Cucumbers

[gilly]

Anyone got any recipes for Cucumbers? I know about Pickling, but want to give other recipes a go. Cucumber jam, relish etc.

[Millymollymandy]

I've done jam, but I added some ginger as well. It was quite runny but very nice, if a bit different from what you might be used to with 'regular' jam.

CUCUMBER JAM


2 lbs cucumber (after peeling)
2 lbs sugar
juice of 2 lemons
1/8 pint water

Simmer the diced cucumber in the water until soft.
Add the lemon juice and sugar.
Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Boil rapidly until set.
(If preferred, you can add a little ground ginger to taste)

NB This jam tends to be a little pale in colour. You may like to simmer the cucumber with a little of the peel left on and then rub through a sieve.
The peel helps to give a cool, green colour but too much peel will give the jam a bitter taste.

[Millymollymandy]

Relish - this is like a barbecue type of relish and I think that's our notes at the bottom - so I must have already posted this recipe here or maybe elsewhere. Don't know original source.

CUCUMBER RELISH

Ingredients

4 cups ground, unpeeled cucumbers (about 4)
1 cup ground green pepper (about 2)
½ cup ground red pepper (about 1)
3 cups ground onions
3 cups finely diced celery
¼ cup salt
3 ½ cups sugar
2 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon celery seeds
1 tablespoon mustard seeds


Use coarse blade on grinder, combine all vegetables in large bowl, sprinkle with salt.

Cover with cold water, let stand 4 hours, drain thoroughly in colander, press out all excess liquid.

Combine sugar, vinegar, celery seed and mustard seed.

Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in drained vegetables, simmer 10 minutes.

Pack into jars to within ½ inch of the top.

Put on cap, screw band firmly tight.

Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.

Yields 5-6 pints.

(We just put the relish into sterilised jars and don’t do the boiling water bath thing). Likewise use the food processor to finely chop the vegetables but not until they are a mush. We used a tea cup as our measure and it worked fine – ours holds 8 ½ fl oz/230ml.

[Millymollymandy]

I should mention the jam was made in 2005 and is still good and the relish made in 2006 - trouble is were are still eating it PLUS the bread and butter (cucumber) pickle! Since then I just chuck the excess ones at the chooks or in the compost if I can't give them all away!