Isn’t this time of the year wonderful when the fruits of our gardening labors show up?  Why do they always show up all at once though!  Here are a couple of my favorite recipes for using 2 of the most abundant garden veggies – tomatoes and cucumbers.

The first recipe is also a good one to stretch your grocery budget.  One can of tuna will make 4 servings, and the toasted oats give a good nutty flavor to the salad.

Taste Tempting Tuna Salad

(4 servings)

¾ cup oats

1 (7 oz) can tuna, drained and flaked

½ cup diced celery

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup milk

3 tablespoons chopped onion or green onion

(Optional) 2 tablespoons sweet or dill pickle relish

4 medium tomatoes

1. Toast oats in ungreased baking pan at 350 degrees 15 to 20 minutes.  I usually do this in a nonstick skillet on top of the stove.  Watch closely and shake the skillet often.  When slightly browned, cool the oats.

2. Combine the oats, tuna, celery, mayonnaise, milk, onion, and relish (if using).  Mix well and chill.

3. Add additional mayonnaise before serving is needed.  Cut tomato from stem to blossom end into 6 wedges.  Place on a lettuce wedge like petals of a flower.

4. Divide the tuna between the 4 tomatoes.  If desired, you may garnish with hard-cooked eggs and lemon or orange slices.

Another abundant vegetable from the garden is the cucumber.  This extremely simple cucumber recipe is from my 95 year old mother.  I remember picking cucumbers from our large garden on the farm and preparing this recipe for almost every summer dinner.  When preparing this at my home for my diabetic husband, I use Splenda instead of sugar.

By the way, there are always those cucumbers that get way too large to make good eating.  When we were kids, we got to make boats out those cucumbers.  Hollow out the center of the cucumber, using the top of the cut out rind for the seats.  You can get very creative in making sailboats or motorboats with other materials on hand.  And, they really do float!

Marinated Cucumbers

2 cups thinly sliced cucumbers (large seeds removed)

½ medium onion thinly sliced

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup white vinegar (may use cider or other flavored vinegars)

¼ cup water

Salt to taste

1. Combine sugar, vinegar, and water, stirring until sugar is dissolved.

2. Pour over sliced cucumbers and onions.  Salt to taste.

3. Let stand for 15 minutes to marinate.

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