Cucumber
Crisp, cooling and hydrating — the crunch in half the salads I make.
Why I love it
It brings water and freshness to everything — salads, tzatziki, a glass of infused water, a snack with hummus. Cool and clean, it's summer on a plate.
Buying it
Firm, deep-green and heavy, with no soft or wrinkled spots. Persian and English cucumbers have thin skins and few seeds — no peeling needed.
Storing it
Keep them in the warmer part of the fridge (they don't love deep cold) and use within a few days; they go soft quickly once cut.
Using it
Dice into Israeli salad, grate into tzatziki, slice for a board or a snack with hummus, or add to infused water.
A little nutrition
Mostly water, with a little vitamin K and potassium — hydrating, cooling, and almost no calories.
For tzatziki, grate the cucumber and squeeze out the water in a towel first — or the sauce turns watery.