Cucumbers, cucumbers, cucumbers.
This photo is the beginning stage of brine-fermented cucumber pickles. Onions, garlic, dill and black peppercorns. Oh, and cucumbers. For crispier pickles I added grape leaves, which provide tannin that helps crisp them. The final ingredient is time. I let them sit for about a week, but more or less time is fine. Whatever gives you the flavor you want.
To make brine, dissolve three tablespoons of salt (canning/pickling salt, not table salt which has anti-caking agents added) to one quart (four cups) of water. Weight a plate with a jar full of water so that everything stays submerged.
I grow Miniature White cucumbers, and have grown other small, white varieties. I think they are pretty and make beautiful pickles and cucumber salads. The Miniature Whites stay relatively small, even when mature. They get fat, but not long. They're dense and juicy, and remain sweet. They don't get bitter in hot weather, not when the plant becomes mature.
I do lots of things with cucumbers besides pickles. Cucumber salad has onion, dill, cider vinegar and olive oil. Or just chop them into salads. Raw cucumber slices can be dipped in hummus, baba ganoush or other dips. I make "chips" by slicing cucumbers very thinly, sprinkling on salt and pepper (or other seasonings, if desired), and then dehydrating until crunchy. Stored in an airtight container (canning jars are best) they remain crisp for a long time. Pull out the juicer and juice the cucumbers. Cold cucumber juice is quite refreshing after a hot sweaty day in the garden.
My favorite way to use cucumbers is gazpacho. Gazpacho is a cold soup made with raw, pureed vegetables. Most recipes use tomatoes, but I use only cucumbers. The recipe I use follows:
2 1/4 pounds of cucumbers
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup of your favorite balsamic vinegar (we like quince pomegranate flavored white balsamic)
2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best, but bottled works fine)
Put all in a blender and blend until smooth. Chill well and enjoy. You will need to stir or shake it before serving, as the solids tend to float a bit.
We like to serve it in small wine glasses. For fun, pull out the spiralizer (what? you don't have a spiralizer? get one. They're fun.) and make cucumber "noodles" to put in a bowl of gazpacho. Float edible flowers on it as garnish.
