Gingered Cucumber Salad

Serves 2
Any variety of cucumber will work in this recipe, but seedless varieties are preferable.

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 garlic clove minced
2 -3 large Persian or Kirby cucumbers, sliced thinly (about 3 cups)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Mix all ingredients, except for cucumbers, together in a medium bowl until sugar and salt dissolve. Add cucumbers and toss. Refrigerate for at least a half an hour. You may marinate for up to one day and toss several times. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with shiso leaf or sliced scallions if desired and serve.

**Cucumbers are creeping vines in the gourd family that root in the ground and grow up trellises or other supporting frames. The plants have large leaves that shade the fruit. Cucumbers grown to be eaten fresh are called slicers and those intended for pickling are called picklers. Both types are similar. Cucumbers are mainly eaten in the unripe green form because the ripe yellow form becomes too bitter and sour.

*Cucumbers are classified as fruits because they have an enclosed seed and develop from flowers. A few varieties of cucumber are parthenocarpic, which means the blossoms create seedless fruit without pollination. Pollination for these varieties degrades the quality. In the US, these are usually grown in greenhouses, where bees are excluded. In Europe, they are grown outdoors in some places, and bees are excluded from these areas. Most cucumber varieties, however, are seeded and require pollination.

Recipe by Cristina Paul