5 Easy Uses for Extra Cucumbers

Whether you have a bountiful garden or your friend does, chances are, you have an abundance of cucumbers.

Are you reaping the harvest of your summer garden yet? How are you doing? This time of year we often get some “extras” from friends whose gardens are doing well. We love the fresh tomatoes, squashes, and other goodies we are blessed with. One of the things we are often blessed with is cucumbers. Personally, I love cucumbers, but I’m the only one in my family who does.

 

 

So what to do with extra cucumbers??

5 Easy Uses for Extra Cucumbers

1) Quick and Easy Cucumber Tomato Salad

Fresh-from-the-garden-cucumbers go great with fresh-from-the-garden-tomatoes. This salad is so quick and easy to make. It’s perfect for barbecues and summer events. Even better, the taste improves if you let it sit overnight so it’s one of those things you can make the day before instead of rushing around to make before you have to go.  Try this recipe from Taste of Home (pictured above.)

2) Cool cucumbers go great with a spicy hummus.

Why let the carrots and the bell peppers have all the fun? Spear up those cucumbers and enjoy them with that fresh bowl of hummus. Hummus is fast and easy, healthier than dressing, and makes a nice change for the often overlooked cucumber. Give it a try! How about this spicy hummus recipe from A Cedar Spoon.

 

3) Put it on your eyes – really!

Wait – that actually does something? Yes, it does. It feels great on your eyes, it cools, soothes, and reduces puffiness. Don’t believe me? Check out this article on Nutrition Research Center, “Why Put Cucumbers Over Your Eyes.”

4) Healthy Flavored Water

A popular trend right now, slicing cucumbers and a variety of other fruits to soak in and naturally flavor your water is not only easy, pretty, tasty, and popular, but it also adds more vitamins and minerals to your water.  Packing a double punch, it helps you use up extra produce, but it also helps you drink enough water throughout the day. Slice up a cucumber and an orange into a pitcher, add water, and let it sit overnight in the fridge before drinking the next day. Or, try your hand at some other fruit combinations. You can just add the produce to the water or use on these infuser pitchers. I think the infuser pitchers look fun!

5) Canning? Make a sweet cucumber relish.

If you can your own food, turning those extra cucumbers into a sweet pickle relish is a great option! It’s a little more time intensive, but most of that time is spent letting things soak. While everything soaks, you can get plenty of other stuff done. Here’s a good pickle relish recipe from Canning Homemade.

So what would YOU do with extra cucumbers?

Image Background Source: Slice Of Cucumber, Green by Adroth Rian

Guest post by Amber Oliver of Classic Housewife