Pickled Cucumber Salad

Serves 8

When the cucumber harvest begins, I make a large container of this salad and keep it going all summer, replenishing with new cucumbers as needed, just like my mother always did. My grandmother used to can them to enjoy all year long.

This side dish recipe goes with almost any meal and is used often as one of the Pennsylvania Dutch sweets and sours at large family dinners. The dressing is the same recipe used for many sweet and sour dishes, some of which are in the similar and related recipes links. I enjoy adding a few slices to various sandwiches. For a tasty variation made with sour cream, see the Creamy Cucumber Salad, also in the links.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 medium cucumbers, thinly sliced
• 2 small onions, thinly sliced

Mix together sugar, salt, vinegar and water until sugar is dissolved. Pour over cucumbers and onions and refrigerate for several hours, preferably overnight. (Cucumbers with dressing will keep in refrigerator for 3 weeks. Dressing can be reused for another batch, adding more vinegar or salt as needed.)

Notes: The cucumbers and onions should be completely covered with dressing. Depending on the size of the cucumbers and onions, the dressing might need to be doubled or tripled. Fresh, local cucumbers do not need to be peeled because they are not waxed. In the off season, make this with English cucumbers, which have thin skins are not waxed.