Tiny House Creature #7
Long Green Things
I’ve given them away, pickled, frozen, and eaten them in every preparation, but we still cannot keep up with the invasion of long green things. Zucchini, cucumbers, and green chilis are winning the war in our backyard and kitchen right now.
In researching “what to do with zucchini” like every other gardener in the northern hemisphere right now, I discovered that this past week (August 8th) was National Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. The holiday was created by Tom Roy, but the exact start date is unclear; some guess around 1944.
And while I considered leaving zucchini for my neighbors under the cloak of darkness this week, I also found this story about a man who found a large zucchini on his property and thought it was an unexploded WWII bomb and decided against it.
So whether you’re drowning in long green things or looking to score some for cheap at the farmers market this weekend, I hope today’s newsletter gives you a few ideas for how to use them up in delicious ways.
Cucumber Salad Round-Up
Don’t scroll past! I swear to the cucumber gods that these are delicious salads and should not be overlooked!
Cucumber salad à la Xi’an Impression (Ottolenghi, third recipe on page)
This is my husband Peter’s favorite cucumber salad. It has a very light, acidic dressing but then sits on top of a rich soy-tahini sauce.
Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian Smashed Cucumber Salad with Salted Peanuts & Wasabi Peas (from Smitten Kitchen Everyday)
The title says it all. This one is Peter’s second favorite. My only tip with this one is, if you think you’ll have leftovers, keep the peanuts and wasabi peas separate from the rest of the salad so they don’t get soggy in the fridge.
Salad-e Shirazi (from Samin Nosrat for NYT Cooking, gift link)
Lucky you, this recipe uses up your tomatoes too! Serve it with hummus and flatbread and call it a meal.
Con for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Prop Stylist: Paige Hicks. Dilled Potato and Pickled Cucumber Salad (from Smitten Kitchen)
I haven’t made this one in a while, but I think it’s on my list for next week. It is a two-day recipe since you have to let the cucumbers pickle for a bit, but it is still very low-key and delicious.
Sesame Cucumber and Avocado Salad (from Hetty McKinnon for NYT Cooking, gift link)
We had this one last night, and it was an instant favorite. I served it over rice with a fluffy little omelet on the side, and it will definitely be happening again. The avocado makes it creamy and substantial, and you can easily adjust the spiciness to your preferred level.
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times.
Do you have a favorite cucumber salad recipe? Share it in the comments!
Pickling Jalapeños
We use pickled jalapeños all year long. They’re great in quesadillas, tacos, salads, on pizza, and more. I like to pickle them just sliced in half, so when I’m using them in something I can chop them up however I need to.
Although many people make jam as their first canning project, I really advocate for a pickling project like this one as a first canning adventure. You can learn the basics of canning without worrying about sugar temperatures and acidity, and the processing time is short.
I’m not going to go into detail about the canning process here, that could be an entire newsletter of its own, but I will refer you to my canning idol, Marisa McClellen of Food In Jars; she has every canning how-to under the sun. I also own all three of her canning books, and cook mostly out of those, along with the America’s Test Kitchen canning cookbook, and Saving the Season by Kevin West.
My pickling equation that works for lots of veggies: 1 lb veg + 2 cups vinegar + 2 Tbsp canning salt = ~1 quart canned product.
Obviously, this can vary depending on the shape of your veg and how you prep it, but it’s a nice general guideline.
Check out Marisa’s recipe for her process - she uses water in her brine.
See you in two weeks for a full-size House Creature! Expect more canning content as I start the Food Preservation Consultant certification next week. There also may be some free digital downloads available for paid subscribers… oooh lala!