Cooking with Locally Grown Cucumbers

Springtime. If you regularly shop at local area farmers markets and farm stores, then you already know. Local cucumbers are coming into prime time.

There is nothing quite like a fresh picked, ripe local cucumber. Same for ripe-off-the-vine strawberries, tomatoes and just picked peaches. I’ve got more coming about local strawberries soon. Tomatoes and peaches are on the way and I can’t wait.

But for right now, let’s give local cucumbers their moment in the spotlight.

Local cucumbers aren’t just for salad any more…

Fun Fact here: cucumbers are actually members of the melon family. The joy in eating a fresh picked cuke is the crisp and crunchy snap to the bite. If you’ve had a local just picked cuke, your know. And, it’s that refreshing, watery, sweet, fresh taste make cucumbers a wonderful all-purpose food this time of year. Great for sweet and savory options across the board.

Chop them for salsas. Sliced them thin for sandwiches; or dehydrate them for chips.  You can bathe local cucumbers in vinegar-based brines for pickles; or think about this: use them in a puree them for soups and sorbets, too!

Local Cucumbers taste good and are good for you, too!

Local cucumbers are a great source of vitamin C, magnesium and potassium and are good for you inside and out.  The high water content, makes them a food that will help you hydrate; and they are low in calories (always a good thing) and offer up a lot of fiber your body can use to help eliminate unwanted toxins.

Feeling stressed? Take 15 minutes to relax and use thin sliced local cucumber as a face mask. The cucumber’s unique anti-inflammatory properties will help sooth and refresh puffy eyes tired from too much screen time at the computer and your skin will feel better too.

Cucumbers can help to freshen your breathe and clean your teeth when your toothbrush isn’t right at hand. Try eating a slice or two of local cucumber after a strong cup of coffee or a spicy meal to see what I mean.

Heidi Billotto

Cucumber Celery Salad – Video Recipe Bonus

My favorite Lemon Cucumber Soup recipe is at the end of this post. But before that, want a fun recipe for a delicious cucumber and celery salad? Check out my YouTube channel here for a video recipe you are going to love! In addition to the local produce, this recipe also features Olive Crate Balsamic + Chili Vinegar, Miso Master Miso , OMGAlchemy Mushroom Ginger Powder and Duke’s Mayo.

Edible Cucumber Flowers

The tiny little yellow flowers that spot the vine as the budding cucumbers start to grow are delicious as well, packed with a concentrated cucumber taste, they make a perfect  edible garnish for anything lemony or flavored with dill or tarragon. If you can find a farmer who will part with the blooms in lieu of growing the fruit, these blooms make a wonderful edible garnish for salads and soups, alike.

One of my favorite  local cucumber-y Spring and Summer dinner party foods is a chilled cucumber soup. It’s a wonderful foil grilled local shrimp.

Sadly, some people just don’t get cold soups. So if that’s the crowd you’re dealing with simply pour the creamy flavorful broth in a fun class and call it a summer mocktail! Everyone will love it! And, this is a great excuse to break out fun shot glasses and cute tiny straws to create a clever way to serve.

Before we begin the recipe, let’s talk about ingredients…

For the Yogurt, my go-to is always the yogurt style cheese from my friend Zack Gadberry cheesemaker at Uno Alla Volta Cheese, available in Charlotte on Saturday mornings at the Matthews Community Farmers’ Market.

When it come to Buttermilk, the real thing makes all the different. Use whole milk buttermilk and shop local. I love Ran Lew Dairy Buttermilk from Snow Camp, North Carolina; or Hickory Hill Milk Buttermilk from Edgefield, South Carolina.