Oh, crunchy cucumber, how I love thee. And I love thee naked, pickled, puréed, sliced or diced. You give me reprieve from the disgusting heat of summer, and sometimes you just offer a little pick-me-up. That is why, when feasting on your natural beauty, with just a hint of sea salt, my 6-year-old niece approached, and I offered her a pony to go away. I needed you all to myself.
***
Yes, I dig the cucumber. I admit it shamelessly and with reckless abandon. In recent years, given how sensitive my palate has become, I’ve found it impossible to eat anything but organic cucumbers — otherwise I can taste the chemicals. This is not only good news for my body, but also for my eyes, because cukes are more than just a beauty treatment cliché. Rich with liquid, they offer soothing hydration to tired eyes (particularly the skin underneath). So the next time you need a little pick-me-up, have a seat, pour a cocktail, lean back and put a couple of cuke slices on your eyes. Please close them first. And bring a straw for the cocktail.
There are some other natural beauty treatments that can be crafted with cukes as well (including a cucumber body pizza for sunburned or itchy skin), which I stumbled upon at Vegetable Drawer Beauty. Here is my favorite:
Radiant Facial Treatment
If your complexion is dull and oily, this easy formula will help you look glowing and radiant.
1 teaspoon grated cucumber
splash of rosewater
Apply to face and allow to stay for 15 minutes, then rinse with warm water.
SUMMER FEST 2010
Now, if you are more interested in eating the actual cucumbers, my cohorts at Summer Fest 2010 have plenty of options for you, including what we’ve rustled up on The Gilded Fork | Culinary Media Network. I’m off to sit by the pool with my slices, but do feel free to bring me a dish of something tasty. Here’s what they have to offer:
The Gilded Fork | Culinary Media Network
Chilled Cucumber Mint Soup
Summer Squash: Delicious & Nutritious
Margaret Roach: Away to Garden
Why size matters — and smaller is better (includes pickling tips/tricks, and freezing the excess)
Michelle Buffardi: Cooking Channel’s Devour/The Blog (Scripps)
10 things you didn’t know you could make with zucchini
@mbuffardi
Alison Sickelka: Food2 blog (Scripps)
@ali_s
Michelle Buffardi: Food Network
Paula Deen’s zucchini bread
Elizabeth Gray: Food Network
Cuke Salad & Lighter Cuke/Zuke Ideas
Cate O’Malley: Sweetnicks.com
Indian Cucumber Wraps
@cateomalley
Paige Smith Orloff: The Sister Project
On excess! Why I hate zucchini (plus pickling commentary).
@paigeorloff
Diane and Todd: White on Rice Couple
Stuffed Cucumbers with Prosciutto and Feta
@whiteonrice
Kelly Senyei: Just a Taste
Cucumber & Sesame Salad (includes step-by-step illustrations of slicing cucumbers on a mandoline)
@justataste
Caroline Wright: The Wright Recipes
Cucumber Salad
Marinated Summer Squash Salad
@chefcaroline
Caron Golden: San Diego Foodstuff
Cucumber and Radish Confetti Soup
@carondg
Tigress in a Jam
50 Ways with Cucurbits
@tigressjampickl
Alana Chernila: Eating from the Ground Up
Cucumber Mint Sorbet with Lime Shortbread
@edability
Judy: Divina Cucina
Fried Zucchini Blossoms (and more!) from Italy
@divinacucina
Shauna Ahern: Gluten-Free Girl
Cucumber, Dill & Mint Popsicles
@glutenfreegirl
Tara: Tea & Cookies
Stuffed Zucchini, Zucchini “Noodles” & Pickles
Nicole: Pinch My Salt
Grilled Zucchini with Lemon & Olive Oil
@pinchmysalt
HOW YOU CAN JOIN IN SUMMER FEST:
Each Wednesday for the rest of the summer (and probably longer), a group of blogging friends including those above will swap our recipes and tips about the following harvest-fresh ingredients. Here’s the schedule:
7/28: Cukes ‘n Zukes
8/4: Corn
8/11: Herbs, Greens and Beans
8/18: Stone Fruit
8/25 Tomatoes
We each post something and then link to one another, so that you can travel around the combined effort, gathering the goodies. Sharing makes the experience even better, so if you have a recipe or tip that fits any of our weekly themes, you can do either of the following:
- Leave a comment on participating blogs with a link to your recipe/tip
- Publish a post of your own, and grab the juicy Summer Fest 2010 tomato badge (illustrated by Matt Armendariz of Mattbites)
We hope to see you in the kitchen!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I didn’t get to plant zucchini this year. But I happily find myself receiving zucchinis grown in friends’ gardens. What fun.
I have fresh zucchini to make my favorite zucchini bread. I’ve used this recipe for years. I’ve tried others, but always come back to this Wisconsin farm-woman’s recipe. Here’s a link to the recipe and a story about garden-giving reciprocity. http://food-fun.wisconsinfood.com/edible_antics/2008/09/food-fun—givi.html
Thanks for the shout-out! I love the idea of using cucumbers for beauty– though I’m rather sure I couldn’t help but pop a few into my mouth when I wasn’t supposed to.
Check out my Marinated Summer Squash Salad and my Cucumber Salad with Lemons and Poppy Seeds at my blog, http://www.thewrightrecipes.com.
So happy to be feasting at the Summer Fest 2010 with you!
Ha! Caroline, I feel you there. And with a little sea salt….OMNOMNOM. I will be over to check out that salad indeed — it’s had me drooling since I found out about it last night. :)
Delighted to be feasting with you too!
Cristie, I remember us being so inundated with zucchini every summer (my father was a ridiculously talented gardener), so zucchini bread was an absolute necessity. I can’t wait to take a look at all these different versions to come up with a gluten-free one!
I’m so excited about SummerFest! My zucchini’s are going crazy so I’ve been constantly working on new recipes for them these past few weeks! This year, my favorites include:
Garlic Ginger Zucchini Pickles
http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2010/07/garlic-ginger-zucchini-pickles/
Whole Wheat Zucchini Bread with Chocolate Chunks & Ginger
http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2010/07/whole-wheat-zucchini-bread-with-chocolate-chunks-and-ginger/
Southwestern Garden Succotash (which actually features a number of garden vegetables coming up on the SummerFest line-up)
http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2010/07/southwestern-garden-succotash/
and, from a previous post, my favorite lentil salad which is best with fresh cucumbers and basil from the garden
http://heartlandrenaissance.com/2008/01/super-fresh-and-tasty-lentil-salad/
Can’t wait to peruse the other recipes! I’m going to be eating our zucchini for weeks!
Best,
Sarah
http://twitter.com/HeartlandSarah
Love cucumbers on the eyes! So refreshing.
Here is my contribution to Summer Fest.
Zucchini Feta Cheese Chopped Salad recipe
http://su.pr/5sOnjA
twitter: @MarlaMeridith
Have a delicious weekend!
Great way to relax and refresh this Summer!
I’m late joining the party but here’s my contribution to the fun… Ice Box Pickles and Zucchini Ribbons in a Hazelnut Butter sauce.
http://itsthewayshe.blogspot.com/2010/08/encouraged-me-to-share-summerfest-2010.html
That photo is wonderful! It makes me want to get out my mandoline and slice up the lone cuke that’s sitting in my fridge, but I think I need to keep it for lunch tomorrow.
I posted a Green Curry Shrimp recipe for my first Summer Fest contribution here: http://bit.ly/96cwR8
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