April 2020

Making Cucumber Chips

Joseph Parish

Last week my wife and I purchased too many cucumbers when we visited the produce market. Normally, that would be a problem as I hate to waste food. This time however we decided to make cucumber chips from the excess. These are easy to make and healthy for you as well. If you have children these are an excellent treat for them.

We will likely have an excess of cucumbers from our garden this year as I plan to maximized every square inch of our garden space. That should provide plenty of pickles, salsa and cucumber chips for the winter. An add3ed benefit of cucumbers is the creation of cucumber soap which I will cover in future articles.  There are a host of uses for this valuable vegetable. I once wrote an article on making cucumber water, which is an excellent summer drink. You can dehydrate them and create a delightful cucumber chip which is crispy and light, and can be personalized with your favorite spices.

If you own a dehydrator and have the extra cucumbers as we did, you are well on your way to enjoying the homemade cucumber chips. In a pinch you can dehydrate these chips in your oven but a dehydrator makes for an easy task.

Here is a sample recipe for you to try:

Ingredients

·         2 thinly sliced cucumbers

·         2 Tbsp of vinegar

·         1/4 tsp of chili powder

·         1/4 tsp of paprika

Instructions

·         With a mandolin slice the cucumbers ¼ inch thick

·         Toss them in one teaspoon vinegar.

·         Place on the dehydrator tray being sure they do not touch

·         Sprinkle your favorite seasoning on them

·         Dehydrate for 8 to 10 hours at 130 degrees

·         Store them in an air tight container

Additional suggestions for seasoning your chips are:

·         Ranch dressing.

·         Italian dressing.

·         Soak them in garlic and vinegar.

Your choices are endless. If you like the BBQ taste try spreading some of your popular BBQ sauce on the. After deciding upon the flavor desired, place them on your tray. Be certain to give them enough space so they do not touch each other. Sprinkle the seasoning of your choice and set the dehydrator to 130 degrees and let it run for 8 to 10 hours. Make sure the cucumbers are crispy and completely dry. Keep in mind that these dehydrated cucumber chips can be reconstituted and used in cucumber salad as well.