I can’t resist the Asheville Farmer’s Market’s display of fruits and vegetables and sometimes I am tempted to buy a basket of something I can’t possibly use up quickly.  So how many things can you make with cucumbers?  And after I made cucumber soup, and cucumber salad I still had quite a bit of cucumbers and I thought about those summers spent in Würzbug and the delicious cucumber salad which was ubiquitous in every restaurant and kitchen.  I had forgotten about it, perhaps, because nothing could be simpler than “German cucumber salad”.  A friend was visiting as I prepared it and she asked “What makes it German?” Nothing, really, except that it is a salad eaten in Germany!

German white wine vinegar is much milder than the vinegar available in our markets, so I add a bit a water to the vinegar.  The trick of this salad is that it is marinated.  It can keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients:

1. 4-5 fresh cucumbers
2. 1/2 cup white wine vinegar + 1 tablespoon water
3. 1 tablespoon sugar
4. 1 teaspoon salt
5. 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. Slice the cucumbers very, very thinly and evenly.  I use a thin slicing blade that came with my food processor.
2. Put the cucumber slices in a bowl and stir in the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. Allow to rest at least 1 hour before using.