I was going to say relish, then you said you have done that! We toss them in salad. eat raw slices and love those yummy little party rye with cream cheese, slice of cucumber and sprinkle of parsley sandwichs. But to preserve them. Can't think of anything you have not already done.
Cucumber sandwich with tea (you can click on the pic for more info ):
Okay, Miss Daisy, that isn't my table .
OT: I drove past a telephone guy in his truck just about noon today. Residential street, he was at the curb across from a park. I could smell dill pickles as I drove past .
Usually, I slice and splash with apple cider vinegar and sprinkle with spices. Served with crackers, cheese and a beer . And, this is about as far from a cucumber sandwich with tea as I can get: Many cucumbers are peeled with just a little skin on the stem end to hold onto. Then, I roll off down the road in the Dodge. Eating a cucumber is a pretty good way to stay hydrated on a hot summer day .
Put a couple drops of Franks Red Hot sauce or Tabasco or your favorite hot sauce (or a friend/family favorite) in each jar, then pack it with cucumbers, and add the pickling juice.
You'll get pickles with a little bit of bite to them. Not enough to make your tongue go numb but they are a big hit around here even with the people who don't like spicy foods. I've never done a sweet hot just the regular dill hots but they are good. Ill do this with both spears and slicing pickles. That way you can add them to a sandwich or burger too.
We love them peeled, sliced, and marinated in vinegar cut with a little water and some salt and sugar added (to taste). Also good to add some sliced purple onion. Yummy!
Eating fresh I love sliced and tossed w/ sour cream and dill.
I also use them as crackers for tuna or cheese, since I can't eat crackers.
I eat them in salads
To preserve them I peel, quarter, core, slice and freeze for salads for the winter. Try one freezer bag of them, freeze them for a few days then thaw and try them. Don't let the look fool you, and you will need the drain the water in a colander, but they are still crunchy, but they won't look like it. They aren't as great as fresh, but better then the waxy stores.
I wonder if you could run them through a food processer, or dice them up small and freeze them in little amounts - like ice cube tray size bits? You MIGHT be able to add a bit of that fresh cuke taste to dips and such through the winter then????
OH HEY! That makes me think... I once made several types of flavored butters that were quite tasty. I wonder if you could actually make it into something meant to be thawed and added to cream cheese later?? For that taste of Summer in the middle of November??
oh yes make sure you purchase 10+ year old balsamic vinegar, not the cheap off brand
and add a 1/4 tea of rice wine vinegar as well..
if you what it a bit sweeter add a pinch of light brown sugar.