Storing Cucumbers- Cucumber infused water, Cucumber Puree, Pickles, Cucumber Soup

Cucumbers, Cucumbers everywhere. The fact is they are very easy to grow! So how many ways can you use a cucumber and can they be stored? That was the last question Stacey asked me at a party I went to last weekend. So I told her I’d do some research and let her know what I found.

Apparently you need to store cucumbers away from fruit because the ethylene that the fruit gives off makes the cucumbers taste bitter. I didn’t know that until I started collecting information for this blog.

You can always pickle cucumbers. Cousin Gay (from the 8-21-12 blog) makes bread and butter pickles as well as jars peach jam in the summer time. We always look forward to getting a jar or two of each from Gay each year.




I was watching a guy on You Tube explaining how to freeze cucumbers. He washed and skinned the cucumber. Cut the cucumber in quarters. Took all the seeds out till all he had left was the meat of the vegetable. He froze them for a few weeks and said that they only thing that was different was there was no crunch. Well, a cucumber without crunch doesn’t sound like it would be great in a winter salad. So I think we can skip that one.



I was reading that you can freeze cucumber soup but you need to leave the dairy out. This is the photo of the soup before I froze it. After the soup is thawed you can add the dairy. I’ve never made cucumber soup before so I looked up a recipe by Emeril Lagasse. It has yogurt and sour cream in it so I left that out and froze it. I have tried to freeze yogurt and sour cream before and it doesn’t work so this makes sense. Here is the link to the recipe that I used. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/cold-cucumber-soup-recipe/index.html

Freezing cucumber puree is about the best way to preserve the original flavor that I have come across. You have to peel them, take all the seeds out and finally chop them before putting them into the food processor.


Here is a photo of the soup that I froze and thawed - then mixed in the dairy. Looked and tasted great.

I’ve shown you how to make cucumber and other infused waters on my January 4, 2012 blog titled Odds and Ends. Once the water is infused you can freeze it into ice cubes and use it later. Make sure you use extra cucumbers and less water if you are planning to freeze them. That way you can put the flavored cubes into a glass of water and still have that summer fresh taste.

There are recipes for sauces, dips, canapes, salads, cocktails and mousse all using cucumber puree as a main ingredient. You can find them all on line. So freeze the cucumber puree for that summertime freshness even during those cold winter months. One last thing. A cucumber is so expensive to buy in the store so you should try to Grow It First!

Purslane (Portulaca Oleracea) - Tastes great!

I had mentioned Purslane in my Garden Party blog and promised myself that I would expand on this interesting herb at a future time. Ladies and Gentleman, the time is now.
Purslane (Portulaca Oleracea) is a rich source of vitamins and minerals with vitamins A, B, C, and E, along with iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, folic acid, and lithium. Purslane has more beta-carotene than spinach. It’s also a rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, more than some fish oils.



The leaves, stems and flower buds are eatable. The flowers range from white, pink, rose, yellow, orange and lavender. The taste is similar to watercress or spinach.
I’ve seen many recipes for Purslane on line, such as a tomato and cucumber salad. The antioxidant properties are significantly decreased if frying and boiling so it’s best to eat it raw in a salad or when making vegetable juice if possible. Sautéed or gently stewed stems and leaves can be served as side dish with fish and poultry. (It tends to get a bit slimy if overcooked.) You can also use Purslane on sandwiches instead of lettuce or pickles. I’ve heard that you can soak the stems in apple cider vinegar for a couple days in an air tight container and they come out tasting just like pickle relish.



It’s a common trailing weed and once it’s planted will take over whatever space it’s in (much like mint) so make sure it’s contained in a small space. They look like baby jade plants and can be considered a weed by many trying for a perfect lawn. It’s very drought tolerant and will seed itself so again be careful where you plant it.
You can file this one under the phrase, “Who Knew?”