Cucumber Salad

Summer is the ONLY time to eat cucumbers!  They are super cheap - and they are delicious.  I never buy cucumbers in the winter, when they are bitter and stale and travel 2,000 miles to get to our grocery store.

Nearly all the produce I buy is in season for several reasons.  My favorite reason is that it is the least expensive way to buy produce.  I saw plums at my produce market this week for just 49 cents/pound! 

Another important reason I buy in season is that it is more likely to be local.  Local food means less fossil fuels are burned, and it is better for the environment.  It also supports local farmers and the local economy.

Lastly, in season produce comes to you faster from the farm so it is fresher and more vitamins are inside!

So today, I'm sharing two of my favorite recipes for cucumber salad.  They are super simple and very delicious.

Sweet German-style Cucmber Salad

• 
  
  3 cups cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 
  
  1/2 cup of onion, very thinly sliced

Place cucumbers and onion in a large collanderand sprinkle with salt (about 1 tablespoon).  Shake the collander to cover everything with salt.  Let drain for one hour.  Rinse of salt, lay on a clean kitchen towel, and pat dry.

• 
  
  1/3 cup raw sugar or turbinado sugar (evaporated cane juice)
• 
  
  1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 
  
  1/2 teaspoon celery seed

Mix together in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over cucumbers.  Cover and marinate in refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Persian-style Cucumber Salad

• 
  
  3 cups cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 
  
  1/2 cup of onion, very thinly sliced

Place cucumbers and onion in a large collanderand sprinkle with salt (about 1 tablespoon). Shake the collander to cover everything with salt. Let drain for one hour. Rinse of salt, lay on a clean kitchen towel, and pat dry.

• 
  
  3/4 cup plain yogurt (see my easy homemade yougurt recipe here, or store bought)
• 
  
  1 tablespoon fresh mint or dill weed

Place cucumbers/onions, yogurt, and mint or dill on a bowl.  Mix well.  Chill at least one hour.

Both these recipes are adapted from Simply in Season: Recipes that Celebrate Fresh, Local Foods in the Spirit of More With Less, page 98.