Summer Festis back for its 3rd year! And we’re happy to be participating again thanks to Margaret Roach and Deb Puchalla, the creators of Summer Fest.
This great annual cross-blog event celebrates the peak harvest season where we all share recipes or growing tips for all our harvest fresh ingredients and produce. Everyone is encouraged to participate by sharing a recipe or tip each Wednesday’s specific theme the the event ends.
Summer fest is a community celebration of shared cooking and gardening tips. All you have to do is contribute a post based on the weekly theme and share your links on all the host bloggers who are collaborating in Summer Fest. If you don’t have a full post, you share your comments too! Leaving your link will allow everyone in the Summer Fest community to feast on your creations.
For complete Summer Fest information & schedule, visit Maragaret at Away to Garden.
This week’s theme is “Cukes and Zukes”, perfect veggies to launch Summer Fest of cucumber and zucchini recipes. Our garden cucumbers this year are slightly *better* than last year, but still they’re struggling a bit. The leaves seem to die off and brown rather quickly, but they’re flowering well. What does make to fruit results in such crunchy and fresh cucumbers! If anyone has any advice about our browning leaves, we’d love to hear from you. So what we have been able to collect this year have been wonderful and to count, we harvested seven cucumbers! Five more than last year!
Cucumbers are so fresh, crispy and refreshing. Our house is rarely ever without cucumbers because they add the perfect crunch and texture to last minute salads, sandwiches and rice paper spring rolls . We’re testing some new recipes for upcoming garden parties and decided to play with a batch of stuffed cucumbers. They’re so perfect for parties and make great bite sized appetizers. The filling for the stuffed cucumbers that we came up with has sour cream instead of cream cheese because we wanted something light and tangy. Season these cute little bites of crunchy freshness with extra paprika for added color and smoky bite. You and your guests will be quite pleased with these at your next gathering. You can’t eat just one of these addicting stuffed cucumbers. Make sure you have about 2-3 per guest!
English cucumbers are perfect for this recipe. Not too big or or small when sliced in coins and have an excellent crunch. Persian cucumbers are excellent if you'd prefer cute mini-bites.
- 1 Lrg. English Cucumber , chilled and sliced in 1/2-1" thick coins
- 3/4 cup (100g) Feta Cheese, crumbled
- 1/3 cup (40g) Roasted Nuts, finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons (30ml) Sour Cream
- 1 Slice of Prosciutto , cut into 1"x1/2" strips
- Dill , in 1/2" pieces to garnish
- Lemon Wedges , to serve on the side
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Combine feta, nuts, and sour cream in a bowl. Have prosciutto and dill prepped and ready.
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Core out some of the cucumber coins' centers. Fill with a dollop of feta mix. Garnish each stuffed cucumber coin with a slice of prosciutto and a sprig of dill.
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Serve with wedges of lemon for individual squeezing.
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this looks so good!
Awesome! What a wonderful idea! I just tried this with a different filling and loved it! Thanks so much! 🙂 Cheers! sheila
I know tomorrow we launch in to corn but here is my last bit of love for the cucumber…for now 🙂
Here are my Lemonade Cucumber Spa Popsicles:
http://su.pr/6TCXKm
xo
They must be delicious! Love the presentation, so pretty and colorful.
LL
I’ve got to say, this is one of my favorites of this week! I can’t wait to see your corn inspiration….
OMG! this looks so yum!!!
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
Great recipe, and I love the photography! We’re still learning in that area, and hope to have pictures like this of our food someday.
Over at our Green Thumb Geeks, my wife Emily just jumped into the Summer Fest fray with a great simple recipe for this week’s theme: Cucumber, Tomato, and Red Onion Salad:
http://www.greenthumbgeeks.com/2010/07/recipe-cucumber-tomato-and-red-onion-salad/
Also, we have a recipe for Bread and Butter pickles from a few weeks back that any pickle-lover would enjoy:
http://www.greenthumbgeeks.com/2010/07/recipe-bread-and-butter-pickles/
Finally, there’s our take on grilled zucchini and summer squash:
http://www.greenthumbgeeks.com/2010/07/recipe-grilled-zucchini-or-summer-squash/
Thanks for putting this together!
Hi WORC:
These look wonderful. I love anything that contains goat cheese and proscuitto! My cucumbers are already done (we live and garden in Florida), but last night I made fresh figs, halved and stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in proscuitto. Pop them in the oven until the proscuitto is crisp and the figs are just a little warm.
Anyway, I digress from the cucumber subject! We grew Japanese Long Cucumbers this summer, and they were the best and most productive cucumbers we have ever grown. Very productive, they grow a foot or so long, and they are crispy and flavorful. I will definitely plant them again. We produced enough to make a big batch of pickles, lots of salads, and even cucumber water (very refreshing).
I should have left my Web site address: http://www.cowlickcottagefarm.com. I share lots of organic gardening tips, recipes, and pictures. Come and visit!
Looks so so refreshing and delish. My family here don’t like cucumber, i think i will do with small tomatoes that they would love it. Ot i can do half cucumber and half tomato so all are happy 🙂
I’m loving the idea of this Summer Fest thing, and I would love to share my all-time favorite zucchini recipe.
I become obsessed with these fritters every year, and I mean *obsessed*.
Check out the recipe and post here:
http://leah10x10.blogspot.com/2010/06/summer-obsession-zucchini-feta-fritters.html
I’m telling you–if you try these, you will not be disappointed. But you may get mad at me for the ensuing obsession.
Wish I could have your Summer Fest Cukes right now…..I have a contribution using the Zukes:
Zucchini Feta Cheese Chopped Salad recipe
http://su.pr/5sOnjA
Have a wonderful weekend!
Diane and Todd, I’ve heard so many amazing things about your garden from Jen Yu. I don’t know where you both find the time to tend to it so wonderfully. I’ve got a fun take on baking with zucchini—streusel topped coffee cake! So glad to join in this year’s SummerFest.
http://su.pr/1Lhonk
My favorite cucumber feta salad: http://twopeasandtheirpod.com/cucumber-feta-salad/
Hooray for Summer Fest! Your stuffed cucumbers look amazing!
I’d like to submit these zucchini “noodles” with avocado garlic dressing:
http://blog.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/zucchini-noodles-with-avocado-dressing-and-a-cookbook-giveaway.html
As well as this refreshing cucumber sorbet:
http://blog.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/cucumber-sorbet.html
And some good old reliable lacto-fermented pickles (a recipe that’s really adaptable; I just made a batch with garlic, tarragon and chile pepper)
http://blog.healthy-green-lifestyle.com/pickled-cukes-and-garlic-scapes.html
I’m really looking forward to reading everyone’s recipes…and I’ll try to do a dedicated Summer Fest post next week 😉
They look so pretty. Congrats on your 7 cucs! We have a blueberry bush and this was the first year it fruited and we got 10 blueberries! Soooo exciting to see a garden grow!
Did you know if you leave a cucumber on the vine long enough it will get almost 2 feet long, 4 inches in diameter and turn bright orange? Don’t ask me how I know that.
I also chose cucumbers over zukes – I just love me some cucumbers.
http://robbingpeter.wordpress.com/2010/07/29/italian-cucumber-salad/
This is my Cucumber, Onion & Basil salad, inspired by a 17th century Italian recipe.
Summer Fest sounds like so much fun! I can’t wait to jump in and get started on some recipes. Your bite sized cucumber noshes look delicious. Creamy meets crispy make for great partners. Like how you mixed the sour cream with the goat cheese to lighten things up. Congrats on your seven cucumbers this year!
My friend and I had a Zucchini swap, Curried Zucchini Bread for Paula Deen’s Chocolate Chip Zucchini bread. We both enjoyed our swap.
http://purplecook.blogspot.com/2010/07/zucchini-trade-curried-zucchini-soup.html
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
Thanks for the shout-out, guys! As I mentioned on my blog, these look pretty amazing… Perfect for a summer party! 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!
Love this idea, have done similar but will try it with the prosciutto. Love this summerfest. Lost most of my zucchinis this year/heat. First year I made Chilled Zucchini Soup, delicious and a little sweetness from the zucchini. http://dejavucook.wordpress.com/2010/06/15/chilled-zucchini-soup/
I just have to tell you that I made these about an hour ago because I happened to have everything (well, almost everything) in the house. I used mascarpone cheese instead of the sour cream. I’m trying to save at least a few of them for my hubby to have when he gets home from work, but it’s been hard because I’ve got 2 little girls who think they are the best thing since the invention of M&Ms. Of course I’M not guilty of eating any of them myself. Oh no. That just wouldn’t do.
Just found out about Summer Fest 2010, and I think its a wonderful way to share recipes and celebrate the harvest season!! Looking forward to participating through my own blog in the coming weeks, but here’s a recipe I posted 7/24 for Grilled Cheese and Zucchini Sandwiches: http://chasingcrumbs.blogspot.com/2010/07/easy-for-everyday-grilled-cheese-and.html
Beautiful! What purity of presentation, they look really refreshing.
My contribution to Summer Fest is a cucumber salad with garlicky yogurt and dill
– http://boodely.com/2010/07/28/cukes/
That looks amazing – I love the colors and I can only imagine how good those taste.
Check out my post on Zucchini Pasta with Chicken…my favorite summer dinner!
http://thepolymathchronicles.blogspot.com/2010/06/feasting-friday-zucchini-pasta-with.html
Your cucumber appetizers look amazingly delicious!
I didn’t get to plant cucumbers or zucchini this year because my deck construction coincided with planting season. But now I happily find myself on the receiving end of 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
Excited to join the Summer Fest fray this year! Just posted my tangy Wilted Cucumber & Radish Salad:
http://onehungrymama.com/2010/07/recipe-summer-fest-wednesday-wilted-cucumber-radish-salad/
And Paula Deen’s zucchini bread, also part of the Summer Fest fun, reminded me of my perfect family finger food, Zucchini Muffins, great for toddlers up to big kids (including the big kid in you!):
http://onehungrymama.com/2010/04/food-learning-recipe-zucchini-muffins/
Can’t wait to try the other zukes and cukes recipes! These stuffed cukes look INCREDIBLE!!!
Wow, summerfest sounds like fun! I am excited to get a lot of new ideas and share some of my own. I’m a newbie blogger but really enjoying it so far!
Please check out my Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread:
http://urbanrecipe.com/2010/07/chocolate-chip-zucchini-bread/
as always, your photos are gorgeous and the appetizers sound delicious. i posted my recipe for chocolate zucchini cake http://bit.ly/brDhRv …made with evoo and balsamic vinegar…just happens to be vegan. looking forward to next week!
I want to join the party! I do the seasonal recipes posts for the larkcrafts.com blog site and following the Summer Fest weekly line up might help me hold to my deadlines.
Here’s the link to a recent post. I finally worked up a recipe for the Cucumber Wasabi Soup folks have been hounding me for for years. A summer orgy of cucumber and cultured dairy!
http://www.larkcrafts.com/uncategorized/cbs-cucumber-wasabi-soup/
My contribution to the Summer Fest is Cucumber, Feta, & Walnut. A very yummy and refreshing combination! And it looks like our entries are almost the same!!!!!!
http://mypersiankitchen.com/cucumber-feta-walnut/
You guys always outdo yourselves. So happy that we are reunited despite everyone’s nutty schedules, in Round 3 of Summer Fest. Thank you!
Beautiful! We struggle with our cucumbers every year due to the cucumber beetle, a small yellow and black critter that spread bacterial wilt and cucumber mosaic virus. They may have black spots or yellow and black stripes, and if you find one on your plants get rid of the pest. We started growing potted cucumbers on the deck so we can keep a close eye on the plants and are having better results.
So pretty! I can’t believe I have just now found your site. I am so happy I did!
These look amazing! Fresh and adorable . . . I’m wondering about a vegetarian substitute for the prosciutto though. My gut tells me the prosciutto shouldn’t be left out, but these might be almost as delish with just cheese.
SO stealing this idea. Love seeing all you lovely folks at the, ahem, garden party! Thank goodness we have so many zucchini and cucumbers to work with because the ideas are aplenty. Cheers.
i heart summerfest! been looking forward to it since last year-such a great project to participate in. i did not put any cucumbers in my garden this year..so i had to procure some from friend. check out my zucchini marmalade here:
http://thecosmiccowgirl.wordpress.com/2010/07/20/zucchini-marmalade/
What a pretty and satisfying appetizer. The nuts are a really nice addition.
Love the colors and can immagine the great flavor- will have to try!
I am participating too from Tuscany!
No cukes in my garden this year, but just went out to buy some at the weekly market to try out some of the great recipes!
here is my contribution http://divinacucina.blogspot.com/2010/07/summer-fest-2010-lets-party-cukes-and.html
Gosh, that looks like a tasty bite! I am throwing a party in a several weeks. I think I might use this as an appetizer! Thank you.
Fresh garden cucumbers are the best. Great appetizer for any party!
Those little canapes look quite swanky! They almost swagger, they’re so elegant. I love them.
Can I tell you how jealous I am of your cucumber crop? We got one. A yellow, wan, midgety-looking fellow. And then my whole plant died. All I’ve been able to grow successfully this summer is mint, basil, thyme and rosemary. Which is fine; you just can’t snack on them.
I’m on board with the spring rolls! I’m making a bunch for a party tonight–nothing better in the steamy summer!
Perfect timing!! We are overrun with cucumbers! I could have them for breakfast, lunch and dinner!
Those are so pretty. Such a cute appetizer!
I love that you used sour cream instead of cream cheese, I love that tangy taste too! And combined with prosciutto, that sounds so good!!
Hi Diane! Love this idea to present cucumber! As requested, let’s start cross commenting and visiting blogs! This is my post, a quinoa tart with raw baby zucchini and sun dried tomatoes!
http://en.julskitchen.com/vegetariano/gluten-free-summer-fest-quinoa-tart