Photo: Erin Kunkel

Aside from slicing cukes and tossing them into a cold glass of seltzer (or over your eyes), here are some never-thought-of-that ways to incorporate the vegetables--which are in season from May through August--into easy summer meals.

Pair them with sesame. As every sushi chef knows, cucumber and sesame seeds are a winning combination. This easy salad incorporates both ingredients. Just don't skimp on the chilling time: part of the dish's charm comes from the cool, juicy texture of the marinated cucumbers. Let the sweet-tart interplay of the vinegar and sugar really sink in.
Get the recipe: Sesame Cucumber Salad

Chop them up for gazpacho. Tomatoes are traditional, but cucumbers and onions also make for a refreshing warm-weather soup. Serve the icy, chunky blend  with crunchy, garlic-rubbed country bread.
Get the recipe: Cucumber and Onion Gazpacho

Eat them with salty cheese. Minerally halloumi cheese comes from the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, where locals enjoy it with cold watermelon. Its slight saltiness also makes it a good match for the fresh taste of cucumber and lemon.
Get the recipe: Halloumi Cheese with Cucumber Lentil Salad


Pickle them--fast. You don't have to be a canning expert to assemble a quick side dish of puckery vegetables. Paper-thin shavings of cucumber, carrot, and radish become supple and flavorful after a 20-minute soak in rice wine vinegar.
Get the recipe: Asian Pickled Vegetables

Turn them into cups. There's no cooking required to make these glistening cucumber cups topped with tuna tartare--which makes them a perfect appetizer for a hot summer night.
Get the recipe: Tuna Tartare in Cucumber Cups

Whip them into a cocktail. Chef Michelle Bernstein serves a twist on the traditional mojito by pureeing cucumber and pineapple chunks in a blender, then mixing in sugar, lime juice and sparkling wine.
Get the recipe: Pineapple Cucumber Mojitos

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