I was looking for a recipe similar to my great aunt's "cucumber pickles" and this came pretty close. I made it for Memorial Day and my family really enjoyed it. One tip: You really need to salt the cucumbers before making the rest of the recipe to draw out excess water. I don't salt ANYTHING but I won't skip this step with this recipe. For all of the reviewers who ended up with too much liquid, I think this is why. I used 2 english cucumbers, sliced them thin and then sprinkled one tablespoon salt over them and covered with plastic wrap for 2 hours. This will sweat out excess liquid that can be poured off before proceeding with the recipe. It is absolutely unnecessary to boil anything -just pour everything over the cukes after salting and let set in fridge overnight. I also reduced the sugar to 1/3 cup. Wonderful!
This recipe was OK. Really this recipe comes down to a couple of things. The amount of cucumbers that you use and your taste. For those who like a little bite,you'll have to use more vinegar,for those who don't,use more sugar. I actually had to double both. I found that if you add the DILL into the water,vinegar,sugar mixture when on the stove, it has a better taste and mixes better. Also, adding salt and pepper to the cucumbers and onions BEFORE the mixture is a MUST. That small change makes a world of difference to the taste.
HELPFUL TIPS AFTER MAKING THIS SEVERAL TIMES: These tips are just a reminder for my old age what I did after so many test trials. The person who recommended using an english cucumber hit the key!! We wondered what was different about our recipe than the person we were trying to copy and that was it!! BUT... normal cucumbers also taste great, I just could tell a difference. Then the person who said for 1 cucumber, 1/2C white vinegar, 1/4C sugar, 1/4C water, sprinkle salt lightly after you've sliced them, and then 1/2t dill got it right! With 4 large cucumbers,, I'd definitely double the liquids or there would not be enough liquid to soak this all up. I always omit the onions! I think you have to kind of know what you're about to make to really appreciate this recipe b/c before I had this... this would have tasted and looked gross on paper. I knew what I was looking for, so there were no surprises. It's our favorite! ...or at least my husband's. It's my favorite just b/c he thinks I'm the best now that I can make his mom's "secret" cucumber dish ;) His mom also does the salt with a T in Tupperware for 2-3 hrs, rinse the 2/3C+ of water you'll have left, and then continue with recipe. Also better to marinate overnight.
We really enjoyed this recipe. I used 4 large cucumbers. I found that after it sat in the frig for 3 hours or so that there was too much liquid. I am not sure if I didn't use enough cucumbers or if it needed to sit longer. I will make it again. It was very good. I will just have to work out that problem. I only used 1/2 teaspoon of dill as someone else suggested. That seemed perfect. If I do add more cucumbers next time then I will probably use more dill though. The only thing I didn't like was that there wasn't any suggestion of how many cucumbers to use for the recipe.
YUMMY..To me, this is a classic southern salad that brings back wonderful memories of summertime dinners that were full of fresh garden veggies. I took the advice of others, used one english cucumber, 1/2 cup of vinegar,1/4 cup of suger,1/4 cup of water,pinch of salt, and onion and dill to taste...Thanks
One word- DELICIOUS! What a wonderful side salad for a grilled steak dinner. I prepared this dish a day in advance to let the cucumbers soak in all the "good stuff". I threw in a handful of sliced roma tomatoes as well and wow! Definitely recommend this cucumber salad- it was just the recipe I was looking for. I remember having this as a young child and was only fortunate enough to enjoy it if I could beat my sisters to the fridge!
Delicious and so easy!! I used four medium sized cucumbers and it came out perfect. Although I'm not usually a fan of dill I added a little (about 1/2 teaspoon) and I loved it. Thank you, Adrienne!!
This was teriible. I added tomatoes and used red onions but that was not the problem. The marinade was nothing but vinegarized sugar water with dill. Heating the marinade did nothing but dissolve the sugar. This definetly needed salt and vegetable or olive oil for a more salad dressing flavor. Maybe some more spices other than just dill too. I won't make this again. But health nuts that don't use salt or oil might like it.
Delicious and so easy!! I used four medium sized cucumbers and it came out perfect. Although I'm not usually a fan of dill I added a little (about 1/2 teaspoon) and I loved it. Thank you Adrienne!!
