Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

I guess September’s theme is using up what is growing in your garden or what you can pick up at the farmer’s market. I’m good with this! Veggies are so yummy and I love finding new ways to use them. I didn’t grow cucumbers in the garden this year. I remembered that they have little prickles on them and I didn’t want little one to get hurt trying to pick them in the garden. After planting pumpkins and discovering how prickly their vines are I will definitely reconsider the cucumbers next year. My dad did plant cucumbers and gave me a few pounds so I needed to find a way to use them up.

I wasn’t interested in cucumbers swimming in a creamy sauce (think yogurt or ranch dressing). Then I went to tour a CSA farm with one of my friends. Before the tour we were treated to a dinner featuring produce from the farm. There was this incredible cucumber salad with a vinegar base. It was so good and I just knew it was how I wanted to make my cucumbers. As usual Pinterest came to my rescue. I found a few recipes that sounded similar to what we had at the farm. I picked the easiest one to make with the fewest ingredients. I do love a recipe with fancy ingredients but cucumbers should be simple.

Our family adores these cucumbers. I have made these several times over the summer. We love them so much a bought a huge basket of cucumbers at the Minneapolis farmer’s market. The cucumbers taste great after sitting in your fridge for two hours but if you are a fan of pickles let them sit for a few days. The flavor intensifies to a light pickle flavor that is just amazing. These are great for snacking. I would fill up a ramekin of cucumbers and snack on them whenever I needed something with a little crunch. Use any cucumbers you want but the ones with a smaller circumference work better.

Enjoy!

1 ½ lbs. English cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp. coarse kosher salt

½ cup distilled white vinegar

3 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. freshly ground pepper

Place sliced cucumbers in a colander in the sink and sprinkle cucumbers with salt and toss. Let rest for 15 minutes, tossing occasionally. While cucumbers are resting, whisk together vinegar, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl. Drain cucumbers and pat dry. Toss cucumbers in dressing, cover bowl, and refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Serve cold.

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