First cucumbers of the season!

WHY am I so excited?

The Indiana weather has been hot and muggy so far this summer, with lots of rain and intermittent sunshine. Our garden was planted, according to tradition, on Mother's Day. Every year I always plant tomatoes, for slicing and salsa (Mr. Stripey), and for making spaghetti sauce (Romas). We usually plant a few varieties of peppers, too (green bell, red bell, hungarian wax and cayenne). Beyond that, each year I like to mix it up and try new veggies I haven't tried to grow before.

Last year I had great success with growing cucumbers, so I'm giving it another shot this year. They did great and had very good yields until the end of July rolled around, and then the cucumber beetles invaded, killing off my plants. I will have to watch out for that this year!

I am growing a variety called "Bush Pickle" in a large deck box, with 6 foot stakes for them to grow up on. This variety is ideal for small gardens and containers, and the cucumber size is more ideal for pickling. As of today they are nearly 2 foot tall, and I picked the first 2 cukes! Once I get a larger yield, they will become bread and butter pickles. YUM! These 2 little cucumbers don't know it yet, but they are about to be made into Cool Cucumber Salad for tonight's dinner.

Here's my recipe, if you want to try it for yourself:

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Cool Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

1 or 2 large cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced

1 onion, preferably a sweet variety such as Vidalia, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper (I like to use sea salt)

8-oz. container of sour cream

Thinly slice the cucumbers and onion and combine in medium size bowl. Salt and pepper, then stir in the sour cream and combine all ingredients well. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour before serving, to allow the flavors to marinate.

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This is a traditional recipe, given to me by Mom several years ago. I have made it for hubby for many, many years. Goes great with anything you grill and is a summer favorite at my house. Enjoy!