Can these over-ripe cucumbers be saved?
July 17, 2012 3:33 PM   Subscribe

Can I do anything with these extremely over-ripe cucumbers?

Found 3 huge, almost completely yellow cukes hiding in the garden today. Most of what I've read says it's too late for pickling, but I did find this vague recipe. Has anyone successfully pickled or otherwise turned over-ripe cucumbers into something edible or are these guys headed for the compost?
posted by gwint to Home & Garden (9 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I would remove the seeds, cube them, pan fry (along with squash and or zucchini) with a little oil and garlic, salt and pepper and toss with some penne. Yum.
posted by Yellow at 3:44 PM on July 17, 2012 [2 favorites]


They're okay for pickling provided that a) they're not bitter (have you tasted?) and b) you don't expect crisp pickles. You could do a bread-and-butter pickle and they'd be just fine. Here's the classic recipe from the Ball Blue Book.

Crisp dills can really only be made from very, very fresh cucumbers (firm and picked the same day), so you need to go for a softer pickle.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:51 PM on July 17, 2012


Peel the cucumbers, chop up, put in blender. Do not puree the cukes.... just blend/chop until they are in small bits. Then drain off most of the liquid. Add to sour cream, some pepper, some salt. And that is the best cucumber sauce ever. Great on gyros, etc.
posted by JayRwv at 4:24 PM on July 17, 2012 [3 favorites]


If you're not keen on eating them and are interested in doing something fun, you could always make them into cars and race them. Look up "zucchini race" and see what fun things people are doing. The small town I used to live in had an annual zucchini/cucumber race - I imagine it came into being because everyone's got a zucchini/cucumber that grew, forgotten, under a leaf until it was gargantuan and not tasty anymore. Slap some makeshift wheels on those babies, paint a number on the side, and let 'er roll.
posted by Elly Vortex at 4:46 PM on July 17, 2012 [2 favorites]


Peel, de-seed and swizz in a food processor. Add gin, and freeze. Yummy slushies!
posted by LN at 4:47 PM on July 17, 2012


You just reminded me I should make some Cold Cucumber Soup tomorrow.
posted by peagood at 5:14 PM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


Do you have any friends with pet guinea pigs or rabbits? They love cukes!
posted by Ostara at 5:29 PM on July 17, 2012 [1 favorite]


"Old cucumber" (老黄瓜) is a common ingredient in Chinese cooking. I'm not entirely sure how "old" the cucmbers need to be though, and if they are the same variety as what you have. But I do know they they look quite yellow, and have tough, parched-looking skin. The most typical use of old cucumbers is in soup: cut it up into big pieces and boil it in soup with pork spare ribs, other kinds of root vegetables, and some soy sauce. The cucumber should become soft and tender, with a texture something like cooked fruit. The skin isn't edible though.
posted by destrius at 2:55 AM on July 18, 2012


I agree with JayRwv, except I use yogurt and crumble some feta cheese over it when done. Lots of dill, cilantro or parsley also help.

A bit of sugar [substitute] and sweet spices such as cinnamon, powdered clove and powdered ginger will soften any bitterness.
posted by KRS at 6:34 AM on July 18, 2012


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