CUCUMBER AND APPLE SALAD
A light and tangy salad perfect for hot summer feeding days!
This is a summer and autumn school food service recipe for Cucumbers, Apples, Bell Peppers, and fresh herbs.
Cooking and prep level: Basic.
Adapted from: MA Farm to School, recipe credit Donna Miner, Chicopee High School.
- Prep Time1 hr 15 min
- Total Time1 hr 15 min
- Yield100
- Serving Size5.68 oz
- Energy71 cal
Ingredients
- 11 lbs Cucumbers, pared in lengthwise stripes, sliced in ¼ inch half rounds
- 8 lbs Apples, fresh, red, unpeeled and rough chopped
- 5 lbs 2 oz Bell Pepper, red, diced
- 8 oz Onion, fresh, red, diced
- ½ cup Dill, fresh, chopped
- ½ cup Lemon Juice, fresh
Dressing
- ⅔ cup Vinegar, white
- 1⅓ cup Canola Oil
- ¼ cup Honey, pure
- ⅔ cup Apple Juice, fresh
- 1½ Tbsp Black Pepper
- 2½ tsp Salt
Method
Place cut apples in lemon juice and toss well to prevent browning. Set aside.
Whisk dressing ingredients together to incorporate: oil, vinegar, honey, apple juice, salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust if needed.
Combine cucumber slices, apple chunks, diced red pepper, and onion in a large bowl or tote. Add fresh dill to the veggie mix.
Whisk dressing to be sure it is well blended. Toss dressing into veggie apple mix to incorporate.
CCP: chill to 41 F within two hours.
Serve with a #6 scoop.
The History of the Cucumber:
The cucumber is believed native to India, and evidence indicates that it has been cultivated in western Asia for 3,000 years. From India, it spread to Greece and Italy, where the Romans were especially fond of the crop, and later into China.
Varieties of Slicing Cucumbers:
The Japanese cucumber is slender, thin-skinned, void of developed seeds, never bitter and entirely edible. The average harvested length is about four inches, while the cucumber is still young. Its skin is forest green and smooth, with longitudinal grooves.
Persian cucumbers have qualities that set them apart from the common garden cucumber in three ways: their skin is smooth and thin, flesh is very crisp, sweet and they are void of developed seeds. Persian cucumber measures 4 to 6 inches in length, as this is the size when it is at its peak of sweetness.
Lemon cucumbers are about the size of a lemon, with pale lemony skin that turns golden-yellow as the cucumber matures. This cucumber has a very delicate, sweet flavor and crisp texture.
Hothouse (English) cucumbers originated in Europe, so they’re sometimes called European or English cucumbers. They tend to be thin, smooth-skinned, and 1 to 2 feet in length. The majority are also seedless, or nearly so.
Armenian (snake melon, snake cucumbers) are extra-long, twisted cucumbers with thin, dark green skin that’s marked with paler green longitudinal furrows. As it ripens, the fruit turns yellow and releases an aroma, not unlike its relative the muskmelon. This slicing cucumber is mild in flavor.
Nutrition Facts
- 100 servings per container
- Serving Size5.68 oz
- Amount per serving
- Calories71
- % Daily Value*
- Total Fat3.2 g4.1%
- Saturated Fat0.5 g2.5%
- Trans Fat0 g
- Cholesterol0 mg0%
- Sodium120 mg5.22%
- Total Carbohydrate11.1 g4.04%
- Dietary Fiber1.8 g6.43%
- Total Sugars7.4 g
- Protein1 g2%