When you have a ton of garden cucumbers….
We planted 9 cucumber plants this year, which was probably more than we needed, but I am still finding my feet with growing things and with this damp weather, I wanted to have some insurance plants in case a few fail.
They all produced, some better than others, but we are getting at least 4-8 cucumbers every 2-3 days. It has been hard to keep up.
At this stage, Ferngully Farm is in its infancy and we aren’t ready to sell at markets yet, but too much to eat for our own family, so we have been giving some away.
I have been getting pretty creative with how to use all these cucumbers and I love the challenge of what to cook based on what is growing and building a meal plan around that - just like my favourite restaurant experiences where it is literally farm to table cuisine.
This is what I have done with all of my cucumber, writing this in hopes it may inspire some of your weekly meals when you find yourself in hum-drum food-rut for inspiration.
Dill Pickles
I have a recipe from my Gramma and 20 years later I am finally in a place I can grow my own cucumbers, dill and soon my own garlic to make her famous garlic dill pickles! Our first batch turned out great and I can’t wait to make another batch, I have to tweak a few things.
Poached Chicken “Nourish Bowls”
Poached chicken is something I have recently discovered - we tend to prefer chicken thighs or whole roasted chicken because the breasts can be dry. But poaching the chicken in water with a couple of bay leaves, lemon and garlic, make succulent chicken you can shred for a number of flavor combinations!
I have made asian-style with sticky rice, homegrown green onions, tamari/soy glaze or an orange sauce, loaded with home grown cucumbers and mini capsicums (and we still have beans in the garden to contribute as well)
I have fried it up in ghee (or super delish, using the oil from Persian goat fetta) in a pan with either Greek seasonings or Mexican spice blend and tweak the flavor combinations based on the cuisine I am creating; feta, tomato and red onion for a Greek Nourish bowl with some rice and salad, Black bean and ‘carnita’ style cooked chicken with guacamole and a quick tomato salsa for Mexican Nourish bowl.
Hummus + veg plate
When you have home-grown cucumbers you can elevate the hummus dip to pretty delicious levels! I like to make my own hummus sometimes and add extra lemon, tahini and cumin.
Quick Pickle Cucumber Salad
As a kid, my parents use to make an eastern european side dish. I think they just called it pickled cucumber. It had yoghurt, paprika, cider vinegar, salt and a bit of sugar. Simply eaten on the side. I loved it as a kid!
Do you have any fave cucumber dishes where it is the hero? I’d love to hear from you!