Mason Jar Cucumber-Dill Salad

Mason Jar Cucumber-Dill Salad

Summer means long days filled with carefree adventures around every corner. It doesn’t have to mean long, complicated meals filled with recipes that heat up the kitchen. This simple salad requires no cooking – perfect for summer. This dish’s inspiration came from the three pickling cucumbers I received in this week’s CSA farm share and trying to find a special recipe for them.

Differences between Pickling and Salad Cucumbers:

• Pickling cucumbers typically have thinner skin, which allows the vinegar, brine or pickling liquid to better penetrate the skin and flavor the vegetable.
• Pickling cucumbers are typically short and squat, instead of long and lean.
• Usually, pickling cucumbers have “warts” or little bumps on the skin, while salad cucumbers have smoother skin.
• Pickling cucumbers have fewer seeds than salad cucumbers.

 

Here’s my recipe for Mason Jar Cucumber-Dill Salad:

Mason Jar Cucumber-Dill Salad

Mason Jar Cucumber-Dill Salad

3 pickling cucumbers, sliced with skin on

1 medium-sized, shallot very thinly sliced

1 clove of garlic, chopped

1-2 tbsp. fresh chopped dill

2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Directions:

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the cucumbers and shallots. It may seem like not enough liquid for the amount of cucumbers. Trust me it’s enough. You want your cucumbers coated, but not swimming in liquid.

Add the cucumbers and shallots in the bowl and toss to combine.

Toss the cucumbers and shallots with the liquid to coat

Load the salad into the cleaned mason jars. Allow it to sit for at least 1 hour prior to serving. The salad will keep crisp in the jars for 3-4 days.

Load the salad into the cleaned mason jars.

I paired this salad with southwest ground chicken burgers and hand-cut baked fries. It’s perfect for a picnic and can be easily packed in your basket.

It’s a perfect side for a picnic and can be easily packed in your basket.

 

Did you know the difference between pickling and salad cucumbers?

Have you ever made a mason-jar salad?