Crops & Varieties: Cucumber
Quick tips
Eat them quickly upon receiving them for best taste.
Generally eaten raw; when included in recipes try to get as much water out of them as you can when preparing them.
Add to ice water and let steep for at least 10 minutes for extra-refreshing cucumber water. Add mint, too.
You can pickle them for canning or quick-pickle them for quicker use. See the simple recipe below.
Quick creamy cucumber salad: slice cucumber into rounds, add plain yogurt, a little mayonnaise, and either mint or dill with a little salt and pepper to taste. See the taatziki recipe for a slightly more elaborate preparation.
Storage
You can pickle them for canning or quick-pickle them for quicker use. See the simple recipe below.
Quick creamy cucumber salad: slice cucumber into rounds, add plain yogurt, a little mayonnaise, and either mint or dill with a little salt and pepper to taste. See the taatziki recipe for a slightly more elaborate preparation.
Storage
Store in a perforated or produce bag in your fridge’s produce drawer for no more than a week. Try to avoid letting them get too cold - as they have a high water content, they have a tendency to freeze!
These are obviously the base for pickles, and a great place to start your pickling adventures.
Recipes
Epicurious: Quick-Pickled Cucumbers (noted above)
About.com: Tzatziki (cucumber-yogurt) Sauce (noted above)
Dash of East: Cucumber-Honeydew Melon Smoothie
Eating Well: Quinoa salad with Cucumber and Grapefruit
