I'm surprised to learn the cucumber bread was dry! You'd think cukes would be moister than zucchini. Anyhow, because they're members of the same family as squash, you should be able to use them in much the same way as you would use zucchini or summer squash... I've sauteed my overgrown cukes...
We did not bury the hardware cloth for our run and just ran it 1 1/2' up the sides and 1 1/2' along the ground from the base. We pinned it down with the metal pins that are typically used for staking down weedblock and then topped it with crushed gravel. That's worked fine for us- no problems...
I've been taking advantage of the valuable resources here too long without formally introducing myself :) In Exeter, NH here, with a small flock of mostly barnyard crosses, a barred rock who thinks she's a four-star general, and her second-in-command, a RI red. Just in this for fun and eggs.