Gardening: Armenian Cucumbers

This year I’m growing Armenian cucumbers for the first time, and I’m so impressed with these plants.

They are more closely related to melons than cucumbers, and they taste somewhat like a cross between a melon and cucumber. Unlike cucumbers, though, they can grow large yet remain tender and sweet.

This vining plant loves to grow on a trellis. The fruits that form near the ground grow into strange, horn-like shapes. When trained up a trellis, however, the fruits grow in a more elongated shape that is easier to handle and slice.

The fruits don’t really need to be peeled unless they grow exceptionally large. Even then, the flesh inside is tender and sweet.

I love making a delicious Asian-inspired salad from the garden that features the Armenian cucumber.

Here’s the recipe:

Ingredients

1 - 12 to 18 inch long Armenian cucumber

2 - medium fresh heirloom tomatoes

1 - small red onion

1 - clove of garlic

3 or 4 - Thai hot chili peppers (you could also use dry chili pepper flakes)

10 - Thai basil leaves (use regular Italian basil if you don’t have the Thai variety)

1 - sprig of mint

1 tbsp - rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp - olive oil

1 tsp - Thai or Vietnamese fish sauce

4 or 5 drops - toasted sesame oil

Salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Chop the vegetables into bite-size pieces. Thinly slice the cucumber - if you don’t have Armenian cucumber, use a couple of regular cucumbers. If the cucumber is really thick, first cut it in half lengthwise and then slice into half-moon shaped pieces. Next chop the tomatoes however you wish. Smaller tomatoes can be thinly sliced. Larger tomatoes probably need to be diced. Thinly slice the onion.

Finely chop the garlic. I like to use the Garlic Gator for this purpose - it’s a tool made by the Fayetteville-based company Solitario Products and available online at https://www.solitarioproducts.com/shop/garlic-gator.

Combine the chopped vegetables into a bowl and mix together. Next, use the “chiffonade” technique to chop the basil and mint: neatly stack the leaves on top of each other and roll into a tiny “cigar,” then slice the “cigar” as thin as you can to create tiny little strips. Mix the basil and mint with the other dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk

In a separate bowl, whisk together the liquid ingredients to make a dressing. Pour the dressing over the vegetables and mix together until everything is evenly coated. Add salt and pepper to your taste.

This salad tastes great fresh, but it gets even better if you let it sit on the counter for an hour or two.