CUCUMBERS TID BITS AND RECIPES!

Mike, Mike, farmer Mike, how do your cucumbers, grow?
Very well, thank you, but now it’s up to Joe!!

Mike says the cucumbers are plentiful at this time of year, early September. Although they are all tasty, he says the “Carmen” are the best growing and most reliable from year to year. These organic seeds are readily available from Vesseys and other seed houses. If you are fortunate enough to have cukes from the Organic Farm this year, please tip your salad fork or soup bowl to the Folks here at the farm who helped make this possible. Believe me, it ain’t easy!
(Melba Rabinowitz, September, 2008).

Over the years we have been able to grow some outdoor pickling cucumbers with limited success. However, most of our cucumber production takes place in a 30 x 60 ft. greenhouse, where the cucumbers are put in as small transplants, in long rows and watched over like a mother hen looking after her chickens. They are what people know as the English cucumber, long and usually straight and picked at around 12 -16 inches. As they grow, the plants wrap their tentacles around and within the fishnet, strung from the 12 ft. ceiling to form a support wall for that purpose. Each year, there is a person hired to monitor and manage the greenhouses. This season, it is Joe Scanlon, a retired principal, who works 3 days a week, solely in the greenhouses; he has help from Louis, our oldest son, who started the plants in the spring and helped with the transition planting and also Vince Cummings, a young man returning for the second year, who has learned “the ropes,” from Mike and Louis.

Preparing the greenhouses starts early in the spring with soil preparation, planting early weeding. The young plants are sprayed on a regular basis with salmon oil from a company in New Brunswick. This is called fish emulsion and is mixed with water to make a fine, light spray that is absorbed through the leaves. Folio sprays provides nutrients which are absorbed through the leaves and also helps protect the plants from disease. As the plants grow a few feet and start to climb the fishnet, like toddlers, they often need help attaching themselves to the net. Joe moves through the greenhouse several days a week, carefully wrapping the little tentacles into the fish net. The plants are also pruned of side shoots, to help the energy go into the blossoms and fruit production. Mike began teaching Joe how to prune early in the season. Still, from time to time he would appear in the kitchen saying, “Is Mike here. I can’t tell which part is the vine and which is the shoot, I need to prune.”

The plants just keep reaching up and up as they bloom and produce, often reaching ten or twelve feet. I asked Mike if they have to climb a ladder to pick the cucumbers. He said, no, but they do use a ladder when they prune at the very tops. The greenhouses must be checked seven days a week, morning and evening, or even more often if there is a sudden change in temperature. Louis and Vince help Joe with this wrap around schedule. The greenhouses are watered, according to the finger test; the large doors sliding doors are open/ closed as needed, depending on the air flow and the temperature outside and in. Early in the season, we also use heaters and fans to protect the young plants from being chilled by our unpredictable weather.

WHITE GAZACHO (Cold Cucumber Soup)

Simple and Absolutely Wonderful!!!

2 big cucumbers/ 2 tsp. white vinegar
l- big clove garlic/ l can chicken broth
l-cup sour cream/ sliced almonds

Peel and chop cucumber. Blend in blender with garlic and some of the chicken stock. In bowl, add rest of chicken stock, vinegar, salt to taste and sour cream. Whip to blend. Chill in Fridge.

Serve chilled with bowls of finely chopped parsley, tomatoes, green onions. Actually, I put all of this in the bowl before serving. (and most important) sprinkle top with toasted sliced almonds.

From Bill Dunlap, PhD Psychology, Tulane University. Bill was a colleague of Mike’s when he worked in the Psychology Department at Tulane in New Orleans for five years prior to moving to MUN. .

CUCUMBER SALAD (Barbara Hammond)

Cucumbers - thinly sliced
Onions - thinly sliced

Mayonnaise or similar salad dressing (can be mixed with a little vinegar, sugar and/or milk)

Layer cucumbers, onions. Add a little salt. Let stand covered for several hours or overnight. Drain a few times. Add dressing about an hour before serving, just enough to coat vegetables. Mix well. Refrigerate.

From Barbara Hammond, former Social Worker, Daybreak Parent Child Centre. She brought cucumber salad to potlucks and special events, and eventually as she came in the door, someone would remark, “Here comes the cucumber salad queen.” She passed away about ten years ago, but her cucumber salad remains a favourite of her friends and colleagues.

TERRI’S SWEET CUCUMBER SALAD ( from Terri Whitelaw/ Veggie Coop Member)

Ingredients:
2 regular size cucumbers, thinly sliced.
1/8 Cup, Rice Wine Vinegar
l/4 C. Extra Virgin Olive Oil.
1 Tbs. Sugar
1 Tbs. Soy Sauce
Fresh Ground Pepper (to taste(
Fresh Chopped Dill.
Instructions. Begin by thinly slicing 2 cucumbers, place in a bowl, add remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Let rest in refrigerator until serving time. Excellent to make ahead for potlucks.

Nothing thrills me more than to have recipes from our Veggi Coop members. Terri always has something to share at pick-up and is very reliable about sending recipes. Thanks/ Terri