Cucumbers Frozen? Cucumbers Fried? Really!

Isn't it zucchini that is notorious for producing an abundance that leaves gardeners at a loss of what to do with them? My zucchini is dying. I am not sure what is wrong. Something was eating at the fruit and the leaf stems. From the size of the bites we thought maybe it was rabbits. Then the plant started to wither. I don't see any bites in the main stem. I don't know what is going on, but we don't have zucchini. We do however have an abundance of cucumbers. Anyone want to trade?

This surplus left me wondering what to do with them all. I do want to make dill pickles, but I didn't have the right ingredients or the time to run for them. Mamaw suggested Freezer cucumbers, a recipe given to her by a friend.

Freezer Cucumbers
2 quart sliced cucumbers
2 TB salt
3 medium onions sliced
Mix and let stand 2 hours. Then rinse thoroughly.
1 1/2 C Sugar
1/2 C vinegar
Heat enough to dissolve sugar. Add 1 tsp. celery seed. Cool, pour over cucumber mixture and freeze.

I wasn't sure I'd like these much. I'm not normally a fan of sweet type pickles. I can't attest to the flavor after being frozen yet, but these sure were good before they were frozen!

But even making a double batch of this recipe only put a dent into the cucumbers already picked, not to mention those that are almost ready to be picked. Search began for yet another way to use those cucumbers. In my 1960's version of the Settlement Cookbook, I found a recipe for French Fried Cucumbers.

Fried Cucumbers
Peel cucumbers. Slice lengthwise, like steak fries. Dredge in well seasoned bread crumbs.** Dip in beaten egg. Dredge in bread crumbs again. Fry in hot oil until golden brown.

** Make your own bread crumbs by saving heals, leftover buns and other breads in the freezer. When you need bread crumbs throw them in the food processor with your spices. For this recipe I used garlic powder and seasoned salt.

While I was making the cucumbers I thought about all the summer squash I needed to use too. So, I sliced up one in round slices and fried it the same way. We had these for dinner last night, with grilled chicken sandwiches made with fresh tomatoes and Swiss chard from the garden. YUM!

The fried vegetable were really good. Tim doesn't normally like either of these vegetables much, but said he really enjoyed them like this. Proving once again that almost anything deep fried is delicious!

These two recipes have helped to alleviate the cucumber surplus, for now. Dill pickles are next on the list. In the meantime does anyone have some good ideas for summer squash?