Summer Cucumber & Tomato Salad
Using those homegrown veggies
One of my favorite ways to celebrate the abundance of summer is by eating a showcase of the best of our homegrown veggies. This week, I pulled in my largest tomato harvest of the season (so far—I have way more to go), so today, I’m creating a salad that highlights the crisp, refreshing flavors of cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions straight from the garden. This salad is not only a perfect way to use up those sun-ripened veggies, but it's also quick to prepare (though it does need to "marinate" for a few hours afterward) and makes a delightful side dish. Tonight, it will accompany fresh-from-the-butcher pork burgers.
(I posted a smaller version of this salad, focusing on cucumbers earlier here; this one changes the vinegar and scales it up for the addition of tomatoes and a few slices of red onion.)
Ingredients:
1 cup water
½ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ cup olive oil (I prefer extra virgin)
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
3 cucumbers, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges (sometimes I mix chunks and cherry tomatoes, depending on the day’s harvest)
1/2 large red onion, sliced and separated into rings
fresh herbs of preference (dill is my favorite)
Steps:
Whisk Your Potion: In a large bowl, combine the water, vinegar, oil, sugar, herbs, salt, and pepper. Whisk until you have a smooth, well-blended dressing. Imagine infusing it with a little extra love and intention for a truly magical meal.
Mix the Veggies: Add the cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion to the bowl. Stir to ensure every piece is well-coated with the tangy dressing. As you stir, think about the vibrant energy of summer and how you're capturing it in this salad.
Chill and Infuse: Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. During this time, the salad absorbs the dressing, becoming more flavorful and refreshing. It’s worth the wait.
And there you have it! A simple, refreshing salad that celebrates the best of our summer harvest. This dish is a true testament to the magic we can create with fresh, homegrown ingredients.
Note: I did not have a good photo of this week’s harvest, so I asked AI to generate the image used above. I used ChatGPT. The prompt I used was “Generate an image to go with this recipe [inserted recipe]. Include an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers and include a big bright red onion.”