Cool Cucumber Recipes -Try an easy summer salad on these hot days.
There are many more varieties of cucumbers than we see in the grocery store. One glance at a farmers’ market cucumber display might scare any budding foodie away. But the good news for us eaters is that they are sweet and crisp in the summer and worth the wait through the winter.
Cucumbers have a sweet, subtle flavor that is welcome by people of all ages. In the summertime, cucumbers make a crisp base for salads instead of lettuce.
The Thick and Thin of Cucumber Skin
Whether you peel or don’t peel a cucumber depends on the cucumber that you bought.
You don’t need to peel the thin skin of an English cucumber, but I find that the packaged cucumbers are always old at my local stores. I test them by pushing on the ends. The old ones are mushy.
If you purchase a standard cucumber at the store, their skin is waxy and thick, I recommend peeling these.
If you buy cucumbers at the farmers’ market, there are so many varieties to choose from, your decision about peeling changes. Most of these cucumbers have thin skins, but you can still peel them as you choose. Many will have spines fresh from the garden, don’t be afraid of the spines. They will come off after a gentle massage with a towel.
Seeds or No Seeds
The seed debate also depends on the cucumber. Many smaller immature cucumbers don’t have large seeds.
As the cucumbers grow and mature, the seeds are growing to propagate the next generation. The seeds on an older cucumber will develop until they are ready to live independently and find their own plot of dirt. They need to survive through the winter, so they have have a more durable outer layer.
If you are growing your own, you can eat a large, older cucumber, but you will want to peel and remove the seeds first.
The other reason to remove the seeds is that this part of the cucumber is watery. Making a cucumber salad, the salt in the mixture will pull out the water, leaving the salad to have more juice over time.
Just like people, not every cucumber is the same, and you will want to treat them individually, instead of having hard and fast rules to follow.
The Simplest Recipes
In the summer, cucumbers are the lettuce in my salad and the base of any cold vegetable dish.
They are great on a sandwich, instead of, or along with lettuce. And if you have good bread, cucumbers and cream cheese make a sandwich on their own.
Cucumber Salad
- 1 large or 2 medium cucumbers, peeled if desired and thinly sliced (4–5 cups)
- ¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup sliced red onion
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar or white wine or red wine vinegar
Cut the cucumber in half from top to bottom and then slice each piece, with the flat side down on your cutting board, into thin half-moons. In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, salt, sugar, red onion, red chili flakes, and vinegar. Let stand for 10 minutes and then serve.
Creamy Herb Cucumber Salad
- ¼ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Pepper to taste
- 1 large or 2 medium cucumbers, peeled if desired and thinly sliced (4–5 cups)
- ¼ cup thinly sliced onion
- 2–3 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, chives, basil, dill, cilantro, mint and/or tarragon
In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, vinegar, sugar, and pepper until blended. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat and stir in the herbs. Let stand for 10 minutes and then serve.
How to Make Refrigerator Pickles
You can make pickles with any cucumber. Pickling cucumbers are grown because they are firm, have thin skins and tiny seeds. Any of the cucumbers that you grow in the garden or get fresh from the farm make good pickles if they have these attributes.
Making refrigerator pickles is the easiest method to preserve cucumbers. With enough vinegar, these will keep in your fridge for months, although the pickle texture changes over time. I prefer to make small batches through the summer to have pickles in the refrigerator, ready for a burger, or a snack.
At the end of the summer, I will make one or two extra jars to have on hand. As the seasons change, my desire for pickles wanes. You can always make refrigerator pickles with other vegetables, in the winter, if you need a sour fix.
Refrigerator Pickles
- 1 medium cucumber
- 1–2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 dried chili or a pinch of chili flakes
- 1 pinch of dill seed
- 1/2 cup vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
Combine all ingredients in a pint jar, shake to dissolve the salt. Then put it in the fridge for a few days, two or three if possible.
Grow Your Own — Cucumber Facts
Cucumbers and melons are related.
But a true cucumber will grow better in cooler summer locations. They don’t like sweltering temperatures over 100 degrees.
Melons prefer hot weather. If you live somewhere with scorching summer heat, try growing Armenian or striped Armenian cucumbers. These are actually melon plants and are more productive in the heat. Be careful of misplacing them in the garden. They are worse than zucchini for growing to gigantic sizes.
Enjoy Cucumbers at Their Best
Mild and sweet cucumbers, don’t seem to have a distinction between what you can buy in the grocery store and what you might grow on your own or get fresh from the farm. But in the summer, their crisp, subtle flavors show through. Enjoy cucumbers from June until October when they are at their peak.