Thai Cucumber salad

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  • 1/4 c sugar

  • 1/4 c seasoned rice wine vinegar

  • 3/4 tsp salt

  • 1/2 c water

  • A few generous pinches of red pepper flakes

  • 3 large-ish cucumbers, peeled, seeds scraped out, and thinly sliced

  • 1 small red onion, thinly sliced

  • 1/4 cup fresh mint or Thai basil, roughly chopped

  • 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly choppd

  • chopped toasted peanuts for garnish (optopnal)

Directions: 

1. Combined the sugar, vinegar, salt, water, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan over high heat. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and bring to a boil. Simmer about 1 minute, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
2. Toss together the cucumbers and onions. Pour the dressing over and then toss in along with the mint and cilantro. Chill for a half hour or more to allow the flavors to combine, garnish with peanuts, and then serve.

Quick refrigerator pickles

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Don’t want to go through the whole canning rigmarole? These are great refrigerator pickles! These will keep in the fridge for several weeks (this recipe is not for canning).

  • 3 Lb. pickling cukes

  • 5 c. water

  • 1 1/4 c. cider or white vinegar

  • 1 c. sugar

  • 1/4 c. salt

  • 2 sprigs dill

  • 3 garlic cloves

  • 1 chili pepper

  • 1 tsp. pickling spice

Bring to a boil water, vinegar, sugar, salt. Let cool. Slice cukes into rounds and put them and the rest of the ingredients in a sterilized jar and pour cooled liquid over them. Put in refrigerator.

Cantaloupe Cucumber Salad

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1 cantaloupe, halved and deseeded
1 large cucumber, halved
2 ounces crumbly feta cheese
2 tablespoons olive oil
juice of one lemon
pinch of salt
10 basil leaves, coarsely chopped

Using a melon baller, create as many balls from the cantaloupe as possible. Add them to a large bowl.  If cucumber has large seeds, use the melon baller or a spoon to scrape them out. Cut the cucumber into thin half moons and add to the melons.  Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl and whisk.  Add the vinaigrette to the fruit and toss to combine. Then top with the crumbled feta and basil leaves. immediately.

From "This Healthy Table"  - https://thishealthytable.com/blog/cantaloupe-cucumber-salad/ - makes 2 large salad servings and keeps well in the fridge so you can make it a few hours in advance of eating.

Chilled Cucumber Soup

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4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 - 2 c water
2 c plain yogurt (or half sour cream)
1 clove garlic, peeled
several mint leaves
2 tbsp fresh dill
1-2 tsp salt
1 tbsp honey
2 scallions, finely chopped

Combine the chopped cucumber, 1 c water, yogurt, garlic, mint, dill, honey, and 1 tsp salt in a blender or food processor. Puree the ingredients, adding more of the water until the soup is a consistency you like. Season with more salt to taste. Transfer the soup to a large bowl and chill for several hours. Garnish each serving with chopped scallions.

This one comes is from the Farmer John Cookbook (available at our Farm Shop), and Karen made it on Tuesday - she says its the same as every other cucumber soup - really delicious and great on hot days. I won't say that the kids LOVED it, but they definitely ate it without too many grimaces.

Summer Salad with Herbed Dressing

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Summer Salad with Herbed Dressing

1 big head of lettuce - any variety
Toppings: Your choice of thinly sliced vegetables - for example: radish, turnip, cucumber or snap peas.
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic scape
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Whisk vinegar and salt til salt dissolves. Add dill, mustard and garlic scape and whisk to combine. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking slowly, 'til emulsified. Shred lettuce and add other vegetables. Pour dressing over salad and toss til coated.

This dressing comes from Kitchn.com - it's delicious and also inspiring as an example because there are lots of dressing recipes out there, and a new dressing flavor can change the salad game completely.

Blueberry Corn Salad

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6 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cucumber, sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper


 In a large pot, bring water to boiling. Add corn. Cook for 3 minutes. (You can also skip this step if you make it the day of pick-up. Raw corn!) In a large serving bowl, combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. To make the dressing, whisk together lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Note-you can make this salad a day in advance. It keeps well.

Recipe from Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

Cucumber Raita

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1 large cucumber (about 1/2 pound) cut in half, seeds removed.
1 cup plain yogurt (try Sidehill Farm from the farm shop)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (more to taste)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon garam masala (more to taste)
1 small chile, minced (optional)


 Grate cucumber on the large holes of a grater. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, toss and let sit in a colander in the sink for 15 minutes. Rinse briefly and squeeze dry in a kitchen towel. Transfer to a bowl. Beat the yogurt with a fork or a whisk and add the cayenne and garam masala. Toss with the cucumbers. Add the cilantro and chile and toss again. Taste and adjust salt. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with any kind of curried stew, with meat and rice, or just plain!

Recipe from The New York Times

Bang Bang (Broccoli) Chicken

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1 whole chicken breast
1 tspn ginger root
1 clove garlic
1 scallion

In a wok or deep pan stirfry chicken briefly in 1-2 tbsp oil, until cooked through.

Add:
1/4 cup water
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp red wine vinegar

Simmer 5 minutes.

Add:
2 cups broccoli florettes and peeled stalks
1 cucumber, sliced

Cook until vegetables are crisp and tender - about 7 minutes. Serve over rice

From:  Extending the Table...A World Community Cookbook

Cantaloupe and Tomato Salad with Mint

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1/2 cantaloupe, cut into 1" pieces (~1c)
2 small tomatoes, cut into wedges (~1c)
1/2 cucumber, peeled, diced (~1c)
1 lg rib celery, diced (~ 3/4 c)
1 c plain yogurt
1/2 c chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp sherry vinegar
2 tspn honey
2 tspn lemon juice
salt
black pepper

Combine the melon, tomatoes, cukes, and celery in a large salad bowl. Whisk the yogurt, mint, sherry vinegar, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with more mint leaves. A great addition to any backyard barbecue - serves 4.

From "The Farmer John Cookbook" - a great resource for cooking locally grown veggies - available at the Farm Shop.

Blueberry Corn Salad

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3 ears fresh sweet corn, husked
1/2 c fresh blueberries
1 small cucumber, sliced
1/8 c finely chopped onion
1/8 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp honey
1/4 tspn ground cumin
1/4 tspn salt
1/8 tspn black pepper

In a large pot, bring water to boiling. Add corn. Cook until water boils again. (You can also skip this step if you make it the day of pick-up. Raw corn!) In a large serving bowl, combine corn, blueberries, cucumber, red onion, cilantro, and jalapeno. To make the dressing, whisk together lime juice, oil, honey, cumin, salt, and pepper. Pour dressing over salad and stir until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (Note-you can make this salad a day in advance. It keeps well)

Recipe from Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison

Cold Cucumber, Barley, Yogurt and Dill Soup

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Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled barley or spelt berries (cook 3/4 cups of barley in 1 3/4 cup water by bringing to boil, turning down to simmer with lid on and cooking until done - approx. 40 minutes)

1 cucumber, roughly chopped (remove seeds if you do not like them)

1 clove garlic

1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped fine

1 cup plain yogurt

3/4 cup water or cold vegetable stock

hot pepper (optional)

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Puree cucumber, dill, hot pepper (if desired), yogurt and water or stock until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in barley and chill for at least an hour for best flavor (though you can serve right away). Place a few slices of cucumber and a sprinkling of dill on just before serving. 

Cucumber Raita

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1/2 lb cucumber
     cut in half, seeds removed.
1 cup plain yogurt (try Sidehill
     Farm from the farm shop)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
     (more to taste)
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
     (more to taste)
1 small chile, minced
     (optional)

Grate cucumber on the large holes of a grater. Sprinkle with a generous amount of salt, toss and let sit in a colander in the sink for 15 minutes. Rinse briefly and squeeze dry in a kitchen towel. Transfer to a bowl. Beat the yogurt with a fork or a whisk and add the cayenne and garam masala. Toss with the cucumbers. Add the cilantro and chile and toss again. Taste and adjust salt. Chill until ready to serve. Serve with any kind of curried stew, with meat and rice, or just plain!

Recipe from The New York Times

Gazpacho

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This recipes was contributed by shareholder, Erika Zeros. Especially great when made in advance and chilled well! I added a few notes for variation.
 

Perfect for high summer when the tomatoes are going crazy and it's too hot to cook! If multi-colored tomatoes are available be sure to include a few and chop them for beautiful contrast.

Makes about 10 cups

1 medium-sized cucumber
5 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes
1 medium-sized red onion, diced, about 1 C (white onion or scallions will work)
1 or 2 jalapeno or serrano chilies, seeded and minced.
1/4 C chopped fresh basil (can go with cilantro for a different flavor)
Salt and pepper
2 or 3 T Champagne or white wine vinegar

minced garlic (if desired)

A few basil leaves for garnish.


1. Peel the cucumber, cut in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Dice and set aside.
2. Peel the tomatoes. (Boiling water method: Score the bottom of each tomato with an X. Drop into boiling water for about 10 seconds, just long enough to loosen their skins. Rinse under cold water to cool them, then slip off the skins.) Cut tomatoes in half and take out the core. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl. Over the strainer, squeeze out the juice and seeds. Save the juice to add to the soup and discard the seeds.
3. Puree half of the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and coarsely chop the rest. Combine all of the tomatoes, tomato juice, onion, cucumber, chilies, and basil in a large bowl. Scoop out about 3 cups of the combined soup and return to the blender to puree. Return puree to the large bowl.
4. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons vinegar and stir well.
5. Refrigerate and let sit for at least 1 hour before serving, to allow flavors to develop. Add salt, pepper, and more vinegar if needed. Serve chilled. Garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Tip: if the soup is too acidic, add a few pinches of sugar to balance the flavors before serving.

Stuffed Cucumbers

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I first remember a recipe similar to this from a Mollie Katzen cookbook, but could not find it in any of my current books.  This is adapted from a recipe I found this at food.com. I used almonds instead of walnuts, but otherwise followed the recipe. It it great as an appetizer or side dish. I preferred it within a few hours of making it, as the cukes start to release some of their water after about four hours and lose a bit of their crunch. I highly encourage experimenting with this recipe - dill, yogurt, sour cream, fennel fronds, olives, smoked paprika, hot peppers......

1/2 cup nuts - walnuts were in original recipe, I loved raw almonds

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 cup feta

1/4 cup milk

1 garlic clove

1/2 tsp paprika

1/8 tsp cayenne

4 medium cukes

Halve cukes and cut out seed to make a cuke boat. Throw everything else together in a food processor and process until well mixed, with little bits of nut. Fill your boats and serve as an appetizer or side dish.

Radicchio, Cucumber and Corn Salad

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While we do not use plastic to get a super early corn harvest, you will start to see corn available at other local farms (check out Southeast Street or Bay Road). We do have an abundance of radicchio and cucumber now and the corn does help to offset the slightly bitter taste of radicchio.

Ingredients:

1/2 cucumber, sliced thin into half moon shape 

2-3 ears of corn - kernels cut off 

1 small head of radicchio, chopped

1 T olive oil

2 T grated parmesan

1 tsp honey or sugar

2 T cider, balsalmic or red wine vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

 

Mix olive oil, vinegar, sweetener, parmesan, salt and pepper. Place veggies in bowl. Mix altogether. Great served immediately or chilled and served later, even for lunch the next day!