We all know the dark green slicing cucumber with its thick skin and large seeds. It's the most common type of cucumber sold at grocery stores and is usually found coated with food-safe wax to help it stay fresh.
Smaller pickling cucumbers, often the 'Kirby' variety, are becoming more and more available. Slightly warty and mottled light and dark green, these are the cucumbers that grow up to become kosher dills.
English cucumbers, long and slender and often sold in a tight plastic wrapper, have thin skins and small seeds, so they're often the cucumber of choice for salads. But they're expensive.
At local farmers markets, you'll have even more choices. Some farmers offer lemon cucumbers, an heirloom variety that looks remarkably like its namesake. These small, round, lemon-colored cucumbers have large seeds, and their sweet flavor seldom carries the bitterness that sometimes plagues slicing cucumbers.
Shoppers stopping by Farmer Jeff's booth at the Saturday morning Peachtree Road Farmers Market may be lucky enough to find one more choice, the Armenian cucumber.
This pale green ridged cucumber is sometimes called a snake cucumber in recognition of its long, curving shape. Although it looks and tastes like a cucumber, botanically it's a melon. The pale green color is echoed in the flesh and the seeds are tiny. The crunchy flesh is burpless and never bitter, and unlike its cucumber cousins, these cucumbers have a long shelf life in your refrigerator, up to two weeks. And there's no need to peel them before serving them for dinner.
This year's unusual weather has wrecked havoc on many farmers' squash and cucumber crops. Jeff Collins, who sells his produce as Farmer Jeff, had Armenian cucumbers available in June, and hopes to have them again in late August or September. In the meantime, he should have pickling and lemon cucumbers available.
At local farmers markets
On July 18, Dunwoody Farmers Market will move to a new location at Spruill Gallery, 4681 Ashford Dunwoody Road.
Cooking demos:
6 p.m. Thursday, July 5. Chef Seth Freedman of Forage and Flame. East Atlanta Village Farmer's Market, Atlanta. www.farmeav.com
9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 7. Chef Robert Gerstenecker of Park 75 at the Four Seasons hotel, working with padron peppers. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
10 a.m. Saturday, July 7. Chef Jeb Aldrich of 4th & Swift. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
11 a.m. Saturday, July 7. Chef from RA Sushi Bar. Green Market at Piedmont Park, Atlanta. www.piedmontpark.org
11:30 a.m. Sunday, July 8. Chef Joe Truex of Watershed. Grant Park Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.grantparkmarket.org
For sale
Vegetables, fruit and nuts: arugula, Asian greens, beets, blackberries, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, chicory, collards, corn, cucumbers, dandelion, eggplant, endive, escarole, fava beans, fennel, garlic, green beans, green onions, herbs, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, mushrooms, mustard greens, okra, onions, patty pan squash, pea shoots, peaches, pecans, peppers, potatoes, radishes, sorrel, spinach, squash blossoms, strawberries, tatsoi, tomatoes, turnips, yellow squash, zucchini
From local reports
Armenian Salad
Hands on: 20 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes plus marinating
Serves: 6
Modeled after Greek salads, we've named this one in honor of its cucumber star, although the recipe will work fine with any variety of cucumber. Chilling the sliced onion in cold water cuts its bite, a good tip for those who find fresh onions too pungent to eat raw.
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed
8 ounces cherry-size fresh mozzarella balls (ciligine), rinsed and drained
1 large Armenian cucumber, about 1 pound, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 medium tomatoes, cored and seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup roughly chopped mint
In a small bowl, combine red onion with water to cover. Set aside or refrigerate until remainder of salad is ready. May be prepared and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.
In a small bowl, make vinaigrette by whisking together lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic and pepper.
Arrange chicken breasts in a plastic bag or bowl. Cover with half the vinaigrette. Turn to coat evenly, cover container and refrigerate at least 1 hour. May be done up to 1 day ahead.
Pour remaining vinaigrette over mozzarella balls and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, preheat grill to very hot. Lightly oil grate. Remove mozzarella balls from refrigerator.
Grill chicken approximately 3 minutes per side or just until done. Do not overcook. Remove chicken from grill and allow to rest.
On serving platter, arrange cucumber, tomatoes and olives. Dice chicken and sprinkle over salad. Add mozzarella balls and drizzle salad with marinade in container. Sprinkle with mint and serve immediately.
Per serving: 371 calories (percent of calories from fat, 51), 36 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 21 grams fat (8 grams saturated), 100 milligrams cholesterol, 693 milligrams sodium.
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