Have your cucumber plants of the horticultural variety produced too many cucumbers to count? Or did you overdo it on your last grocery shopping trip? Either way, we have numerous suggestions for what to do with the sudden abundance of cucumbers in your refrigerator. So, what can I do with all these cucumbers?
Tossing extra Cucumbers in the trash or compost bin may seem more straightforward. Still, numerous inventive methods exist to utilize them to preserve their incredible health benefits. Here are seven inventive Cucumber uses to help you make the most of this raw superfood.
7 Ways To Eat Up Extra Cucumbers
Check out these seven ways to consume extra Cucumbers to extend their shelf life and prevent food waste.
1. Pickles
One of the best methods to extend the shelf life of extra Cucumbers and maximize their versatility is to pickle them. When you pickle fresh fruits and vegetables, you maintain their crispness and quality while increasing their shelf life. Cucumbers are ideal for sandwiches, charcuterie platters, cheese plates, and other dishes.
Long English, Mini, and Cocktail Cucumbers are all suitable for pickling. Before pickling Long English Cucumbers, the cucumbers must divide. Mini Cucumbers can be pickled either whole or split in large Mason jars. Cocktail Cucumbers are the most straightforward Cucumber variety to pickle because they are small enough to fit in any size mason container.
2. Infused Water
Slicing and adding excess Cucumbers, lemons, limes, and citrus fruits to your water is a fantastic way to consume them! These fresh foods impart a revitalizing flavor to a simple glass of water and add vitamins and minerals to nourish your body.
We recommend using sliced Long English Cucumbers or sliced Mini Cucumbers if you wish to infuse your water with cucumbers.
Cucumbers work well in most infused water recipes due to their mild and refreshing flavor. Try these combinations of cucumber water:
- Cucumber water infused with strawberry, raspberry, and blueberry slices.
- Cucumber water infused with fresh mint
- Cucumber and citrus water.
- Cucumber water with slices of cantaloupe
- Cucumber and citrus slices in water
3. Smoothies
Adding extra Cucumbers to your favorite smoothies is another excellent way to use up your surplus. Cucumbers will impart a mild, refreshing flavor to your smoothies and the water and nutrients your body requires to remain hydrated and healthy!
While you can use any variety of Cucumbers in smoothies, we recommend using Long English or Mini Cucumbers.
4. Mocktails
Why not try dicing up your excess Cucumbers for a delicious mocktail recipe if guests are coming over? Fresh ingredients in flavorful mocktails will elevate your mixing skills to an entirely new level.
We recommend slicing Long English Cucumbers or Mini Cucumbers and adding them to your Cucumber-based cocktails for the finest flavor.
5. Salads
Nothing surpasses a crisp Cucumber salad, and it’s the ideal way to use up the abundance of crisp Cucumbers in your kitchen.
A Cucumber salad can be prepared in various ways, as Cucumbers combine well with a wide range of fresh salad ingredients due to their light and refreshing flavor. Anyone Cucumber type will add amazing crunch to a salad; here are some of our best Cucumber salad recipes to help you clear out the crisper drawer of your fridge:
- Cucumber and Peach Salad with Sesame Seeds
- Mini Spiralized Cucumber Salad
- Cucumber and Pear Salad
- Salad with Tomato, Chickpeas, and Cucumber
- Cucumber and Feta Cheese Salad with Mint
6. Tzatziki Dip
Try creating this Tzatziki Dip with shredded Cucumbers, Greek yogurt, dill, lemon juice, and garlic for a quick, freezer-friendly way to use up some excess Cucumbers! You can slather tzatziki on pita wraps, burgers, and sandwiches.
Since this tzatziki dip dish calls for chopped Cucumbers, we recommend using Long English or Mini Cucumbers to simplify food preparation.
Produce for Kids, thank you for providing us with this delicious recipe that has become one of our all-time favorites!
7. Gazpacho
This vegetable-packed chilled soup is an excellent way to use leftover Cucumbers, Tomatoes, and Peppers. Gazpacho is easy to prepare and brimming with flavor and nutrients. Although traditionally consumed as a chilly soup, it can also be served as a cold pasta sauce.
Since gazpacho is prepared by blending all of its constituents, most varieties of Cucumbers can be used. Whether you purchased extra Mini Cucumbers at the store or have an abundance of Cucumbers in your garden, you can use whatever Cucumber varieties you have on hand to create a flavorful gazpacho dish that your family will enjoy.
With an abundance of cucumbers, you have several inventive options. You can pickle them for a delicious nibble, create reviving cucumber salads, and even make your tzatziki sauce. Remember to share with your friends and neighbors; doing so can spread joy and strengthen community ties.
Thank you for reading….
