Looking for a cucumber salad recipe? When cucumbers and herbs are plentiful in the victory garden, it’s time to make this refreshing cucumber salad. Tossed in a light and creamy herbed yogurt dressing, it will leave everyone wanting more!
VICTORY GARDEN-GROWN IS BEST!
I’ll be honest.
I make this cucumber salad year-round, but only when cucumbers are less than $1 apiece.
I wish I was joking about this, but I’ve seen cucumbers selling for $3 each on more than one occasion.
Crazy!
By the way, there are many reasons why I call gardens victory gardens, which you can read about in my victory garden post.
Whichever way you cut it, victory garden-grown herbs and cucumbers are best.
Let me tell you why.
Did you know that most produce loses 30% of their nutrients within three days of being harvested?
Unless you’re buying the herbs and cucumbers from a farmer’s market, it’s pretty hard to pinpoint when they were picked and how long they’ve been sitting on the shelf for.
Fortunately, cucumbers aren’t on the EWG’s Dirty Dozen list for 2021, but they have been on that list in the past.
Unless you’re buying organic produce, it’s more than likely that storebought cucumbers have been treated with something.
Therefore, not only are garden-grown cucumbers fresher and more vibrant, but they’re safer and more nutrient-dense, too!
CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE VIDEO
Cucumber salad couldn’t be easier to make, but here’s a video tutorial in case you want to see how it’s done! If you’re new to the Kitchen, you’ll see that I do things a little different around here when it comes to my videos… Like what you see? Subscribe to my YouTube channel!
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HOW TO PREPARE THE CUCUMBERS
My absolute favourite cucumber for this salad is English cucumbers, but any cucumber will do.
Depending on how tough the skin is, don’t bother peeling the cuke because the skin is rich in silica, minerals and enzymes.
Silica, by the way, is key for healthy skin, hair and nails!
Mind you, if the cucumber isn’t organic (or you just can’t stand the skin), peel it off. And then slice it thin.
For a consistent thickness, use a mandoline.
I usually slice mine to about 1/8 of an inch, but the thinner you slice, the more water is going to be released.
More about that in the Best Practices section.
THE HERBS
One of my favourite parts of having a victory garden is being able to slip outside in the middle of making dinner to snip off fresh herbs.
My collection of herbs seems to grow every year, which is how I like it. Perennial herbs have been my favourite garden investment so far!
Anyhow, the dressing is brimming with fresh herbs that include dill, parsley and chives.
While fresh herbs are ideal, they can get expensive at the store, especially if you don’t use them all.
There are hacks around this, you know!
I like freezing bundles of excess parsley to add to homemade stocks, and I keep a bag of frozen dill that I use liberally in the winter.
Alternatively, you can use dried herbs.
Just use half the amount in the recipe.
VICTORY GARDEN CUCUMBER SALAD INGREDIENTS
Serves 4-6
1 cucumber (peel on or off)
2 tbsp greek yogurt
2-4 tbsp milk or cream
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (or 1/2 dried)
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped (or 1/2 dried)
1 tsp fresh chives, finely chopped (or 1/2 dried)
salt and pepper to taste
VICTORY GARDEN CUCUMBER SALAD INSTRUCTIONS
1. Thinly slice the cucumber.
2. Mix together the ingredients for the dressing, adding salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss the sliced cucumbers in the dressing and serve!
BEST PRACTICES TO CONSIDER WHEN MAKING CUCUMBER SALAD
Some folks find that chilling the salad helps to beat the heat.In traditional German cucumber salad recipes, the cucumbers are salted and set aside for half an hour to drain (put them in a sieve). This releases the water so you won't end up with a soggy salad. It is especially important if you slice your cucumbers super thin. Just be sure to rinse the salt off!While I don't mind cucumber seeds in my salad, if you have a particularly seedy variety, you might want to scoop them out if you're worried about the texture.Try swapping out the lemon juice for vinegar.Consider adding a pinch of sugar.
POSSIBLE FLAVOUR COMBINATIONS TO EXPLORE FOR A SUMMERY CUCUMBER SALAD
I love this creamy herbed cucumber salad recipe, but when you have more cucumbers than you know what to do with, it can get old fast.
Here are some different ideas to keep your victory garden cucumber salad fresh and interesting:
Add tomatoes, avocado, radishes and leafy lettuce to the mix for a fuller salad.Toss in a homemade vinaigrette. I have ten easy salad dressing recipes you can print off for yourself RIGHT HERE.Julienne the cucumbers and play with fruit. Get honeydew in there. Pineapple. Watermelon. Squeeze in a bit of lime juice for good measure.Never underestimate the power of cheese, like feta or a crumbly blue.Make it spicy and get chile peppers in there. Add green onions and fish sauce, chopped peanuts, shrimp, and garlic for an Asian twist.
I keep saying this, but if you don’t have one already, get yourself a copy of The Flavour Bible. It’s on my list of favourite kitchen reference books and it is constantly inspiring me.
MAKING CUCUMBER SALAD
I hope I inspired you to go forth and make a cucumber salad!
I like keeping things simple, which is why I don’t peel, seed, or salt the cucumber, but do what suits you.
While I’m partial to my recipe, there are so many different ways you can switch up this recipe to make it yours.
If you do wind up following my recipe, I hope you’ll take the time to come back and rate it!
I would love to know how it turned out and what you may have done differently!
Oh, and if you’re in the mood for salads, be sure to check out some of my other salad recipe posts:
OTHER SALAD RECIPE POSTS TO INSPIRE YOU
Old-fashioned Dandelion Salad with Bacon and Parmesan
Peppery Arugula Salad with Seared Duck Breast
Roasted Beet Salad (another friendly victory garden recipe)
Shredded Veggie Salad with an Oil-Free Spicy Peanut Salad Dressing (shred all of the victory garden vegetables!)
PRINTABLE CUCUMBER SALAD RECIPE CARD
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cucumber peel on or off
- 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 2-3 tbsp milk or cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley
- 1 tsp fresh chives
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Thinly slice the cucumber.
- Mix together the ingredients for the dressing, adding salt and pepper to taste and adjusting the seasonings as neeeded.
- Toss the cucumber slices in the dressing and serve!
Notes
- Some folks find that chilling the salad helps to beat the heat.
- In traditional German cucumber salad recipes, the cucumbers are salted and set aside for half an hour or so. This releases the water, so you won’t end up with a soggy salad (this is especially important if you slice the cucumbers super thin). Just be sure to rinse off the salt!
- If you don’t have access to fresh herbs, use dried, but cut the amount in half ie. 1 tbsp fresh = 1/2 tbsp dried.
- While I don’t mind cucumber seeds in my salad, if you have a particularly seedy variety, you might want to scoop them out if you’re worried about the texture.
- Try swapping out the lemon juice for vinegar.
- Consider adding a pinch of sugar.
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Love and gratitude,
I love this. I’ll have to try the chives, that sounds delish.