Cucumber and Harvest

Cucumbers Galore? Enjoy Cucumber Salad and Easy Pickles Recipes!

/Updated /3 Comments/in /by Mary Hunt
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Today, we celebrate cucumbers, which are in peak season, delicious when prepared well, and packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.

A cucumber in a garden

Home gardeners would do well to anticipate and plan for a big harvest because cucumbers, like zucchini, have a way of multiplying beyond expectations. Farmers’ markets are always evident in this truth, where recently I picked up a full box for just $7.

Personally, I love cucumbers so much, I would be happy eating them in a salad, as pickles, in a sandwich, or just straight up with a sprinkle of salt. And I mean every day of my life.

Today I have a recipe for you that may take you back to your childhood. It does for me because this is the way my grandmother made cucumber salad. And a recipe with instructions for the easiest refrigerator dill pickles ever!

My Grandmother’s Cucumber Salad

You’ll need:

  • cucumbers
  • sweet white onion
  • sour cream
  • sugar
  • apple cider vinegar
  • sea salt

(Scroll down for full, printable recipe)

If you are worried your cucumbers may be a little bitter, don’t peel all of that nutritious skin away. Instead, place the sliced cucumbers in a colander in the sink and sprinkle with salt.

seasoned cucumber

(By the way, don’t worry about the color of my salt. It’s been years since we switched from ordinary table salt in our home to using Redmond Real Salt, exclusively. I buy 10 lbs. of Redmond Real Salt at a time, which keeps well, and lasts us for up to three years. It is such amazing salt, that I’ve been accused of being a gourmet cook. It’s not me, it’s the salt. Real Salt is my secret.)

Mix gently with your hand so that all of the slices are salted. Let stand for about 30 minutes. The salt will remove any bitterness from the skin and also leech water from the cucumbers to keep your salad from getting all watery.

I drained nearly 1/2 cup of liquid from these five cucumbers.

salad dress in a measuring cup

Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

If the idea of making pickles reminds you that you don’t have the time or the equipment to make traditional canned pickles, where you have to boil the jars and worry about poisoning your family come winter because you didn’t quite do it right, have no worries.

Refrigerator pickles will deliver all you want in a great pickle without any of the hassles involved with canning. You’ll want “pickling cucumbers” for the best pickles. This type of cucumber has more tender skin than those grown for “slicing.” If you are concerned, ask the grower, look on the seed package if you planted them yourself, or read the label if you buy cucumbers in the supermarket.

You will need:

  • small canning jars with lids
  • cucumbers
  • apple cider vinegar
  • water
  • pickling salt
  • peeled garlic cloves
  • crushed red peppers
  • dill seed
  • black peppercorns
  • red pepper (optional, mostly for looks)
  • sprigs of fresh dill weed (optional, same thing)

(Full printable recipe below)

A close up of a wine glass, with Cucumber

Jar Photo Credit: Kary Osmond

 

A bowl of food on a plate, with Cream and Cucumber
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
4.67 from 3 votes

My Grandmother's Cucumber Salad

Creamy, crunchy, sweet, and tangy—there's just no other way to describe it! Excellent any time of year, but sensational when those cukes are vine-ripened and picked fresh from the garden
Prep Time15 minutes
Resting time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 45 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6
Calories: 100kcal

Ingredients

  • 4 cups sliced cucumber about 4 to 5 cucumbers
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons sea salt
  • 1 sweet white onion sliced
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Instructions

  • Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander in the sink and salt generously. 
  • Mix gently with your hands so that all of the slices are covered with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse very well and pat the cucumber slices dry in a towel. 
  • In the meantime, in a large bowl, mix the remaining ingredients—onion, sour cream, sugar and apple cider vinegar.
  • Add the prepared cucumbers, stirring to cover completely. 
  • Cover and chill for at least an hour before serving.

Notes

You can skip the salt-soak-rinse step if you would rather peel the cucumbers, or if the cucumber peel is not bitter.

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 1196mg | Potassium: 201mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 303IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg
A close up of a wine glass, with Cucumber
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles

Refrigerator pickles will deliver all you want in a great pickle without any of the hassles involved with canning. You’ll want “pickling cucumbers” for the best pickles. This type of cucumber has more tender skin than those grown for “slicing.” If you are concerned, ask the grower, look on the seed package if you planted them yourself, or read the label if you buy cucumbers in the supermarket.
Prep Time1 hour
Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American
Servings: 3 pints

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cucumbers for pickling well washed
  • 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 2 tablespoons pickling salt
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 3 teaspoons dill seed
  • 1 ½ teaspoons black peppercorns
  • 1 red pepper sliced (opitional) mostly for looks
  • 3 stems fresh dill (optional) also just for looks

Instructions

  • Wash and dry 3 pint-size canning jars that have lids and rings.
  • Into each jar drop 2 garlic cloves, 1/4 teaspoon crushed red peppers, 1 teaspoon dill seed, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, and optionally 1/3 sliced red pepper and 1 stem fresh dill.
  • Cut off the ends and slice the way you like your dill pickles (chunks, spears, chips).
  • Pack the prepared cukes into the jars, fairly tightly.
  • In a cooking pot, combine vinegar, water and pickling salt. Bring to a full rolling boil. 
  • Pour hot liquid into the jars up to with 1/4-inch of the top of the jar. 
  • Apply lids and rings. Tighten as tightly as you can. Allow jars to cool at room temperature.
  • Place in the refrigerator. Do not leave in a cabinet or on the countertop.
  • Remember: You did not “can” these pickles. They do not have a long shelf life–up to two months in the refrigerator. I wouldn’t worry about this,  because it would be a miracle if there are any left by then anyway.
  • Wait for at least two days before diving in.

 

 

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3 replies
  2. Nancy Swecker says:

    5 stars
    I had some pickling cucumbers in my refrigerator so I made your Grandmother’s Cucumber Salad with them. So good! I’m having another serving right now. The only adaptations I made were to skip the salting/rinsing/draining step since my cukes weren’t bitter – adding a good sprinkling of salt to the dressing, and to substitute a squirt of liquid stevia for the sugar since I am following a low carb food plan. It’s a very easy and delicious salad!

    Reply
  3. Alice says:

    I have been making cucumber salad using sliced cukes, sour cream, a spoonful of dill pickle juice and salt and pepper. It’s very good when first made, but the next day after being refrigerated it is somewhat watery. I’m going to try salting the cucumbers first as this may be the reason it turns watery, Next time I’ll try your grandmother’s recipe! It sounds good. As always, thanks for the great tips, Mary. I pin so many of your recipes and tips.

    Reply

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