Garden Recipes To Share

My stepmother had a plentiful harvest of cucumbers this season. So many that she sent me home, from a Sunday visit, with 2 plastic grocery bags full of cucumbers. I had enough to share with 4 neighbors and make cucumber soup. I made my own twist using the recipe that I found at CookingLight.com.

Cucumber Soup

2c pealed seeded cucumbers (4- 5” cucumbers)
1 1/4c cucumber juice (3- 5” cucumbers)
1/3c evaporated milk
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4c honey
Onion slice (opt)
1/4c rice vinegar
1 tbsp dill
Salt and pepper

Peal cucumbers, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Cut into ½ in. slices. Put slices in a storage bowl and add vinegar, dill, salt and pepper. Stir until slices are coated and store in fridge overnight. Use a processor to blend whole cucumbers until they are liquefied. Strain the mixture through a metal strainer lined with cheesecloth. (I use cheap paper towels. It’s a little slower but works just as good.) You may need to push the mixture down with a spoon to make the required juice. Chill the juice overnight.
Blend cucumber slices, cucumber juice, milk, soy sauce, honey and onions (opt).

Served chilled or heated.
Makes 6 cups.

For a thicker soup, don’t use cheesecloth in the strainer and let a little bit of the pulp strain through; you can use less cucumbers if you do this.


While passing out these cucumbers one neighbor gave me a butternut squash and recommended to use it to make a pie using a pumpkin pie recipe. Here is what I came up with and my Grandfather loved it.


Butternut Squash Pie

Filling:
2 c cooked butternut squash(1 medium squash)
1/3 c white sugar
1/3 c brown sugar
½ tsp nutmeg
3 eggs
2/3 c evaporated milk
½ c milk
Pastry for single crust pie

Cut the butternut squash in half and core it. Wrap halves in aluminum foil and bake on a cookie sheet for about an hour in a 350 oven. You can also cook them in the microwave by wrapping them in wax paper and cooking them for 10-15 min. or until tender. When they are done you should be able to stick a fork through them easily. Let them cool a little and scoop out the meat. Measure out 2 cups into a mixing bowl and add sugars, nutmeg, eggs and milks. Blend until smooth. Pour into uncooked pie shell. Cover edges of pie with aluminum foil to prevent burning and bake in a 375 oven for 25 min. Remove foil and bake 25-30 min more or until a knife inserted off-center comes out clean.


Pie crust:
1 ¼ c all-Purpose flour
½ tsp salt
1/3 c shortening or butter
Cold water

Mix flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut in shortening or butter until pieces are sizes of peas. I use 2 butter knives and criss cross them in the mixture. Add a little bit of cold water at a time mixing small amounts until you get a dry dough consistency. Once you have a dry dough formed into a ball, lightly flour a flat surface and start rolling it out into a 9 ½ in. circle. If you make it too thin it will burn.
Grease a 9” pie pan with shortening and spread the dough onto the pie plate and shape to fit. Take a fork and poke holes all around the shell.