When I was 13 or 14, I got my first real job and it was a brutal one: picking cucumbers on the Zuzgo family's 40 Acre Farm in Hadley, Mass.
I have no idea if picker technology has advanced since then, but in those days, a tractor pulled a wide, wheeled platform across the fields. The platform had mattresses on top and about a dozen teenagers — always teenagers — would lie on our stomachs, face forward as the tractor moved ahead slowly. A black tarp over the whole contraption protected us from the sun and also created a sauna-like environment.
Wearing Playtex gloves, we'd scour the vines in front of us and then toss any ripe cucumbers into the metal bucket hanging right in front of our faces should we happen to look up. Of course, we never did look up because that might mean we would miss a cucumber, and if that stray vegetable was then spotted by Mrs. Z, who walked behind the picker expressly to see what we missed, she'd come up and swat us on the feet with the pole she carried.
Actually, I don't remember if she actually did that, or just threatened to. In any case, we'd get yelled at and if we were deemed unworthy of our less-than-a-dollar-an-hour job, we'd be fired. (To be completely accurate, I don't remember how much we were paid, either. I do remember getting a small yellow envelope on Fridays with my pitiful week's wages and always feeling somewhat deflated.)
It was then that I stopped eating cucumbers. I didn't eat them the two summers I worked in the fields or for many years afterward. The taste reminded me of dirt and sweat and longing to be 16 so I could get a real job in a mall.
And then I grew up, and one day, in an air-conditioned spa, I drank some cucumber-infused water and decided I was finally over my teenage tragedy.
When Moon Valley Farm in Cockeysville started adding cucumbers to our weekly community-supported agriculture pickup, I greeted them with delight. Cucumbers are light, crunchy and full of health benefits. Plus, vegetables are picked by hand on the 1-acre, all-organic farm.
While the idea of simply slicing up the cucumbers, adding salt and eating them as a snack was tempting, instead I opened up a couple of three-ring binders where I keep intriguing recipes I find in magazines. This is one of the side benefits of my weekly CSA pickup: It gives me a reason to look through these archives that I generally only look at before holidays and special occasions.
I found a recipe for Greek salad pita wraps that I had pulled out of an unidentifiable magazine years ago and one for lamb-and-cucumber kebabs from the June 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living. I adapted both to suit the ingredients I had on hand. (Note: If you like black olives, add them to the Greek salad for additional flavor.)
Greek salad pita sandwiches
Makes 4 sandwiches
1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
Zest from one lemon, plus 4 tablespoons lemon juice, divided
1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced
4 whole-wheat pitas
1 large cucumber, sliced thinly
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
3/4 cup low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whisk yogurt, zest, two tablespoons of the lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Place pitas on a baking sheet and put in oven for about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, toss remaining ingredients. When pitas are warmed, spread yogurt mixture on one side, pile on the salad and then wrap the pita around the filling.
Lamb-and-cucumber kebabs with feta sauce
Makes 2 servings
For the kebabs:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons and 2 teaspoons lemon juice plus 1 lemon cut into wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
1 1/2 pounds butterflied leg of lamb
1 large cucumber, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
Freshly ground sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the sauce:
1/4 cup low-fat feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
In a glass, ceramic or stainless-steel bowl, combine oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and lamb. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
To make sauce, put all ingredients in a food processor and pulse into smooth. Keep refrigerated.
Heat grill to medium-high. Alternate lamb and cucumbers on metal skewers. End each skewer with a wedge of lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Grill about 5-6 minutes, then turn and grill about 5-6 minutes more. Serve with sauce.