Search
Recipes, produce guides, seasonal articles, and Collective briefings — one place.
47 results for "cucumbers"
-
Guide
How to grow cucumbers
Cucumbers grow well when they have warmth, water, and enough room to keep producing. The simplest path is to give them support and harvest regularly.
-
ProduceHow to store cucumbers
Cucumbers keep best when they stay cool and dry without getting trapped in the coldest, wettest part of the refrigerator. The goal is to slow softening without encouraging chill damage.
-
ProduceWhat to do with extra cucumbers
When your farm box or garden produces more cucumbers than you can eat fresh, there are a handful of practical ways to use them up before they go soft.
-
ProduceCucumbers
A good cucumber from a local farm in midsummer — thin-skinned, cool, and snappy — is a different experience from the waxed, seedy cylinders shipped year-round at supermarkets. Knowing what to look for makes the…
-
Guide
Best ways to use extra peaches, corn, cucumbers, and berries
Summer abundance means you will sometimes end up with more than you planned. Here are the best ways to use up extra peaches, corn, cucumbers, and berries before they go to waste.
-
RecipeSimple cucumber salad
A fast, no-cook salad that makes fresh cucumbers feel intentional — thinly sliced with vinegar, a little oil, and whatever herbs you have, ready in 10 minutes.
-
ProduceWhat is cucumber and how to use it
Cucumber is one of the simplest fresh vegetables to use because it needs so little cooking and pairs with almost everything. The key is knowing when to keep it raw and when to pickle or blend it.
-
RecipeCreamy tzatziki sauce
A thick, tangy cucumber-garlic yogurt sauce with fresh dill and mint — the cool, bright Greek condiment that turns grilled meat, pita, and vegetables into a meal.
-
RecipeQuinoa tabbouleh
A bright, herb-heavy salad with quinoa, tons of fresh parsley and mint, juicy tomato, cucumber, and a punchy lemon-olive oil dressing — the gluten-free twist on the Lebanese classic.
-
Guide
How to Preserve Summer Produce for Later
Summer gives you more great produce than you can eat right now. Here's how to freeze, pickle, and put up the best of the season so you're eating local food all winter long.
-
Guide
A Beginner's Guide to Buying From Local Farms Online
Shopping directly from local farms and growers is easier than ever — but it can feel unfamiliar at first. Here's everything you need to know to get started confidently.
-
Guide
Best fall vegetables for roasting, soups, and meal prep
Fall vegetables are built for the way most people actually cook — roasting, simmering in soups, and prepping ahead. Here's which ones work best for each method and why.
-
Guide
Best foods to freeze, store, or preserve in fall
Fall is the best window to build a winter food supply from local farms. Some crops need nothing more than a cool shelf; others freeze or ferment beautifully with minimal effort.
-
Guide
Best winter staples to buy from small farms
Winter local farm buying is less about variety and more about quality staples. These are the items most worth seeking out from small producers during the cold months.
-
Guide
Buying Local Produce vs Growing Your Own — Cost, Time, and Yield
Growing your own food is rewarding and can be cost-effective for specific crops. But for most households, a combination of home growing and buying local delivers the best outcomes on cost, variety, and effort.
-
Guide
Easy summer meals built around farm-fresh ingredients
Farm-fresh summer produce makes cooking easier, not harder. Here are simple, satisfying meal ideas built around what local farms have right now.
-
ProduceFresh Herbs
Fresh herbs are the fastest way to transform a dish. A handful of basil, a few sprigs of thyme, or a tablespoon of chopped parsley changes a plate in a way that dried herbs simply cannot replicate — and local farms grow…
-
Guide
Greenhouse-Grown vs Field-Grown Local Produce
Both greenhouse and field-grown produce can be local and high-quality, but they differ in taste, nutrition, season, and environmental footprint. Here's what to know before you choose.
-
Guide
How to build a more balanced week with better ingredients
A more balanced week of eating rarely comes from stricter rules — it usually comes from better starting materials and a few practical habits that make good choices easier to follow through on.
-
Guide
How to harvest vegetables properly
Harvesting vegetables properly is mostly about timing, gentleness, and keeping the plant productive for what comes next. A calmer harvest usually means better eating and less damage.
-
ProduceHow to make fresh produce last all week
Most produce spoilage comes down to a handful of avoidable mistakes. These storage habits will get you through a full week of fresh vegetables and fruit with far less waste.
-
Guide
How to make the most of tomato season
Tomato season is short and spectacular. This guide covers how to buy, store, cook, and preserve local tomatoes so you get the most out of every week of peak season.
-
Guide
How to Meal Plan Around Seasonal Produce
Seasonal eating doesn't have to mean chaos in the kitchen. Learn how to build a flexible meal plan that works with what's fresh, local, and delicious right now.
-
Guide
How to stretch a weekly farm order further
Getting the most out of your local farm order is both a cooking skill and a planning habit. Small adjustments to how you store, prep, and use your food can significantly extend the value of every order.
-
Guide
How to Use a Farm Box Without Wasting Anything
A weekly farm box is one of the best ways to eat locally — but only if you actually use everything in it. Here's how to make the most of every leaf, stem, and root.
-
Guide
Is Local Food More Expensive? The Honest Answer
Local food has a reputation for costing more. Sometimes it does. But the real picture is more complicated — and for many everyday purchases, local food is competitive or outright cheaper than the grocery store.
-
ProduceLettuce
Lettuce changes a lot by type: romaine is crisp, butter lettuce is soft, leaf lettuce is tender, and iceberg is all crunch. Knowing the difference makes salads easier and waste less likely.
-
Guide
Local Food vs Organic Food — Which Matters More?
Local and organic are not the same thing, and choosing between them depends on what you're buying. Here's how to think about both labels and when each one actually matters.
-
ProduceMixed Seasonal Vegetables
Cooking with whatever is in season locally — rather than building a recipe and then hunting for ingredients — is how home cooks ate for most of human history. It is also how you get the best-tasting food for the least…
-
Guide
Preserving Local Food — Canning, Fermenting, Drying, and Freezing
The best way to eat well year-round from local farms is to preserve the harvest at peak season. Here's a practical guide to the four main preservation methods with safety guidance from USDA.
-
Guide
Should you wash produce before storing?
Usually, no. Most produce keeps better when it is washed right before use rather than before storage, especially if there is any chance moisture will remain on the surface.
-
Guide
Spring herbs to start cooking with right now
Fresh herbs are one of the best purchases you can make in spring — and local farms often offer them earlier and in better condition than grocery stores. Here is what to look for and how to use it all.
-
Guide
Summer produce guide: the best fruits and vegetables in season
Summer is the most abundant time of year for local produce. Here is a practical guide to what is in season, what to prioritize, and how to make the most of it.
-
Guide
The Real Difference Between Local Food and Grocery Store Food
Beyond the marketing, there are genuine and measurable differences between food bought locally and food from a chain grocery store. Here's what they actually are.
-
Guide
What eating better can look like without being extreme
Improving how you eat does not require eliminating food groups, following a named protocol, or overhauling your life. It often starts with simply using better ingredients more consistently.
-
Guide
What grows well in small spaces
Small-space growing works best when you choose crops that stay productive, fit containers or tight beds, and match how you actually cook.
-
Guide
What to buy first when shopping local
Not sure what to order on your first local food shop? Some products deliver a much more noticeable improvement over the grocery store version than others. Start with these.
-
Guide
What to Buy From Local Farms in Summer
Summer is peak season for local farms — tomatoes, corn, peppers, berries, and more are at their absolute best right now. Here's what to prioritize and why buying direct from a grower makes all the difference.
-
Guide
What to do with extra garden produce
Extra garden produce is easiest to manage when you sort it by urgency, not by category. A little triage turns a pile of mixed produce into a workable plan.
-
Guide
What to do with green beans
Green beans are easy to use up when you keep the cooking simple. These ideas help you move through a surplus without ending up with limp beans in the crisper.
-
ProduceWhat's the Shelf Life of Farm-Fresh Produce?
Farm-fresh produce and grocery store produce have different shelf lives — sometimes longer, sometimes shorter. Here's what to expect for common crops and how to extend it.
-
Guide
Why local produce sometimes looks different than grocery store produce
Local produce doesn't always look picture-perfect, and that's not a quality problem. Here's what's actually behind the differences in size, color, and shape.
-
Guide
Why seasonal eating can be a more sustainable choice
Eating seasonally aligns your food choices with what the land around you naturally produces, which can reduce energy use and food miles — though the real story has more nuance than simple slogans suggest.
-
Guide
Why seasonal eating makes sense
Eating seasonally isn't about following a food trend — it's a practical way to get better flavor, lower prices, and more variety over the course of a year.
-
Guide
Why summer is peak season for buying local
Summer is when local food is at its most abundant, affordable, and exceptional. Here is why this season deserves extra attention and how to shop it well.
-
Guide
Why your produce goes bad quickly
Produce usually spoils quickly for a few repeatable reasons: too much moisture, the wrong storage zone, too much delay, or buying without a plan. Once you fix those habits, waste usually drops fast.
-
Guide
Winter buying tips for eggs, meats, pantry items, and preserved goods
Winter is when knowing how to buy specific farm products makes a real difference. Here is a practical guide to eggs, meats, shelf-stable pantry goods, and preserved foods in the colder months.
