Cucumber Overload! 6 Ways to Make Great Use of a Huge Harvest

The moment has come to figure out the best way to use up extra cucumbers.  Sometimes, you collect them throughout the growing season and discover you can’t possibly eat them all before they go bad. 

While cucumbers don’t have the same notoriety as summer squash for producing huge quantities of vegetables, you are still able to harvest cukes in far greater abundance than you can possibly use.

Try a handful of these easy methods to maximize your summer yield if you’re startled by how many cucumbers your vegetable patch has yielded this season. 

1. Make Pickles

​​One of the finest methods to extend the lifespan of excess cukes and take advantage of their variety is to pickle them. Pickling any fresh fruit or vegetable maintains its flavor and crispness while converting them into a more easily stored dish.  

Pickled cucumbers go well with a variety of foods, including charcuterie boards, snacks, and sandwiches. Mini cucumbers are commonly pickled intact in big mason jars or cut into slices. The simplest type of cucumber to pickle is the cocktail variety since cocktail cucumbers are sufficiently small to preserve whole in any type of glass jar.

2. Infuse Water

Cutting up surplus cukes and putting them in your drinking water is a fantastic way to make use of them. In addition to adding a burst of flavor and vitamins and nutrients to a plain glass of water, this fresh produce will also aid in hydrating your body.

The ideal way to infuse cucumbers is to cut them into thin slices. If you’re planning on adding them to your water, we suggest using either long English or mini cucumbers.

The majority of recipes for infused water take advantage of the light and energizing flavor of cukes. You can add lemon, mint, berries, or orange slices to make it even tastier. 

3. Put Them in Smoothies

Including extra cukes in your morning smoothies is a fantastic way to use up leftover produce. Your drinks will taste fresh and delightful thanks to the addition of cucumbers, and they also include the water and nutrients that your body requires to remain healthy and well-hydrated. 

Any variety of cukes can be used in smoothies! You can add in other greens like spinach to get in your daily serving of veggies! 

4. Add Cucumbers to Salads

The best way to serve up the crunchy cucumbers that are accumulating in your kitchen is to prepare a fresh cucumber salad. There are several ways to make a cucumber salad. Cukes go well with a wide range of green salad fixings because of their light and refreshing flavor. 

Every variety of cucumber will give a salad a great crunch.

5. Make Gazpacho

This cucumber-filled cold soup is a terrific way to use up any additional cukes you may have in the fridge, in addition to tomatoes and peppers. The simplest dish to make, gazpacho is full of flavor and nutrients. You can serve it as a chilled pasta sauce in addition to the way it’s usually consumed, which is as a cold soup.

You may use any variety of cucumber you have on hand to make a savory gazpacho recipe that your family will like. All of the ingredients for gazpacho are blended together, so it truly doesn’t matter which variety you have on hand. 

6. Add Cucumber to Your Favorite Dish

Unbelievably, cukes taste great in homemade sorbets and popsicles. They mix in superbly without a great deal of flavor addition thanks to their inherent crunch and juiciness. If your children dislike cucumbers, this is a fantastic method to get them to try them! 

Unexpectedly, cooking cucumbers also makes a wonderful treat Make a stir fry and add some cut-up cukes to the mix. Roasting cucumbers is excellent, similar to tossing them in a stir fry. With a luscious, soft texture that maintains just the right level of crunch, they almost cease to be vegetables at all. 

A common Mediterranean dish, tzatziki is a Greek yogurt-based dip made with shredded cukes. It tastes good! You can slather this condiment on a burger, pita wrap, sandwich, or a tasty gyro. Don’t forget to use it as a dip for vegetables and pita bread.

Final Thoughts

Have you ever tried any of these various methods to eat cucumbers? Which new method will you test first if not? When it’s harvest season and the garden and home are swamped with excess cucumbers, consider these methods for using them before they spoil. 

When in doubt, friends, family, and co-workers are sure to love fresh cukes! 

Summary of How to Use Excess Cucumbers