Farmers Market Three Cucumber Salad
Bumping into a friendly foodie at my local farmers market, I notice her hands full of little yellow orbs. I thought they were mini-squashes but she says, no, they’re lemon cucumbers — and she loves to eat them out of hand, sprinkled with a little salt.
I didn’t pick one up then, but a few weeks later, I’m cruising through the Park City farmers market and spot the sunny little cukes again.
“Oh you don’t want those,” a helpful? woman says. “They’re bitter.” So natch, I buy one.
Let’s review: my trusted foodie friend says they’re delicious and I pass them up, yet a complete (nosy) stranger says phooey, and I buy. Go figure.
Nosy woman did say that I should buy the pale, delicate tasting Armenian cucumber, which later I discovered is also called a snake melon, because botanically it is a melon (C. flexuosus) yet it tastes like a cucumber. Perhaps I should call this salad Two Cukes & a Melon?
Armed with three different farmers market cucumbers (or two plus a melon that tastes like a cucumber) and in need of a salad to bring to a friend’s house for dinner, I naturally concluded a cucumber salad was in order.
After cutting open the lemon cucumber, I was surprised to find mostly seeds and just a thin strip of flesh. Hard, crunchy flesh. Slightly bitter (sorry, nosy woman) with a hint of lemon.
I wanted to remove the seeds from the English and the Armenian cucumber anyway, so I scooped out the seeds from the lemon cucumber, too.
I like the look of cucumbers slivers over circles or half moons. Notice I’m cutting on the bias (angled cut) to make longer slivers, just like I did with the green beans here.
Pop in a little red onion for color and maybe even a red chile pepper for heat. Toss with rice wine vinegar, a little sugar, salt and pepper.
Oh, and torn basil. I like lots of basil in this salad, but I’ve only put a modest amount in the ingredient list. Add more if you’re basil-crazy like me.
Farmers Market Three Cucumber Salad
This refreshing salad isn’t very sweet, unlike most cucumber salads, so if you prefer more sweetness, by all means, add an additional tablespoon, or two, of sugar. I prefer to taste the cucumber and basil, and too much sugar interferes with the clean taste of cucumbers. Removing the seeds helps cut any bitterness the cukes may have, plus it makes for a more attractive salad.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1/2 of an English cucumber
1/2 of an Armenian cucumber
1 lemon cucumber
1/4 of a small red onion
1/2 small red chile pepper (like a red jalapeno)
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 medium fresh basil leaves
Method
1. Cut all three cucumbers in half, lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut, at an angle, into 1/4-inch strips. Place in a large bowl or in a Ziplock bag.
2. Slice the red onion and red chile pepper into 1/8-inch slices and place in the blow with the cucumbers.
3. Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper and pour over the cucumbers. Toss a few times and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour, tossing occasionally. (It’s actually easier to marinate them in a Ziplock, because you just grab the bag and turn it once in a while.)
4. Drain the cucumbers when you are ready to serve, and place them in a serving bowl. Tear the basil into small pieces and scatter on top. Toss once more. Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.
I’ve been curious about the lemon cucumbers. Think I will plant one next year, just to try them. Love the on-the-bias slices. Sounds like a great salad.
Hi Kalyn…if you do plant them, please do a blog post about them. Curious little things. Seeing them everywhere now that I figured out what they are.
The reason the lemon cucumber was bitter is because it was a little overripe. They should be picked before they are that yellow. They can be picked before they have any yellow on them, but they should still be good with just a little yellow on them. My family loves them…we have had a cool summer here and the regular cucumbers have grown so slowly that they have been rather bitter, but we have yet to have a bitter lemon cucumber.
Jackie:
Thanks for that helpful post! I saw some paler ones, yet I went for the most yellow because I thought it was prettier. It wasn’t too bitter for my personal tastes. Next time I’ll go for the pale ones.
This was a lesson on what to look for at the farmers market. I am sure it is filled with undiscovered treasures.
Thanks for stopping by. Love the title of your blog, “More Than Burnt Toast.” Very nice!
I love any kind of cucumbers (have been eating them dusted with salt since I can remember) and I really do those those little lemon ones. I think they have just a little more flavor, or maybe just a different flavor than the greens. Lovely looking salad!
Hi Dana. It was my first but certainly not my last experience with the lemon cuke. I found it even more crunchy than green cucumbers.
I’ve never tried the “little lemon ones,” but I’ll be on the lookout at our market! Very tasty salad in the making, that’s for sure. And, as always, great lessons in technique. 🙂
Usually we get a few different types of cucumbers and summer squash in our csa share, so I definitely will try this one out!
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