Recipes with cucumbers

Pita pizza wedges with smoked turkey, tomato, fresh basil, diced cucumber, and melty cheddar. A clever split-pita sandwich that travels well in a lunch box.

Favorite dill pickles: garden cucumbers packed with fresh dill and garlic in jars and covered with a hot vinegar brine. The classic homemade dill pickle, ready in 3 to 4 weeks.

Chilled cucumber soup blended with chicken broth, milk, lemon juice, and a hint of curry. Cold summer soup garnished with chives and crisp cucumber slices.

Sliced egg sandwich on a whole grain bun with cucumber, tomato, fresh basil, sprouts, and a honey Dijon dressing. A fresh, protein-rich lunch ready in 15 minutes.

Honey spear pickles with cucumbers and onions brined overnight, then canned in a sweet honey-vinegar syrup with mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric. A golden, sweet-tangy refrigerator or canning pickle.

Cold peanut noodles tossed in a blended peanut sauce with soy, garlic, sesame oil, and cayenne. Topped with steamed carrots, snow peas, cucumber, and green onions.

Icycle pickles are old-fashioned 14-day sweet crock pickles with a glassy crisp bite. Cucumber spears soak through brine, alum, and a daily-reheated cider vinegar syrup with pickling spices.

Chilled avocado soup blends buttermilk, ripe avocado, cucumber, and lime into a no-cook bowl with a green hot-sauce kick. Cold, creamy, and ready straight from the blender for hot-weather lunches.

Cucumbers in yogurt with fresh basil, mint, scallion, and garlic. Cool Mediterranean-style cucumber salad or dip for grilled meats and warm flatbreads.

Freezer pickles made with sliced cucumbers, onions, sugar, vinegar, and celery seed. No canning, no water bath, no special equipment. Just salt, slice, and freeze for bread-and-butter flavor any time of year.

Roberta's dill pickles, big-batch homestead canning with garlic, fresh dill, and mustard seed. A 7- to 8-quart heirloom recipe water-bath canned for shelf-stable pantry storage.

Brown rice summer salad with tarragon vinaigrette, fresh vegetables, peas, and pimentos. Low-fat, no-mayo, and served cold. A make-ahead side dish for hot weather meals.

Rice pilaf with green peas, bay leaves, and a whole cinnamon stick cooked in the Middle Eastern soaked-rice method. A fragrant vegetarian side with toasted, fluffy grains.

Cold cucumber beet soup with a rosy pink color from pickled beets, blended with sour cream and chicken broth. No cooking required, just chill and serve.

Cold cucumber mint soup blended with yogurt, chicken broth, and fresh mint then chilled until refreshing. A light, creamy no-cook summer soup garnished with radishes and diced cucumber.

Summer cucumber crisps: refrigerator quick pickles with cloves, cinnamon, allspice, and mustard seed. Sweet-tart spiced pickle chips, no canning, ready overnight.