to me.

 

Stay tuned on that one.

 

4. Make Tzatziki Sauce.

 

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I don't know if you remember, but my younger daughter took a trip to Greece this past May with her honey.  She had the most wonderful time, and came home completely raving about the food.

 

Since then, I've been meaning to make a few dishes that my dear Greek friend makes, it just hasn't happened yet.

 

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One that's high on my list is Pastitsio.....oh my gosh, talk about YUM!! The only thing that's been stopping me since we started talking about it after my daughter's trip is the fact that it's been summer! This is most definitely a fall/winter dish. And it's happening, believe me!

 

This recipe from The Brown Eyed Baker looks fantastic, the only thing I'd do differently is to use all beef and no lamb.

 

I'm not a lamb person.....baaahhhhhh.

 

Sorry.

 

Anyway, for this time of year, a better Greek dish is Chicken Gyro.

 

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This recipe from Recipe Tin Eats is on tonight's menu.

 

Yup, that's right. The chicken is marinating in the fridge, and the Tzatziki sauce is already made as well. It's best made a day before so the flavors can meld.

 

I used this recipe from the Food Network's website, the only thing I did differently was to double the garlic.

 

Yup, again.

 

Did I mention how much I love garlic?

 

Not only do you use cucumbers in the sauce, you can also chop cucumbers on top of the Gyro.

 

Win/win!

 

5. Make this awesome creamy cucumber salad.

 

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This is one of my favorite salads to make when I need to use up cucumbers. It's so refreshing, and has just the right hint of dill, which of course is the perfect flavor accompaniment to enhance cucumbers.

 

Again, it's a recipe from the Food Network's website, for Creamy Cucumber Salad.  It's so simple, takes almost no time at all, but should be made in advance for the flavors to come together.

 

So, there you have it, five ways I've been using up the mountain of cucumbers we've been blessed with this season.

 

How do you use up cucumbers? I sure could use a few more ideas!