Light and Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill

Have I told you that I'm a terrible gardener? Well I'm terrible. Just awful. I'm too lazy to pull weeds. I lose interest in my plants by the time August arrives and stop watering. I don't read the little care tags so I plant "sun" flowers in full shade. It's bad.

One of the only things I can keep alive in my yard are herbs. I think there are two reasons my herbs survive, and neither gives any credit to me: 1.) My herbs live in two plastic, yellow planters on my back steps. I use plastic containers because the terra cotta ones suck up more water and require more diligent watering. I learned this the hard way. 2.) My herbs are in the shade. I'm not sure if herbs are supposed to be in the shade, but mine are. And they grow like gang busters! Again...I think the shade gives me a little wiggle room in the watering department. Notice a common theme here? I can't be trusted with a watering can.

This week I planted my little buckets of dill, thyme, basil, rosemary, sage, and one other one I can't remember (See? No green thumb.), and I'm pumped to start using them in recipes. Let's hope I didn't jinx myself by bragging about my verdant herb garden.

--Erin

Light and Creamy Cucumber Salad with Dill
Adapted from Jo & Sue

1 large English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon light sour cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar

Place cucumber in a colander. Sprinkle with salt and toss to make sure it's evenly coated. Set colander in the sink or over a bowl to catch any liquid. Allow cucumber to drain for an hour or two.

Meanwhile, make the dressing. Stir together sour cream, dill, sugar, and vinegar. Refrigerate dressing until you're ready to mix it with the cucumbers.

Once the cucumbers have drained, rinse them off to get rid of the salt and pat dry with paper towels. Gently toss the cucumber with the dressing and serve.