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Health & Fitness

Cool As A Cucumber

This week at the market, Cucumbers!

Boy, has it been a hot summer!  One of the benefits of this heat is an abundance of fruits and vegetables at the farmers’ market.  It is tempting to go the market on Thursday and snatch up more than you can carry, store, or cook (or is that just me?).


However, we must stay focused:  pick up too many ingredients and they’ll spoil before you have time to cook them all; pick up ingredients that are more labor intensive and you’ll heat up your kitchen so quickly that it’ll be impossible to tell the difference between inside and outside.    So that’s the dilemma.  On one hand, you want to take advantage of the peak fruits and vegetables.  On the other hand, you don’t want to spend too much time in a hot kitchen. 

 

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This is where cucumbers come in.  Cucumbers produce a refreshing appetizer, soup, or entrée with little work.  There’s a reason the phrase “cool as a cucumber” is used so frequently:  cucumbers are nearly 90% water!   Besides, don’t you want to feel ‘cool’ this summer?  (If you really are too hot and lethargic to cook with them, remember—cucumbers are good for the skin.  Place them over your eyes for a refreshing moment).

 

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The perfect cucumber will be heavy and firm.  Stay away from a cucumber that has soft ends.  Do not leave them out at room temperature for too long or they may become mushy.  Put them in the crisper of your refrigerator, but not the coldest part of the fridge.  If a recipe calls for you to seed them, just slice them lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.

 

How about this fresh-from-the-market salad, using cucumber, onion, tomato, and olive oil.  Want tasty pickles fast?  Try this easy microwave recipe for Bread and Butter pickles.  Or a big juciy steak slathered with cucumber and garlic sauce?

 

Now, some food for thought.  Is the cucumber a fruit or vegetable?

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