From the land of happy cucumbers
Posted on July 7th, 2008 – 8:14 AMBy Robyn Dochterman
I’m a little afraid to talk about it, but my cucumbers seem pretty happy these days. They usually get off to a good start, only to wilt about the time I start thinking about the wonderful taste of homemade pickles. So keep it a secret, okay — so far, so good.
Though it’s too danged hot and dry for me to be pulling weeds from the garden, the weather is perfect to pick cute little cukes every day or two to toss in a salad.
I’m not sure when exactly it turned to high summer (I think I missed about a week painting the inside of the chicken coop), but I haven’t quite caught up yet. So until I’m ready to get dust off the canning stuff to make pickles, I could use some ideas or recipes for using my cucumbers.
How do you like to eat them best? Do you have a recipe you’d share? Anyone know which kinds I’m growing here in the pic? Once again, I started several kinds from seed and lost track of which was which.
13 Responses to "From the land of happy cucumbers"
Robyn,
I’m having trouble with my tomato plants.
My garden gets full sun all day, which may be a problem, but what is the proper amount of water to use when watering, and how often?
I’ve been watering every evening, about 6-8 cups per plant. They look fair, but they aren’t growing as well as my neighbors which are in shade half the day.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks
Hi Ralph. Full sun should make your tomatoes happy. When you water the, does the soil look dry or still damp? I can’t say for sure, but I might try watering them deeper, every two or three days. Sometimes I poke a small hole in a bucket and let the water slowly drain out, watering my plants very slowly.
Two other things I can think of that might make your neighbor’s tomatoes look better than yours: One is that your neighbor may be fertilizing his/her tomatoes, and you can too if you haven’t already been. The other is that tomatoes will “search” for the sun, so it’s possible your neighbor’s ‘maters are taller than yours because of their shade, but not necessarily healthier.
Thanks, Robyn.
This year, I’ve been watering just at ground level. Someone told me that watering the leaves wasn’t the best thing for them.
When I water, the soil seems moist for quite a while, and I did spike the them in May.
Like your site. Very informative.
Have a nice day.
I started cukes from seed this year and they haven’t grown at all from the seedling stage (but are not wilting or dying), it is very strange as in the past two years I have had way more cukes than I could possibly handle.
My favorite way to enjoy them? Sliced up with a little oil, vinegar, and spices. I also always had a jug of cucumber water in the fridge, so refreshing on a hot day!
Ralph, don’t discount the factor that your neighbor has a different cultivar of tomato than you are growing. In my garden there are several different kinds, some of which I have to cut the main leader off or they attack the neighbors and others that behave themselves nicely and get only 4′ tall or so but have plenty of fruit.
Whoever told you to water at ground level or so was right as tomatos will get fungus diseases from the water splashing dormant spores from the soil. Test to see if you are getting enough water by digging a hole by the plant to make sure the soil is wet down a couple of inches where the roots are.
Oh, Robyn:
Cucumbers are good on rye bread, sliced thin with butter (the tea time cucumber sandwich).
Later with a meal: sliced with dill, onions and a dash of white vinegar and a pinch of salt. Others refer sour cream instead of the vinegar (still with onions and dill).
Robyn, this is how I like to use fresh cucumbers. It also takes care of rampantly growing mint!
3 cucumbers, peeled (if skin is tough) and sliced thinly
1.5 tsp salt
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 tbsp fresh chopped mint
1 tsp dried oregano
1 c. plain yogurt
juice of 1/2 lime
Salt the sliced cucumber and let drain for approx. 15 minutes (you can skip this if you like, but the dressing gets thin as the cucumbers release their water). Rinse and drain. Mix everything together and enjoy.
Thanks, Deb.
Wow. You guys are great with the suggestions for eating the cukes. They all sound wonderful. I may have to make some rye bread. Thanks — and keep ‘em coming!
I just planted my cucs. I’m guessing I’ll be making my sister’s recipe for refrigerator pickles sometime in September. . . if I’m lucky!
My cucumber seedlings got their true leaves and looked very healty for a while. Then in one day, they shriveled up and died. 
I’m going to buy some mature plants and hope that I get a few cucks this year. (Same thing is happening to my zuch & squash. I don’t know what’s wrong.)
Cool Cucumber Salsa (yum!)
2 medium cucumbers - peeled, seeded, and chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
2 teaspoons minced fresh cilantro
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for a few hours before eating.
Garden Tours are a great way to peek into someone’s yard—with permission!
I never get enough of checking out gardens, seeing what people do and if I am lucky
Actually talking to the gardener and getting the inside ‘trowel’ on why she/he planted the plant
Where they did or why they did what they did.
Coming up this weekend is a great garden tour—the first annual Hennepin County Master Gardener
Learning Gardens tour.
The MGs are an outreach of the University of Minnesota. We are all volunteers. We disperse the university/researched based
Information to the public.
The Tour will be interesting because you can tour actually gardens, designed/planted and tended by Master Gardeners. The gardens
Will showcase a variety of styles. At each garden there will be demonstrations by master gardeners regarding some special aspect of the garden.
There will also be Master Gardeners at each garden to answer questions about the garden or any gardening question the visitor may have.
To purchase your tickets or to learn more about this exciting tour, visit our website at http://www.hcmg.umn.edu. You can also stop by the University of Minnesota Extension – Hennepin County Office located at 479 Prairie Center Drive, Eden Prairie. If you’d like to speak to us by phone, please call 612-596-2130.
This is a cucumber salad similar to what you sometimes get in Asian restaurants -
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp water
7-8 dashes of dark sesame oil
These are all “to taste” - easy to doctor as you go along. Mix with thin-sliced cukes garnished with a little slivered carrot. Drain off excess liquid before serving.
Greengirls Jaime Chismar, Connie Nelson, and Robyn Dochterman are dishin' the dirt from the backyard garden and beyond. Whether you're a greenthumb or greenhorn, they're eager to learn from your misshaps, mistakes -- and most importantly, your sweet successes -- all growing season long.
You can also send your questions, ideas, tips and tricks to greengirls@startribune.com.
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