The Great Cucumber Challenge

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After a few days of bee visits, many gardeners go out in the cool of the morning, handpick any cuke beetles they find, and put the row covers back on — an excellent way to avoid the heartbreak of wilted plants holding rubbery cukes that will never become pickles.

Score 3 points for using row covers or other organic pest control methods.

STEP 6: TRY NEW SALADS

Cucumbers that aren’t pickled must be eaten fresh, so finding great ways to enjoy the harvest, day after day, confounds even the best garden cooks. For a tasty and refreshing cucumber-buttermilk smoothie, simply blend 2 cups cold buttermilk, one cucumber and a piece of onion. Cold cucumber soups are fun and easy to whip up in a blender, but you’ll need to seek out ideas for salads if you really want to put your fresh cucumber crop to good use.

As described in Faye Levy’s International Vegetable Cookbook (out of print but available used or in libraries), cucumber salads come together differently depending on where you are. In the Mediterranean, olive oil and lemon juice might be tossed with parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers. In India, cucumbers would likely be paired with cumin, cilantro and yogurt. Sesame oil and chopped ginger introduce vibrant Oriental flavors, and the three-way combination of cucumber, chives and smoked salmon is a perfect fit in the Pacific Northwest.

Did you notice all those herbs? In addition to the ones already mentioned, you can team up mint, cucumbers and yogurt to dress pitas or wraps filled with grilled summer vegetables, or use fresh dill to accent a mixture of cucumbers, raisins and toasted walnuts. Hit the cookbooks, try new dressings, and don’t stop until you’ve tried at least six different salads.

Here’s where cooks have an advantage, because each salad earns 1 point.

STEP 7: CHECK THE COMPETITION

For this leg of the challenge, go to a tailgate or farmers market and sample specimens offered for sale. Ask about the varieties, and bring a few cukes home to compare to the ones you have growing in your garden. Local organic growers tend to stick with varieties that do well in the climate in which they are grown, which can help you plan next year’s cucumber patch. If you’re not growing cucumbers yourself, buy enough picklers to make a batch of pickles, and enough slicers for several salads.

Score up to 4 points — 1 for each different variety you try from farmers markets.

STEP 8: MAKE PICKLES

Anyone who can boil water can make pickles — no special equipment required. Andrea Chesman, author of numerous books including The Garden-Fresh Vegetable Cookbook, says it’s impossible to fail with freezer bread-and-butter pickles — you can make a batch in no time. Once thawed, the crunchy pickles taste like summer. Or, make some quick crock pickles in a large glass jar. The pickles are ready for the table after three days of soaking in a dilled vinegar brine, and the flavors continue to develop for several weeks, or until the last pickle is gone. 

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