"Fresh" Recipe for Summer Tastebuds!

As promised, here is the first of two of my favorite summer recipes that incorporate our delicious maple syrup, freshly-picked garden veggies, and herbs directly from the herb garden.....

Got Cukes??  We have them in abundance right now, and Don loves a tangy, yet sweet cucumber salad with his grilled meat.  If you agree, this Westbrook original recipe's for you:


Cucumber-Maple Salad

3 or 4 medium-sized cukes
1/2 of a large sweet onion (or more, if you prefer)
3/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 to 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (more or less, depending how sweet you like it)
1 to 2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper

To your taste preference:
      1 garlic clove crushed or about  
      1/2 tsp. powdered garlic
      
       *fresh thyme

 


I snip some off, then pull the leaves off of the stem adding them to the vinegar solution just before pouring over cukes.










1.  Thinly slice the cukes and the onion and arrange in a bowl.

2.  In a separate bowl whisk together the 2 types of vinegar and the maple syrup.

3.  Stir in the salt and pepper.  Add the garlic and thyme and stir very well.

4.  Pour the "juice" over the cukes and onion.  Cover and let sit in  fridge for about 2 hours before serving.  Use slated spoon to serve.  Refrigerate the left over.



If there is "juice" left, once the cucumbers are eaten, just slice up another one (or two) and throw in the bowl.  The vinegar solution keeps for quite a while!









This is one of our favorite side dishes!  A good snack, too.

Check back in a couple days for another fresh side dish that I discovered in a Vermont Maple Syrup cookbook (and adapted for myself, of course!).