Cucumbers take over the world

It’s cucumber season! Here’s a fun fact: cucumbers are the most common vegetable in the whole world, with China being the largest producer. The cucumber is officially a member of the squash family, and technically a fruit.

Cucumbers are available year-round in most places, but there really is a difference if you get them fresh and local. They come in may different varieties, some of which are only available for a short time. Cucumbers lose water quickly, which is why they are often sold with a thick coating of wax (not the most pleasant thing in the world).

Cucumbers are lovely in salads, but they’re also good for a lot of other things. If you’re into pickling (or excited to try it for the first time), now’s the time to do it. I watched a demo recently, and was surprised at how easy it was. But my personal favorite thing to do with cukes is make tzatziki. This garlicy, cucumbery yoghurt makes a delicious addition to a summer meal, and is quite easy to make. I usually don’t follow a recipe, but there are plenty of them (such as this one ) on the web if you’ve never made it before. I’ve never tried it with soy yogurt, but I bet it would still taste heavenly.

Hat tip to Jack at Laughing Lemon for teaching me lots of fun facts about cucumbers.