Help with cucumbers and zucchini!

[Anonymous 1]

Like many people, I decided to plant a quarantine vegetable garden. I had absolutely no previous gardening experience, so I didn’t realize that a couple of zucchini and cucumber plants will actually produce more fruit than a village of people want to eat. So what would you do with 50lbs of zucchini and cucumbers ?

PS I have dozens of tomatoes that are still green, so I’ll probably be asking about those in a couple of weeks!

[Deleted User 670]

Pickled cucumbers and onions! I think there's a quick recipe where you heat up the vinegar, sugar and spices and then pour over sliced onions and cucumbers that will keep for a few weeks. You can also pickle them so they last longer. They're good as snacks or with meals cut into spears and just salted and peppered. And if you still have too many cucumbers after that you can give them to your neighbors or food pantry, I guess.

Zucchini bread, breaded zucchini fried or baked. It's delicious sauteed with onions in butter, salt and pepper or if you're from the South, bacon grease, salt and pepper. Veggie lasagna or zoodles, or shred in a casserole, puree in spaghetti meat sauce. Stir fries too.

Gazpacho is a great way to use up tomatoes!! And you can add the zucchini in there too!

[LiveWhatULove]

We eat a lot of cucumber salads, make Tzatziki, and then can dill, and then bread & butter pickles with the cucumbers.

For the zucchini & summer squash, we eat them in salads, put them in a lot of summer pasta dishes, make zucchini bread & freeze for future breakfasts, and freeze some for winter soups (although they will sort of be mushy when thawed, but for soup, it usually works out OK).

Tomatoes are simple, first off, great excuse to indulge in way too many BLTs. Then we can or freeze marinara tomato sauce (it uses A LOT OF tomatoes). The tomatoes themselves, actually freeze pretty well for soups and sauces all winter and when they thaw, the peel just slips right off!

[Momto2boys973]

Zuchinni you can make soup and freeze it. I gotta tell you, a nice cream of zuchinni soup with some roasted poblanos, corn and onion on top with fried sliced tortilla and some queso fresco, yum! But you can also add some sautéed mushrooms on top, or cheese and some croutons, change it every time.

Cucumbers is a bit harder, but maybe pickle them? I often make a salad of sliced cucumbers with white wine vinegar, salt and sugar and add fresh chopped mint. You can also add some sliced red onion. It’s really delicious and goes well with sandwiches, fried chicken, steak or fish. It’s very versatile. Mine is usually gone by the end of the week, lol, but I would think it can last for a while in the fridge, It has vinegar.

I’ll go ahead and tell you what I do with to s of tomatoes . When they’re very cheap I buy kids and kilos of tomatoes and just make them into roasted tomato purée. I put them in large pans with some olive oil, salt and pepper and I roast them and purée them in a blender. Depending on the acidity, I then cook it on the stove until all the raw taste is gone and I may add a pinch of sugar if it’s acidic. I then freeze It in convenient portions in Ziploc bags. You can use that for soups, stews, sauces and salsas, just as you would use canned crushed tomatoes without all the added crap

[Momto2boys973]

Oh, gotta add. Another zuchinni dish that freezes well is zuchinni Mexican style. The way I do it is sautee chopped onion and garlic in some oil, add the chopped zuchinni (small pieces), some corn and let it soften then add tomato purée (you can use your tomatoes!) or if you prefer, chopped tomatoes. I use purée because DH hates chunks of tomato in his food. Let it simmer, season with salt and pepper, and finish with a little cilantro. You can also freeze it in individual portions.
Zuchinni in salsa verde is also really good and freezes well.
Or cut it in sticks, and then bread them (flour, egg, breadcrumbs) and freeze them in cooking sheets then transfer them to a ziploc bag. You can fry them up for a quick snack when you need them.

[lauren08]

We LOVE stuffed zucchini. I’ll often do zucchini and bell peppers stuffed with rice and meat in a tomato-based sauce. It’s delicious. I’d pickle the cucumbers or use them in salads. We are big salad eaters here, lol.

[Momto2boys973]

Oh, zuchinni stuffed with cheese in a tomato sauce is de-lI-cious! One of DHs favorites. I usually use the round zuchinni for that, but it works with every type. MAnd you know, a good vegetarian alternative for those meatless Monday’s for both zuchinni or peppers is to use lentils instead of beef. I just cook the lentils and then sauté onion and garlic, add the cooked lentils, crushed tomato and let it simmer. Season it with salt and pepper, I add some chicken or beef vegetarian consommé, add some parsley or thyme, stuff the vegetables and cook them until soft. With just a side salad (with cucumbers! ), it’s delish and you don’t miss the meat.

We LOVE stuffed zucchini. I’ll often do zucchini and bell peppers stuffed with rice and meat in a tomato-based sauce. It’s delicious. I’d pickle the cucumbers or use them in salads. We are big salad eaters here, lol.

[lauren08]

Oh, zuchinni stuffed with cheese in a tomato sauce is de-lI-cious! One of DHs favorites. I usually use the round zuchinni for that, but it works with every type. MAnd you know, a good vegetarian alternative for those meatless Monday’s for both zuchinni or peppers is to use lentils instead of beef. I just cook the lentils and then sauté onion and garlic, add the cooked lentils, crushed tomato and let it simmer. Season it with salt and pepper, I add some chicken or beef vegetarian consommé, add some parsley or thyme, stuff the vegetables and cook them until soft. With just a side salad (with cucumbers! ), it’s delish and you don’t miss the meat.

We LOVE stuffed zucchini. I’ll often do zucchini and bell peppers stuffed with rice and meat in a tomato-based sauce. It’s delicious. I’d pickle the cucumbers or use them in salads. We are big salad eaters here, lol.

Okay, I’m stealing that!! What a delicious vegetarian alternative. Stuffed zucchini is an all-around hit in our house, so I’ll have to try that! Ugh, now you have me hungry... lol

[californiagirl83]

https://growagoodlife.com/preserve-zucchini/ (3 ways to preserve zucchini) and https://www.schneiderpeeps.com/preservi ... hydrating/ (4 ways to preserve cucumber). There's also relish and pickles, or you could join a co-op near you to sell your excess.

[Ladyiq]

Donate to local co op. Put a sign out offering free veggies.