Soon home gardens and farmers’ markets will be providing South Carolinians with fresh, locally grown vegetables. Almost always, we (or they) don’t see among the leaves all the cucumbers when picking and consequently have several that grow too large for slicing.
Ta-dah! Today’s recipe, although a second-hand one, comes to the rescue.
The recipe itself is from Clara Hendricks, a Methodist currently living in Florence, and comes to us by way of Jean Rushing of Providence Baptist Church in Pageland. Part of the Chesterfield Association, Providence is pastored by the Rev. Jonathan Cox and has an active congregation of 275-300 with an even larger membership.
Jean was on the committee which created the “Tasteful Treasures” cookbook the church did a few years ago and asked her friend Clara, who lived in Pageland at the time, to contribute a recipe.
Jean herself has been a member of Providence Baptist since she was a teenager, except for the time she and her late husband Billy lived in Charlotte before returning to Pageland in 1972. For 15 years, Jean worked with BellSouth, making the commute to Charlotte every day.
Now retired, she has time to participate in five activities she likes. The first is Providence Baptist, where she works with the greeters for all the church services and works in the church library. She, of course, is in Sunday school, etc.
The second is genealogy. She is secretary of the Chesterfield County Genealogy Society. The third is quilting. A member of the Magic Needles Quilting Guild of Lancaster, Jean is currently working on three queen-sized quilts and has completed others.
She also enjoys working in her yard, but the thing that brings her the most pleasure is her daughter Julie. Jean and her husband had one child, Julie, who works with the Arts Center in Monroe, N.C. Julie bought her grandparents’ house in Pageland and now lives about a mile from Jean, so they either see each other or talk on the phone each day.
There are several things appealing about this recipe from Clara and Jean. It is pretty, with its pale green color and flecks of parsley, and is attractively presented in a glass bowl. It is a good way to use these oversized cucumbers. It is tasty, but the flavor is not overwhelming. It has only a few ingredients, most of which are on the average kitchen shelf. It is easy to make, although the peeling and slicing of the cucumbers will take 30 minutes or so.
We thank Jean for sharing her summer-fresh recipe with us. Another thing I like about it is that it makes a large amount. You can make it during the week and still have plenty of Marinated Cukes and Onions for … Sunday Dinner.
Marinated Cukes and Onions
6 large cucumbers, peeled
1 large onion
⅔ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sugar
¼ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise. Using a spoon, scrape out and discard all the seeds. Cut the halves crosswise into thin half-moon slices. Peel and cut onion into bite-sized pieces. Soak onions and cucumbers for 20 minutes in ice water. Drain and pat dry.
To make the dressing combine in a small bowl the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar and parsley flakes. Mix well. Add mixture to the cucumbers and onions. Chill in a covered dish and keep refrigerated. Keeps for several days. This is a good way to use the large cucumbers because the seeds are discarded.