On one of the hottest days of the year, I stand beneath the 7-foot trellis that bridges our two raised garden beds, talking to my massive cucumber plant.
I’m clipping off curlicue tendrils and winding vines, apologizing because it is doing such a good job growing, but itap gotta leave some room for the tomatoes.
A fuzzy bumblebee happily does its job, shimmying into the plantap bright yellow flowers, about a foot from where I’m doing battle.
I clip off a long, spiky cucumber and bring it inside to meet its fate as a jar of refrigerator pickles to go with some ribs my husband is smoking.
When they’re done, I text my neighbor with a photo of the pickles and this story idea, and she replies, “Planting a garden definitely turns you into its b—!”
I’m going to see how long I can keep up in-house before I start handing out cucumbers like they’re candy to all my friends. Last year, I brought cucumbers everywhere I went for about a month. My friends would laugh when I showed up with a plastic bag with giant green batons poking out.
Spoiler alert: I made it four days before the cukes started piling up in my fridge. The rate at which cucumbers grow is honestly astonishing. I had plans to make tzatziki to go with our family-favorite chicken gyros this week, too, but family birthdays, events and concerts got in the way.
Still, if you’re dealing with an overload of cukes, perhaps these recipes will help you out of your pickle. If not, bring your veggies to the bar. I promise your friends will be happy to take some home.
Day one: One cucumber, Grilled Red Curry Salmon Bowls
I am always so excited to snip that first cucumber from the vine, so I went all out for dinner. I wanted something to incorporate a garden jalapeno and clippings from my Thai basil plant, too. These salmon bowls have a lot of components, but they’re all pretty easy to pull off. I plan to make them again this summer — they were so good!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
For the salmon:
4 salmon filets
2 tablespoons jarred red curry paste
2 tablespoons coconut milk
Juice of half a lime
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, finely grated
For the cucumber salad:
1 tablespoon lime juice
½ tablespoon fish sauce
1½ tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar
Kosher salt, to taste
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped Thai basil (regular works too)
For the coconut rice:
1 cup coconut milk
1 cup water
1 cup basmati rice, rinsed and drained
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
For the yogurt sauce:
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
¼ cup coconut milk
¼ cup Thai (or regular) basil
Salt to taste
Lime wedges, sliced Thai basil and thinly sliced avocado for serving
DIRECTIONS
Mix curry, coconut milk, lime juice and ginger. Pour over the fish. Let it sit while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
Prepare coconut rice: Bring coconut milk, water and salt to a boil. Add rice, return to a boil, give the pot a quick stir and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 18-20 minutes. Leave cover on and let sit until the rest of the recipe is ready to plate.
Make cucumber salad: Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add cucumber, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro and Thai basil and toss to combine.
Make yogurt sauce: Combine yogurt, coconut milk, Thai basil and salt in a small bowl.
Preheat the grill to high. Oil the grill grates and grill the salmon, skin-side down, for 8-10 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 130 degrees F.
Assemble bowls: Place a quarter of the rice in each bowl, topping with cucumber salad and salmon. Garnish with yogurt sauce, lime wedges, sliced Thai basil and avocado. Serve immediately.
Day two: One cucumber, Refrigerator Pickles
My husband loves an all-day grilling project, and he was making ribs. Pickles are great for cutting the richness of the ribs, so I made my simple, go-to refrigerator pickle recipe. I like them better than almost any pickle I can buy, there’s no canning involved, and they’re ready to eat in 30 minutes.
INGREDIENTS
1 English cucumber, thinly sliced
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Several large sprigs of dill
Two garlic cloves, smashed
1 teaspoon peppercorns
DIRECTIONS
Bring water, vinegar, salt and sugar to a boil in a small pot.
Place dill, garlic and peppercorns in the bottom of a quart-sized mason jar. Add the cucumbers, then pour the hot brine into the jar. Let the pickles sit for 30 minutes, then eat immediately or refrigerate for up to a week.
Day three: Two cucumbers, Cucumber Agua Fresca
I picked three cucumbers, but I only needed two for this recipe. So that means I was already falling behind. The whole family loved this refreshing drink, especially on a very hot day. You can adjust the sugar up or down, depending on preference. I thought ½ cup was about perfect, but a lot of recipes I saw used more. Bonus points for me: I used garden mint, which is always abundant!
INGREDIENTS
2 English cucumbers, cut into large chunks
½ cup sugar
6 cups water
A large handful of mint leaves
Juice of two limes or more to taste
Mint and lime slices for garnish
DIRECTIONS
Place cucumbers, sugar, water and mint in a blender. Blend on high speed until smooth. Place a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl and pour the contents of the blender through the strainer. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to push the solids around and get as much liquid as possible into the bowl. Add lime juice to taste. Fill glasses with ice, pour the agua fresca over. Garnish with mint and lime slices.
Day four: One cucumber, Cucumber Salsa
OK, again, I picked two cucumbers, but only needed one. So if you’re keeping track, that means at this point there were two giant cucumbers in my refrigerator and more about to be big enough to pick. I give up. Want some cucumbers?
In better news, this was an idea that came straight out of my imagination, and it was great. Like pico de gallo, but crunchy and floral. You could add some diced tomatoes, too, but I kind of enjoyed the pure cucumber flavor.
INGREDIENTS
1 English cucumber, diced
1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 green onion, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
Tajin seasoning, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Combine everything but the Tajin in a small bowl. Stir, then add Tajin to taste. Serve on tacos, with tortilla chips or on burrito bowls, which is how we ate it.
