PYO Meal Series: Cucumber Salad, Two Ways
This is our fifth Pick Your Own (PYO) meal, featuring cucumbers from the farm, two ways: a Cool Creamy Cucumber Salad and an Acidic Cucumber Salad.
The cucumber plants are thriving right now in the PYO patch! What can you do with a cucumber? Here we will show you how to turn plain ole’ cucumbers into two different deliciously elevated cucumber side salads that will pair perfectly with your BBQ plans this summer.
The field cucumbers we have here on the farm are different from the English cucumber you may be used to seeing in your local grocery store. For these recipes, we recommend roughly peeling the cucumber skin, as it is a bit tough and can be hard to chew. In addition, we recommend halving the cucumbers and lightly scooping out the insides of the medium to large sized ones, to reduce the water content and remove the larger seeds.
Please tag us on Instagram (@thamesrivermelons) if you try this recipe!
Recipe for The Creamy Cucumber Salad
*Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb Thames River Melons cucumbers
1/2 cup Thames River Melons dill
2 small Thames River Melons red onions and their greens
4 tbsp white vinegar or pickle juice
¾ cup Greek yogurt
1 tsp salt
Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
1. Thoroughly wash the cucumbers, onions, and dill.
2. To make the dressing, whisk together pickle juice (or vinegar), yogurt, salt and lemon juice + zest in a salad bowl. Finely chop the dill and add to the dressing.
*It is most efficient (and creates less dishes!) to make the salad dressing in the same bowl you plan to serve the salad in.
3. Slice onion from north to south* (greens to the root or ‘with the grain’) and add to the dressing bowl. Save some of the greens to slice and add as garnish). Marinate the onions in the dressing while preparing the cucumbers.
*Slicing onion ‘with the grain’ yields a more mild flavour, important when eaten raw
4. Roughly peel the cucumbers, and cut them each in half, then lightly scoop out the inside of the larger ones. Next slice the cucumber halves into half-moon shapes.
4. Chop dill and add to the salad bowl with the dressing. Add the cucumber slices as well.
5. Toss the salad in the dressing until the cucumbers are fully coated.
6. Garnish with onion greens.
This salad pairs well with a Greek inspired dinner, such as Souvlaki style chicken.
Recipe for The Acidic Cucumber Salad
*Serves 4
1lb Thames River Melons cucumbers (we suggest small to medium)
2 Thames River Melons onions and the greens
6 tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
1 tbsp Thames River Melon Blossom honey
1 + ½ tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
1. Wash cucumbers and onions.
2. To make the salad dressing, in a salad bowl whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, red pepper flakes, and lemon juice
*It is most efficient (and creates less dishes!) to make the salad dressing in the same bowl you plan to serve the salad in.
3. Slice onion from north to south* (greens to the root or ‘with the grain’) and add to the dressing bowl. Save some of the greens to slice and add as garnish). Marinate the onions in the dressing while preparing the cucumbers.
*Slicing onion ‘with the grain’ yields a more mild flavour, important when eaten raw
4. Lightly peel the cucumbers, then halve them. Scoop out the insides of the largest ones. Cut the cucumbers into half-moon and add to the salad bowl with the dressing and onions.
5. Garnish with onion greens.
6. Toss, then let sit for 5-10 minutes. Toss again, ensuring all cucumbers are coated in dressing. Let sit again for 5-10 minutes.
7. Enjoy! This version of the cucumber salad pairs beautifully with sushi, or a teriyaki chicken.
We ordered our favourite local sushi to complement the flavours of this salad. This lunch was a great balance between homemade and takeout food.
Cost
PYO cucumbers are $1/lb. PYO onions are $4/lb. PYO dill is $4/lb.
In total, the cost of PYO cucumbers per salad is $1. The onions cost PYO onions per salad $1 and dill (for the creamy cucumber salad) was $0.20.
Nutritional Density
Did you know? Cucumbers contain 95% water (1). These salads will surely keep you hydrated on a hot summer's day. Not only are cucumbers good for providing water to your body but they also contain an abundance of electrolytes such as potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium (1). These electrolytes control our bodies’ water balance, helping it to function optimally.
Storage
These salads will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
All of the onion greens won’t be needed for these salads, but you can freeze the remainder and use in your next stir-fry!
Modifications
This recipe may be modified to suit your needs.
In terms of the Creamy Cucumber Salad, you may substitute the Greek yogurt for a plain dairy, or lactose-free yogurt.
Recipes developed and photographed by dietetic interns Lexie Nobbs and Lise Wolyniuk and reviewed by Alex Chesney, RD
Reference:
Health Canada. (2023). Canadian Nutrient File. Government of Canada. Retrieved July 21, 2024, from https://food-nutrition.canada.ca/cnf-fce/newSearch .