WHAT TO DO WITH OVER-RIPE CUCUMBERS
Around here, it's just more cost-effective to not waste anything.
If you miss a cucumber or two, I highly recommend that you allow them to fully develop and produce real seeds. Here is a photo of the strange beast that will eventually end up on the end of your cucumber vine if you let it.
That is honestly the best advice I have if you are only dealing with one or two over-ripe cucumbers. To check out an old post I made about that, click here. The purpose of this post will be to show you what I do when I find myself with several over-ripe cucumbers. Moreover, this can apply to many other garden vegetables or table scraps as well.
OVER-RIPE CUCUMBER VIDEO
FREE FOOD FOR EVERYONE!
When we got rid of our pigs, we wondered what we'd end up doing with table scraps and garden waste. For the garden waste, the compost bin is always an option, but these days, the poultry have been taking charge. The Guinea Fowl, Chickens, Muscovy Ducks, and Quail all enjoy at least of what we offer them, and over-ripe cucumbers are no exception.
From the time that chicks first hatch out of the egg, they are eager to peck around and eat whatever they can. It is amazing to watch a mother hen teach her little chicks, and no matter how many times I get to see it I am always impressed.
The Quail were a new one today. I'd never tried giving them anything like this before, only trimmings from the yard with my reel mower. They always enjoyed those, but they sure did enjoy the cucumber halves too! (Normally, the other poultry devour them before we consider treating the Quail.)
With a lot of our food waste, the Chickens do an amazing job cleaning it up and turning it into eggs. Plus, whatever they don't finish, like the harder outer skins of the cucumbers, can still go to the compost bin and eventually supply the next season of garden crops with nutrients when it is their turn to grow. And so, the cycle repeats itself.
As always, I'm @papa-pepper and here's the proof:
proof-of-making-good-use-of-over-ripe-cucumbers
Until next time…
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What a domain loaded of poultry.
If you have a rooster nearby I think they are loud.
Singing early morning and waking up everybody.
Keep on postin'
All animals just stare the cucumber, lol
I think better to chop it into pieces and mixesd it with chicken feeds. Maybe the chicken will eat it in that way 😉
My great aunt used to purposely leave a few cucumbers to get to that over-ripe stage but are not big enough to save off seeds. She used to make something she called hot dog relish from these. t was always appreciated at our BBQ's!
Thanks for the tip, I plan on quail myself, and I will try this out then!
:DCucumber salad very rich, how rare those did not grow much, usually are larger.
Pepino en ensalada muy rico, que raro esas no crecieron mucho, por lo general son más grandes.
Having food-producing animals is such a great way to use your food scraps. Just give it to the chickens and they'll recycle it into eggs. And then you can eat that too. It's the circle of food being readied for you.
That’s some good advice! I’ve been nervous about giving our chicken tablescraps, only because I’m not sure what they can and cannot have. Our cucumbers are almost here! There’s plenty of flowers and little itty bitty cucumbers forming.
I have been told there is little they can not eat. My BFF has chickens, and he keeps a sheet of plywood on the ground. Every couple of weeks, he turns the plywood over, and the chickens get all the bugs. When they see him move over to flip that plywood, they come RUNNING! They really get excited, LOL!
:)Now there’s a neat idea! I can just picture the chickens running now! They are so funny.
They are that! He has guinea hens, and they come running too, it is quite the flock, LOL!
:DAs soon as I read your headline I said to the screen "feed the chickens."
Nice! You know me pretty well... or maybe you just know the chickens.
In better times I raised a lot of chickens and cucumbers. And I think I am figuring you out somewhat too.
I'm sure you've mentioned why before, but why did you get rid of your pigs again?
I used to feed my chickens everything and they were pretty picky to be honest. Must have been up-scale hens with their beaks in the air. But they did love watermelon!!
Actually, it was the Old Testament dietary laws that lead us to get rid of our pigs. Frequently in life, I've learned to give God the benefit of the doubt. If He said they weren't for eating, then I've got plenty of other animals that I can enjoy.
Good to hear Sir, I follow the same restrictions, for the same reason! Good Job sir!
:)Stop feeding them, ours literally take 'hunt and peck' to the next level!
That is what we do with our vegetables that get a little too large. The chickens love them and it really helps make ours extremely friendly while also helping to supplement their feed.