Are you wondering what to do with all those cucumbers in your garden?  I am not asking that question of myself, because unfortunately we stopped growing cucumbers years ago, since my husband is not a fan.  I am a huge fan though, so I end up buying them at the farmer’s markets along with other goodies that we don’t have growing in the back yard.

I have probably told this story before, but when we lived in Denver, my husband (boyfriend at the time) grew everything imaginable – whether he liked it or not.  Cucumbers seemed to grow like weeds, we had way more than I knew what to do with – and that’s when he told me he wasn’t a fan.  So what did I do?  I bought some italian dressing, cut the cucumbers in slices, and kept a huge Tupperware container of them marinating in the refrigerator.  I was young then, only a couple of years out of college – with no internet, and very few cook books.  This was the best I could do – and I loved them – I probably ate a cucumber a day for a month.  I probably should have just made pickles and ate them throughout the year….live and learn.

I saw this recipe in Cooking Light, and it just seemed like the perfect summer salad – I could find almost everything at the farmer’s market.  Since I was using cucumbers and knew my husband wouldn’t eat any, I didn’t feel badly at all putting vinegar in the dressing.  It was a delicious salad, that tasted even better the next day.  So, if you don’t want to make pickles with all your cucumbers this year – try this one instead!

Ingredients

• 1 cup thinly sliced radishes
• 1/2 cup finely chopped orange bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 English cucumbers, thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

Combine lemon rind and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Pour over cucumber mixture; toss well to coat. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here:  Lemony Cucumber Salad