Cucumbers 2023 SE Texas

[karstopography]

IMG_3264.jpeg

Suyo Long, Monika, Aonaga Jibai, Green Finger all up. The 2024 cucumber season underway.

[karstopography]

IMG_3412.jpeg

Transplanted one suyo long and one Monika cucumber today. Might do a couple of more soon.

[karstopography]

IMG_3620.jpeg

Monika and Suyo Long in a race up the bamboo.

I planted yesterday six seeds for Poinsett cucumbers from 2024 MMMM swap. Looks like a squirrel has been digging around in there, hope the tree rat left me a couple.

[karstopography]

IMG_3680.jpeg

IMG_3681.jpeg

Monika and Suyo Long blooming.

[karstopography]

IMG_3732.jpeg

Monika looking good this season. It’s parthenocarpic and nearly gynoecious. All the cucumbers are looking better than ever. Having a lot of carpenter bees on them for the ones that need pollination.

[karstopography]

IMG_3966.jpeg

The cucumbers have been great this year. Three suyo long, one Green Finger and two Monika. Wife is taking them all to work to share with her crew.

[karstopography]

IMG_4170.jpeg

The various cucumbers are still growing and producing. Best year I’ve had for cucumbers.

[AKgardener]

Awsome

[karstopography]

Grated two squeezed of moisture and tightly packed cups of grated cucumber for tzatziki sauce. That’s enough grated cucumber for 4 cup, the whole container, of greek yogurt. The key to thick tzatziki is to drive out all the moisture from the cucumber, I do this by forming a tight ball of the grated cucumber and squeezing the hades out of it. Fage 5% milk fat greek yogurt is a bit thicker than Aldi brand of 5% milkfat greek yogurt.

https://www.loveandlemons.com/tzatziki-sauce/

Tzatziki sauce goes well with pita chips and pretzels. Recipe in link mentions using mint as an addition to the fresh dill and I like it with the mint. We like tzatziki with fish also. Almost as a replacement for tartar sauce.

Growing cucumbers has become a priority since I’ve discovered I like them as much as I do. Homegrown cucumbers are way better than any store bought versions I’ve tried although I didn’t like the flavor of Straight 8 when I grew that one. I use whatever cucumbers I have fresh for the tzatziki sauce. Suyo Long is great for tzatziki, but so is green finger or Monika and then the other Asian types I’m growing.

I’m going to try a different dill next year as bouquet dill didn’t hang in there very long this year. Buying dill isn’t the worst thing, but I’d rather have my own available. Leafy diana in 2023 did better than bouquet did in 2024. Who knew dill was variable on how it handles weather?

Don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep the cucumbers going. Doing two plantings weeks apart was a good idea, although the first bunch are still producing. I side dress a mix of fertilizer every two or three weeks and that perks them up every time, but there’s likely a limit on how many times that will work.

Zero pickle worms this year and I did have them last year in a limited amount. No complaints about the missing pickle worms.

[karstopography]

IMG_4295.jpeg

IMG_4282.jpeg

IMG_4283.jpeg

Cucumbers still going strong.

[GoDawgs]

Looking good, @karstopography! You're way ahead of me. My National Picklers (12' of trellis) are up the trellis about 3' so far and I'm seeing blooms and wee 1/2" long babies forming.

I'm also doing some 6' worth of trellis on each of those I got in the swap this year: Suyo Long, Tokiwa and Glorie de Paris. Also the same amount of Indian Snake (one of my sister's toys) and a pot of short vined Bushy. The cukes wiped out last year so by golly, I want a bunch for pickles and relish this year!

Thanks for the tip on making tzatziki.That's something I've been wanting to make but have never gotten around to. Have you ever tried using a ricer to squeeze out the water? I use one all the time to get the water out of defrosted frozen spinach. Works like a charm. In fact, ever since I got it a long time ago, that's about the only thing I've ever used it for. That and getting water out of shredded potatoes for hash brown patties.

CORRECTION: I use one all the time to get the water out of defrosted frozen spinach, NOT broccoli!

[karstopography]

@GoDawgs we don’t have a ricer, but maybe we need to get one. I form the grated cucumber into about tennis ball sized balls and squeeze them. A ricer might be even better.

[GoDawgs]

@GoDawgs we don’t have a ricer, but maybe we need to get one. I form the grated cucumber into about tennis ball sized balls and squeeze them. A ricer might be even better.

You don't need an expensive one. I might have gotten mine at Walmart once upon a time. I don't use it often but it's really handy to have when needed.

CORRECTION! I see I said squeezing frozen broccoli. NOT! Brain fart. I meant frozen SPINACH. Duh.....

You can also squeeze shredded summer squash for making fried squash and onion patties.

[karstopography]

IMG_5475.jpeg

Ten Cucumbers started today.
Three Suyo long
Tasty Green
Garden Oasis
Poinsett 76
China Jade
Two Japanese types, names escape me. Jibai S. and A. Something.
Armenian yard long.

The copper is hot. Like a heating pad. These won’t have any trouble germinating.

[karstopography]

IMG_5489.jpeg

First three up this afternoon. Tasty Green, China Jade, and Garden Oasis. Shows just how warm it is here presently. Four days to germinate cucumber seeds, all outside. Supposed to be just as warm through Sunday.

[PlainJane]

Guess I’d better get on the ball.

[karstopography]

I’m excited to try these new to me varieties like China Jade, Garden Oasis, and Tasty Green. I never really enjoyed eating cucumbers until I grew Suyo Long and the Beit Alpha types

[TerraCayda]

I’m excited to try these new to me varieties like China Jade, Garden Oasis, and Tasty Green. I never really enjoyed eating cucumbers until I grew Suyo Long and the Beit Alpha types

Is Beit Alpha like typical grocery store Persian cucumbers? I planted ONE early December, but sure enough it died quickly in January .
Actually my #1 favorite veggie is cucumbers even above tomatoes....only burpless.

[karstopography]

I’m excited to try these new to me varieties like China Jade, Garden Oasis, and Tasty Green. I never really enjoyed eating cucumbers until I grew Suyo Long and the Beit Alpha types

Is Beit Alpha like typical grocery store Persian cucumbers? I planted ONE early December, but sure enough it died quickly in January .
Actually my #1 favorite veggie is cucumbers even above tomatoes....only burpless.

Yes, Beit Alpha was the kibbutz in Israel where these types of Persian thin skinned found in the bags in the grocery store cucumbers were developed. Garden Oasis, a hybrid, is one of the many different cultivars of a Beit Alpha/Persian type

Suyo Long, Tasty Green, China Jade are also burpless, but not Persian types. All the Japanese ones I’m growing are also burpless. I don’t think I’m growing any that aren’t burpless.

I grew Straight Eight one year and did not like the flavor. I don’t guess Straight Eight is a burpless type.

[TerraCayda]

I’m excited to try these new to me varieties like China Jade, Garden Oasis, and Tasty Green. I never really enjoyed eating cucumbers until I grew Suyo Long and the Beit Alpha types

Is Beit Alpha like typical grocery store Persian cucumbers? I planted ONE early December, but sure enough it died quickly in January .
Actually my #1 favorite veggie is cucumbers even above tomatoes....only burpless.

Yes, Beit Alpha was the kibbutz in Israel where these types of Persian thin skinned found in the bags in the grocery store cucumbers were developed. Garden Oasis, a hybrid, is one of the many different cultivars of a Beit Alpha/Persian type

Suyo Long, Tasty Green, China Jade are also burpless, but not Persian types. All the Japanese ones I’m growing are also burpless. I don’t think I’m growing any that aren’t burpless.

I grew Straight Eight one year and did not like the flavor. I don’t guess Straight Eight is a burpless type.

Great. I'm rather picky about cucumbers, and I've only grown Japanese cucumbers that I grew up eating. Out of season, I buy Persian cucumbers in a bag or English cucumbers. Bad news is that store-bought Persian cucumbers don't last at all, now matter how I store them in the fridge .