Cucumbers
 

Cucumbers are a natural diuretic for that reason we eat them often.

in pint jar combine 1/2 cup sugar (I use a heaping 1/4 cup instead) with 1/4 cup vegetable oil & 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Add salt & pepper to taste. Cover & shake thoroughly then set aside.

Peel 4 or 5 cucumbers (English is my favorite). OK to leave some of the peel on. Slice in half lengthwise then cut in thin slices into a large glass jar. I use a big glass jar, I think it’s 2 quarts. Between each cucumber add thin sliced white onion. Shake dressing again & pour over top, cover & refrigerate 24 hours.

This sounds so good. I love both cucumbers and pickles.

How long do these keep? There are only 2 of us here!

I'm not a fan of cukes in general but for some reason I like cucumber sandwiches. Weird, I know.

We love refrigerator pickles. I make bread and butter pickles one jar at a time all winter. Each quart takes a large english cucumber and a medium onion. They have sat in the fridge for as long as a month, and are still crispy.

"Spa Water' or just a big jug of cold water with cucumber slices in it is a wonderful thing. I only do it with unwaxed cucumbers and feel the peel is a big part of the taste.

There are alcoholic drinks like a Pimm's Cup Cocktail that are garnished with a cucumber wedge. Makes a nice Bloody Mary stirrer too. What can I say -- my younger self may have been vegetarian but drank like a fish!

With the many immigrant people coming to Seattle, I was introduced to the idea of it being cooked. Now when I make something like Sweet and Sour Pork, I include a cucumber with the other vegetables. This is a good use if it is a bit seedy, simply peel and scoop out the seeds and then cut up and add to the mix, along with the peppers. Typically the pieces are reasonably large, like 1" cubes. When you first encounter them you know they are there but aren't quite sure what they are...

This batch is gone in 4-6 days. We are 2.

I watched a lady in the supermarket where they have a huge juicing machine for carrot juice, etc. She was filling bottles with filtered water then dropping in pieces of fruit or cucumbers before capping it. She told me people can do this themselves but they seem to want to pay a premium to have it done for them. Our daughter makes cucumber water all the time in the summer, it’s refreshing.

I wonder if Burpless cucumbers would be better for you. Or English (the long straight ones).

I like cucumber water and I like making homemade, hamburger relish at home. We eat it slowly, one tablespoon at a time. I've had Thai food that had cooked cukes in it...it was OK. I don't eat pickles that much...too much salt and sugar for me.