Here are some cukes my DS picked today. I know you all think that because they are big they may be soft or pithy but they aren't . They are very crisp and good. I eat some almost every day. I have got to think of something else to do with some. I made pickle relish (more than I can eat for a long while) for myself because nobody else will eat it.
Beautiful cucumbers, I really do not know how to store them, but sharing while not profitable from a financial point may in fact warm your heart. There are food banks, churches everywhere.
A lot of people that I know who had raised large gardens when there was a large family at home to feed found that most people they tried to give veggies to afterward had no idea how to prepare them. This is sad, but a fact of life.
I have been giving to the neighbors but I think they may start running if they see us with a paper bag. :)
Good photo. I know it is a pickler but which cultivar.
Local food bank here recently sent out a call for gardeners to donate surplus. I even included some zucchini in the lot I gave them.
I usually have so many surplus pears the food bank gets bushels of them.
They were a pack that was given to me that said experimental cucumbers. Now you know as much as I do.
I am looking for someone this fall that will have extra fruit to get rid of.
They look beautifu! I just made dill pickles with some I got at a market. The pickles were awesome and will make good gifts later if we don't eat them all :)
bookworm I am making dills out of some also. I hope mine turn out as good as yours did.
Easiest thing I ever tried. DH was really impressed... I love it when I spring something new on him and get rave reviews :)
Do you have that recipe handy bookworm? If it is that good maybe I should try yours.
Have you looked at the swap forum? You could probably swap pickle relish for plants or seeds... I know I'm swaping a bunch of stuff I don't need for plants and seeds. I know I'm always looking for something different....
Those are probably a cucumber cultivar similar to the ones they grow in the Middle East and Asia which just happen to look short and fat when they are ready. In the US that kind is often a pickling cucumber, but they are excellent for fresh eating as well. I think the reason they are called pickling cucumbers is that they are small enough to fit in a jar. Check out the following cucumber pages to see if you can find one that looks like yours:
http://www.reimerseeds.com/pickling-cucumbers_628.aspx
or
http://www.evergreenseeds.com/piccuc.html
or
http://www.stokeseeds.com/cgi-bin/StokesSeeds.storefront
One way or the other, pickling cucumbers are tasty fresh as well as pickled and my experience is that Asians prefer shorter and fatter ones than Europeans. But all are delicious if picked young enough.
but ONE of those is all that would fit in a jar!
You better believe it. I cut up one of them and got less than half in a jar. They are 10" long and 11" in around.
Those cukes look like some I bought at the farmer's market last week! They're crisp all the way through, just delicious. I wondered what type they were, but the seller didn't know, either.
They are "experimental" type. Maybe the seed producer should be notified of the results if the experiment!
All I know is that the package said exp. cuke seeds and I can't remember where I got them.
Dill Pickles
8 lbs pickling cucumbers
4 Cups white vinegar
12 Cups water
2/3 cup pickling salt
16 cloves garlic peeled and halved
16 springs fresh dill weed
Dill seeds - about 2 Tablespoons
Red pepper Flakes
1. Wash cucumbers and place in the sink with cold water and lots of ice cubes. Soak in ice water for at least 2 hours. (ok - I didn't have the patience or the time to wait this long...) Sterilize 8 quart jars and lids in boiling water.
2. In large pot over medium-high heat, combine the vinegar, water, and pickling salt. Bring this mixture to a rapid boil.
3. In each jar, put 2 half cloves garlic, about 1/4 tsp of dill seeds, then enough cucumbers to fill the jar. (I used larger cukes and cut them in lengthwise wedges). Then add 2 more garlic halves and one more sprig of dill. Sprinkle red pepper flakes - if you like them spicy, sprinkle a lot.
4. Fill the jars with boiling brine mixture. Wipe jar edges and place lid on the jar. (Note: I did use the smaller jars, and they sealed themselves without doing a hot water bath.) The recipe I used said to process the jars in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Since mine sealed with the boiling brine, I didn't do this, so the pickles are really crispy. I do keep them unopened in the refrigerator just in case, though.
5. Store jars for minimum of 8 weeks before eating. Refrigerate after opening. Unopened pickles will keep up to 2 years.
I'm here to say that they taste great after just 2 weeks. I couldn't wait for the 8 weeks!
Hope you enjoy!
This message was edited Jul 30, 2007 3:41 PM
Sweet pickles The following pickle recipe produces the best tasting sweet pickles that I have produced so far. Pickles stay real crispy.
"Old South Cucumber Lime Pickles"
7 lbs cucumbers (sliced croswise)
1 cup Mrs Wages Pickling Lime I think I got this at Walmart
2 Gallons water
8 cups distilled white vinegar 5% acidity
8 cups sugar
1 tablespoon Mrs Wages salt (optional) any canning salt or none at all
2 teaspoons mixed pickling spices
1.soak clean cucumbers in water and lime m[uxture in crockery or enamel ware for 2 hours or overnight Do not use aluminum ware
2. remove sliced cucumbers from lime water. discard lime water.
rinse 3 times in fresh cold water. Soak 3 hours in fresh ice water.
3. combine vinegar, sugar, salt and mixed pickling spices in a large pot. Bring to a low boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove syrup from heat and add sliced cumbers. Soak 5-6 hours or overnight
4. boil slices in the syrup 35 minutes. Fill sterillized jars with hot slices. Pour hot syrup over the slices, leaving 1/3 inch headspace. Cap each jar when filled
5. process pints 10 minutes, quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water bather canner.
6. test jars for airtight seals according to manufacturers instructions.
I hope you like these
Great dill recipe. Great minds must think alike since that is the one I have.
Next I may have to try the sweet ones.
Yes - the dill pickle recipe is pretty common - but really good. Thanks marionr for the sweet pickle recipe. Sounds good as well.
Those cukes look a bit like Straight Eights - my favorite variety for flavor, crispness at all sizes and non-bitterness. Cukes can be frozen for later use and can be cooked in various ways. Good in some soups. Sauteed with mangoes - a specialty. Here they're fried -
http://southernfood.about.com/od/cucumbers/r/bln278.htm
Yuska, that sounds good the fried ones. I made dill like bookworm and they were delicious I must say. My DD loved them and she doesn't usually try what I make.
The instruction guide that came with my new Excalibur dehydrator suggests drying some for chips. May try that after finishing a slew of other projects.
What would you use cuke chips for do you think?
Not sure. Snacks, maybe, although the dried texture is described as leathery. Maybe reconstituted for other dishes, or ground to a powder to add to salad dressings for the flavor. I'd like to try them in cock-a-leekie soup, or with one of my favorite side dishes, mashed potatoes with daikon radish. I do quite a bit of experimenting! The chips were mentioned in another thread - I'll try to find the reference.
Oh, dear Gussie! That sounds terrible...but I guess I'd better try 'em before I pass judgment.
