Let’s be honest – the late summer garden vegetables are gorgeously colorful and tasty,  but they are definitely unusual. For a long time, I thought nothing would grow this time of year, and it rested in my gardening mind like a deep winter of sorts.

That was before I discovered the wonderful selection of vegetables that thrive in the late summer!  Most of them originate in Southeast Asia or Africa, so they are not commonly seen here.  They are really not that different from the early summer vegetables, but they look bigger and scarier for some reason.

I’ll get a new customer messages: “We’d love to get veggies!”. After the share is delivered, there is an awkward silence, followed by a series of photos taken in someone’s kitchen with poor lighting.  “What IS this?” They wonder. It’s like I’ve delivered a live alien to them in a bag, and they are supposed to make dinner with it.

It’s unfortunate, because the vegetables this time of year are actually really wonderful, just unfamiliar in appearance.

I’m inspired to do a blogging series specifically for the most unusual vegetables of this season in an attempt to demystify them, starting here with:

Late Summer Asian Cucumbers

I’ve found that these are the varieties that can beat the melon moths/ powdery mildew/ heat/ pouring rain/ drought pressures. Of course they do get the green pickle worms sometimes as well, but they will grow and produce abundantly, despite the challenges.  Suyo Long is a favorite, but there are other Asian cucumber varieties that also have been productive in my experience.

You wouldn’t think a cucumber would seem intimidating,  but these definitely are. Long, curly, and bumpy like crocodiles, they are not your average squishy dark green grocery store cucumber. They look more like reptiles than cucumbers, but once prepared they are crisp, mild, and delicious.

Asian- style cucumber salad

2 cups chunks of cucumber
(I like to score the outside with a fork first so the cucumber pieces absorb more of the flavor)

Dressing:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
2 Tablespoons sesame oil
A dash of fish sauce

Pinch of white pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of red pepper flakes

Mix all ingredients and let sit together at least 1 hour before serving. Toss before serving.