Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Those are pickling cucumbers.

This is a food blog, so I can't share how I learned to love cucumbers. 8-O

i just bought some ginger, thinking i would make this:

http://www.saveur.com/article/Food/Smashed-Cucumbers-with-Ginger

slice them on the diagonal and place on top a dollop of sour cream, a slice of smoked salmon, a bit of cracked pepper, a pinch of fresh dill and a squeeze of lemon.
super easy, refreshing summertime app!

If you have sandwich fixings, you can always use them for your sandwich. I always put thinly sliced cucumbers in my sandwiches, along with lettuce, alfalfa sprouts with my roast beef.

There's always dicing some up and using them as a crunch in your potato salad if you're not using them all on pickling or adding dill pickles to the salad.

I usually use my cucumbers cut in small sticks for hiyashi (cold) somen. Along with cucumbers, I usually add thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms, some bean sprouts, thinly sliced egg crepe, and menma (marinated bamboo shoots).

I like the sound of smoked salmon, cucumbers, and pepper.

I've never bought pickling cucumbers before. Do they taste drastically different from regular cucumbers to not use them in salads and such? Or is it a texture thing? Or price?

kirbys are smaller and denser with a thinner skin. they don't have as many seeds, are not as watery as the usual supermarket kind, and have a slightly sweeter flavor, at least to me.

Whatever you do with your cukes, make sure you salt and drain them first. They give off lots of water, and there's nothing worse than than a watery dressing from cucumber "runoff."

That said, I make tzatziki all year round with lots of grated cucumber and Fage. I also make a cucumber salad that I stole from my Polish grandmother. Slice peeled cucumber VERY thinly (a mandalin is perfect), salt them, and let them drain in a colander for about half an hour. In the meantime, make a dressing out of sour cream, white vinegar, sugar, and dill. Toss the salted cucumbers with sliced green onion and the dressing. It reminds me of Sunday dinner at Babci's every time I eat it!

Also, those bad boys really do feel good on your eyes on a hot day!

pickling cucumbers are small and dense. They're best when only a day or two from the vine and may be eaten with the skins on. No, they're not bitter, and if they're getting a little soft and wrinkly they can be refreshed in icy water.There is no resemblance between a supermarket "cucumber" and a real cucumber. Buy your greens now when you can get them fresh off the local farmer's vine.

Put them on your neighbor's doorstep, ring the bell & run..LOL

@Cass, I like the pickling type of cucumber better for everything, compared to the one you normally see in the supermarket. Even when they're both fresh from the farmer's market, I like the pickling one better.

On the other hand, I bought a weird long stripey cuke at the market last Saturday. It had a slightly fuzzy skin. Not quite like a peach, but that sort of fuzziness.

I love to eat them the way they serve them in Mexico - cut into long wedges, doused with fresh lime juice and generously sprinkled with chili powder. They do it with jicama too. Delicious and so refreshing! I haven't been able to find the little Mexican limes here in NYC, and the chili powder isn't the same, but I bet it would still taste great.

@ CookiePie I love cucumbers like that. It is one of the only ways I eat them.

Greek salad with tomatoes, peppers, onion and feta

I make a salad with them that is pretty common. I am so grateful to those here that posted on how to get all the water out of them though. So with that in mind, apply previous water draining suggestion to my recipe.

I peel the whole cuke, doesn't matter what kind. I have used them all. Slice the cucumber in half length wise then into thin slices, dice one large tomato, and dice one half of a large red onion. Add salt and pepper to taste (it is also just as good without the salt if you are on a low sodium diet) Mix in about 3 to 4 tablespoons of ranch dressing. Cover and marinate in the fridge for at least an hour.

My family loves when I make this. I make it every summer. I also bring it to picnics/summer parties and my friends devour it. You can be creative with the salad dressing too. Italian or cesear also works well. I dont recommend russian, thousand island or honey dijon though. If you want you can also add shredded cheddar cheese or feta. This is the kind of recipe that you can add your own personal creative touch to and make it your own.

As mentioned above, those cucumbers would probably be best used for pickles! Here is an easy recipe:

Ingredients

6 C. cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin
1 C. onion, sliced thin
1 C. green pepper, sliced thin
2 C. sugar (or substitute)
1 C. white vinegar
1 Tbs. salt

Directions

Peel and thinly slice cucumbers, onions and bell peppers. Set aside in a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, vinegar and salt until sugar is dissolved. Pour over vegetables and cool. Cover and refrigerate.

Hillary
Chew on That

Hillary
Chew on That

My husband discovered a very yummy recipe for Cucumber Sandwiches. They're not the soggy, mayo-laden tea sandwiches you might at first think of, either. We like to sub. some of the mayor for Hidden Valley Ranch.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cucumber-Sandwiches-III/Detail.aspx

I think I'll make some tonight!