Cucumbers!

We have cucumbers. If we get rain this week we will have a lot of cucumbers. Our favourite types of cucumbers are Marketmore and Poona Kheera they are both tasty and make great pickles. Poona Kheera also can be used in stir-fries and chutneys. It is an unusual cucumber it has a white to yellow skin that changes to brownish red as it matures. Eat it as you would any other cucumber. A little grand-daughter of one sharer loves Poona Kheera so much at three years old she would gobble down a whole cucumber. Here is a recipe that we use:

Aunt Anna’s Mustard Pickles
10 cups cucumbers peel, remove the seeds and chop into roughly 1/2 inch chunks (7-9 cucumbers)
1-quart onions diced (6-8 white onions)
1-quart celery and cauliflower diced (2 cups of each)
1 red pepper diced (2 if you want more colour)
4 tablespoons pickling salt
Cover with 4 tablespoons pickling salt and water. Leave overnight. Drain well.
Sauce
4 cups vinegar
6 cups sugar
4 tablespoons dry mustard
1 cup flour
1 teaspoons turmeric (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons mustard seed (or more to taste)
1 teaspoon celery seed (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons pickling spice in bag
Optional 1 teaspoon curry powder (or more to taste)
Mix well then cook until thick add vegetables cook until it comes to a low boil.
Fill sterilized canning jars, leaving ½ inch head space.
Bottle while hot. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

My Island Bistro shows you how to prepare the vegetables

If you want extra cucumbers in your veggie basket, please let us know ahead of time.
You will get long fat cucumbers that are perfect for pickling.
We will put them in your delivery for $5.

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