When life gives you cucumbers...

I have gone from having a few cucumbers in the garden to having a hostile cucumber takeover in my yard, all in the matter of a week. I was thrilled to find one, then two, then five and six cucumbers, especially when I thought my cuke crop was a bust. But now the cucumbers are just everywhere, outnumbering even the tomatoes. Something had to be done.  They were taking over.  If they became sentient...well, let's not go there.  Back to the lemonade.

I Googled "cucumber recipes" and learned two words that I found strangely compelling: cucumber lemonade. I was simultaneously repulsed and intrigued, and after asking a few of my southern friends about the concoction I realized that I had to try making it.

Allrecipes.com had a plethora of recipes for cucumber lemonade, so I went with the one that took the least amount of effort but still yielded a 4.5 star rating. And my life was forever changed.

Cucumber Lemonade

You will need:
One cucumber
One 2-liter bottle of 7UP or other lemon-lime soda
One can of frozen lemonade concentrate
One very cute, large pitcher.

Take a good-sized cucumber, peel it and slice it thinly.

Is that not the perfect pitcher?

Place the cucumber slices in the bottom of a large pitcher and empty a can of frozen lemonade concentrate on top of it. Let it sit for twenty minutes so the frozen concentrate begins to liquify.

Add a 2-liter bottle of 7UP or any other lemon-lime soda.

If desired, strain the cucumbers out of the mixture (bonus: now they have a little lemon-lime kick from the soda. Great little snack for a hot day).

Serve the drink over ice.


So how does it taste? Imagine lemonade, but with a clean finish: not sticky or tart. I served it to my husband and a guest without telling them how it differed from regular lemonade. I asked them to guess. Our guest thought that it tasted like watermelon, and my husband couldn't place the flavor, but he loved it. They were both surprised when I told them it was cucumber. Clearly, the cucumber flavor wasn't very perceptible, but it was enough to make an already refreshing drink that much more crisp.  We easily polished off the pitcher.

Variation:


Add a splash of grenadine to the bottom of the glass, and layer the cucumber lemonade on top.  Very pretty.
Of course, alcohol is always an option, too.  Be brave - experiment, and most of all, enjoy!