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Relaxed Farming Food: Cucumber
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| Cucumbers are great raw - the variety we grow has a prickly skin which we wash and remove before eating. One of the jobs in the summer is to pick a few cucumbers early morning and pop them in the fridge so that they are nice and cool for lunch. Traditionaly cucumbers are meant to be sliced thinly, but we enjoy eating this fruit like an apple, or having thick slices in our sandwiches! We also pickle the small cucumbers to make gherkins: simmer the small cucumbers for ten minutes in brine (salted water), drain and allow to cool. Put some vinegar and pickling spice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Put the cooked cucumbers in a warm Kilner jar (these are the ones with lids which seal) and cover with the vinegar/spice mixture. Seal, leave for a couple of months and then enjoy!
As with all recipes that involve hot food
make sure an adult is with you to guide and protect! Young cucumbers with their distinctive yellow flowers and spiky fruit.
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Cucumbers grow very quickly and, if left unattended, will take over the polytunnel beds! The plants tend to start off slowly, and then the tendrils get their act together and curl themselves around the strings which are tied to the top bars of the polytunnel. We need to help the tendrils sometimes, especially if they have decided to travel horizontally along the surface of the bed instead of vertically! The plant below is in full production, producing more than enough cucumbers for us!
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