Greenmarket Recipe: Cucumber Salad

Summer Cucumber Salad made with Salt and Pepper cucumbers, red onion, garlic, fennel, and olive oil.

Cucumbers are a perfect snack for a hot New York City day. They are packed with beneficial nutrients that our bodies crave. Cucumbers are made of about 90% water so they’ll help keep you hydrated and they contain potassium, which helps lower high blood pressure we might get from packed subway cars or long work days. Cucumbers also have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer health benefits. They originate from India, where traditional doctors use cucumbers to treat headaches.

Salt and Pepper Cucumbers have a beautiful yellow skin that’s thin, making it an ideal cucumber for salad without having to peel.

We recently sampled salt and pepper cucumbers and fell in love with this variety. Its beautiful yellow skin grows darker the longer the cucumber is left on the vine and has a slightly sweet flavor. Because the skin is sweet and thin, it is a perfect cucumber variety to be eaten raw as a snack or used in a salad.

We love salads because they’re the easiest way to use the most veggies at once – just switch up the herbs or dressing for variety throughout the week. In this recipe provided by our friends at GROWNYC, we were able to make a quick dish with vibrant flavor. If you can’t find salt and pepper cucumbers, feel free to use any cucumber variety with a thin skin or simply peel them. Bring your cucumber salad to the beach, picnic, or the office and pair with your favorite album for perfect end of summer vibes.

Just a few ingredients make prepping for this dish quick and easy and is a beautiful reminder of how gorgeous vegetables are from local farms.

Pair the cucumber salad with your favorite tunes – this recipe is so simple that we made this dish and enjoyed it before having to flip our Link Wray record.

Summer Cucumber Salad
Recipe courtesy of GROWNYC
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
* 6 cucumbers, thinly sliced
* 1 small onion, medium diced
* ¼ C dill, chopped
* 1 clove garlic, minced
¼ C extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbs white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste<

Instructions:
In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.

The Local Roots CSA builds a vibrant community around local food through their network of CSA markets with pick up location at Slope Wellness and throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan. They also host supper clubs and other celebrations around food. Cook at home and eat local by joining their Fall CSA season.

Here are the nearest Greenmarkets:
Brooklyn Greenmarkets:

Fort Greene Park on Saturdays
Grand Army Plaza on Saturdays
Bartell Pritchard Square on Wednesdays
PS 154 on Sundays
Parkside on Sundays
Cortelyou Road between Argyle & Rugby on Sundays – open year round.
Borough Park on Thursdays – 14th Avenue between 49th and 50th St.
Sunset Park on Sundays – 4th Ave between 59th & 60th St, Brooklyn. Open Saturdays, July 9 – November 19
Bensonhurst on Sundays – 18th Ave between 81st and 82nd St