Cucumber Salad

Nana's Cucumber Salad

As long as I can remember, my Nana made cucumber salad for nearly every family gathering.  The past many years, Nana had not been physically able to make it  and so my mom had kept up the special side dish tradition and still does.

On one of my last visits with her, I was very touched when my Nana made a batch of cucumber salad.  This was really a miraculous moment and I think was the last batch my Nana made, but it will be one that I never forget.  She could barely walk, but amazingly made it out to the kitchen and proceeded to peel cucumbers.  We often tease that as often as she ate this that the vinegar preserved her long life!

Tradition keeps this recipe going and I'm thankful that my mom passed this along and also brought this salad on her recent visit just this past weekend for a family gathering.

{Print Recipe}

Ingredients:

5 cucumbers
½ cup vinegar {approx.}
¼ cup sugar (use more if you want it sweeter--we like it tart)
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Wash & peel cucumbers.
• Grate them.
• Excessively salt them and set aside for 45 minutes.  This will draw out the liquid in the cucumbers so that they will absorb the flavor of the vinegar and sugar dressing.
• Squeeze them through a thin tea towel.  The portion size drastically shrinks!!!
• Mix vinegar and sugar to taste.  Refrigerate approximately an hour.  Serve cold.

Variations:  We've added in green onions and also made it with a sour cream based dressing.  {No real measurements....but about ¼ cup of sour cream, add a little vinegar and sugar to your liking.  We prefer just the plain vinegar & sugar.}

 In loving memory of my Nana.

someday remember