[2] DRY Sparkling, a cucumber soda low in sugar, is one of our favorites straight or as a mixer (photo courtesy DRY Sparkling).

[3] Spindrift’s Sparkling Water is flavored with real squeezed cucumber, no sweetness added (photo courtesy Spindrift).

[4] This garnish is at home in a cocktail or a glass of club soda (photo courtesy Dante | NYC).

[5] Make a curly cucumber cocktail garnish on a cocktail pick (photo courtesy AnQi | Costa Mesa) .

 
DRINKS FOR EVERYONE!

Cucumber Cocktails

We like to sip cucumber vodka straight or on the rocks. Brands like Effen, Ketel One, Prairie, Svedka, Rain and others sell it. Some are straight cucumber, some add lime.

You can make these cocktails with plain or cucumber vodka. Or, infuse your own cucumber vodka at home.

 
Non-Alcoholic Cucumber Drinks

 
Cucumber Appetizers

If you’d like a cucumber snack with your cucumber drink, try:

 
 
CUCUMBER TYPES

Growers define cucumbers in five categories: slicing, pickling, burpless, space savers and specialty.

 
 
SPECIALTY CUCUMBERS

You can eat, drink or garnish with any supermarket cucumber, but why not have fun and look for specialty varieties?

You know what conventional cucumbers look like. Check farmers markets for specialty varieties like these:

 
Your homework: Go to the farmers market and look for specialty cucumbers. If you have a garden, check out the options and plan to plant at least one variety next year.
 
 
* CUCUMBER TRIVIA

Cucumbers are fruits. They are members of the same botanical genus as cantaloupe, honeydew, Persian melon and other melons.

A giveaway: Fruits carry their seeds on the inside.

The exception is the strawberry: Technically, the strawberry is an aggregate accessory fruit, meaning that the fleshy part is derived not from the plant’s ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries.

The tiny “seeds” (called achenes) on the outside of the berry are actually teeny ovaries of the flower, with a teenier seed inside it.

June 10th is National Iced Tea Day. Here are some fun facts from Pure Leaf Tea.

Tea is the number-one-consumed beverage in the world, after water. While most of the world consumes iced tea, in the U.S., almost 80% of the tea consumed is iced.

1. Tea leaves and wine grapes share similarities.

Both tea leaves and grapes require certain environments and climatic conditions to thrive. Terroir (tur-WAH), the characteristics of a place (soil, water, altitude, latitude and climate) affect the taste of a final agricultural product and play a huge role in the growing of both tea leaves and grapes.

2. Tea regions create different flavor profiles.

Different environmental characteristics affect the flavors and aromas of tea. For example, in India, the low-altitude Assam region produces a black tea with a bold, malty flavor. In Indonesia, consistent temperatures and humidity make Java a perfect location to grow tea plants used for green tea.

3. Black tea, green tea and white tea come from the same plant.

A single plant, Camellia sinensis, provides all of the tea grown. For black and green tea, the difference lies in the oxidation of the leaf: green tea production stops the oxidation process to keep the leaves green. Quality teas like Pure Leaf process with the long leaf method, where the tea leaves are gently picked, rolled, dried, and blended to achieve a specific flavor.

4. Fruit and herbal teas are not real teas.

They do not come from the Camellia sinensis. They are properly called tisanes (tee-ZON) or infusions.

Fruit and herb teas (chamomile, peppermint, rooibos, etc.) have been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Today, many people who drink them appreciate that they are 100% caffeine-free.

5. Iced Tea is quintessentially American.

No one can say at which point tea was first chilled with ice, but iced tea had its debut on the world stage at the 1904 St. Louis Exposition (today called the World’s Fair). On a very hot day, no one was trying the hot tea samples at one pavilion. Here’s the clever solution used to chill the tea.
 
 
MAKING ICED TEA

1. Use real tea leaves.

Boil the water and steep the tea. Iced tea made from powder is to brewed tea, what instant coffee is to brewed coffee.

We’ve tried every iced tea concentrate—brewed liquid tea to mix with iced water—and have never found one we’d buy again. (Note: Anyone who adds lots of sugar may not notice the difference.)

2. Check the water temperature.

When brewing your iced tea, it’s important to monitor the temperature of the water. With black tea, the water should come to a full boil; but when brewing the more delicate green tea leaves, the water should be just under boiling.

3. Tailor your tea.

You can brew it a little longer or shorter to adjust the flavor. Note that if you add ice cubes to your iced tea (even drunk straight from the fridge), the tea should be brewed stronger to allow for dilution by the ice.

Here’s how to add fruit flavors to home-brewed iced tea.
 
 
MORE ICED TEA TIPS

[2] Fan favorite: Pure Leaf bottled teas: there are 15 varieties (photo courtesy Pure Leaf).<
[3] Brew your own: 7 varieties of bagged teas (photo courtesy Pure Leaf).

Pure Leaf’s delicate tea leaves are kept long, then simply picked, rolled and expertly crafted with real fruit pieces, petals and herbs, allowing the natural tea essence to shine through. To ensure an exceptional and authentic taste experience, Pure Leaf offers single-source tea leaves from Rainforest Alliance Certified tea estates in India, Kenya, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Pure Leaf’s uniquely transparent packaging reveals the masterful tea blends and lets the quality of the ingredients speak for themselves.

There are currently 15 varieties:

 
Bagged teas are available in 15-count jars, in seven varieties:

 
Pure Leaf loose teas are offered in three varieties—English Breakfast Black Tea and Iced Classic Black Tea, both available in 4.7-oz. jars, and Gunpowder Green Tea, available in 5.8-oz. jars.

We’re big fans of the Tea House Collection, elegant flavors in glass bottles.

For more information, visit PureLeaf.com.

[1] Stewed rhubarb. Call it strawberry-rhubarb sauce or make it a chilled soup with vanilla frozen yogurt or sorbet. The recipe is at right (photo courtesy Eat Well 101).

[2] Turn strawberry-rhubarb scones into a shortcake with whipped cream and strawberries. Here’s the recipe from Dessert First Girl.

[3] The main ingredients: rhubarb and strawberries (photo courtesy Dessert First Girl).

Today, how about a relative of pie: a shortcake (scones) with strawberry-rhubarb sauce (recipe, photo #2)?

Or, a very easy recipe, below (photo #1): stewed strawberries and rhubarb, which can be served as a sauce with scones, pound cake, etc.; a chilled soup; as a compote, layered with whipped cream; or with plain or flavored yogurt.

FOOD TRIVIA: Technically, rhubarb is a vegetable, a member of the sorrel family. Before it was sweetened by British cooks, it was added to soups (try it in lentil soup), sauces and stews—Moroccan tagines and Middle Eastern stews, for example.

Be sure to cook only the stems; the leaves are mildly toxic (they contain oxalic acid).
 
 
RECIPE: STEWED STRAWBERRIES & RHUBARB

This recipe came to us from from Nina Palmer of Eat Well 101.

If you want to make ice cream to go with it, consider lavender, peach, rhubarb or saffron ice cream.

Ingredients For 6 Servings

 
For Serving

 
Preparation

1. WASH and peel the rhubarb, and cut the stalks into 1/3 inch sections. Place them in a saucepan with the sugar and let sit for 20 minutes.

2. SPLIT the vanilla bean in half, and scraping the seeds out so they can more easily infuse the fruit. Add both the pod and the seeds to the pot.

3. WASH and hull the strawberries, and cut them into quarters. Cook the rhubarb over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the strawberries and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice.

4. REMOVE the pod and allow to cool before transferring to a covered bowl and storing in the fridge until ready to use (the scraped seeds remain as flecks in the compote). The sauce should be served cold with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
 
 
RHUBARB HISTORY

Rhubarb is an ancient plant, cultivated in China since 2700 B.C.E. for medicinal purposes (it was a highly-valued laxative). Much later (at the end of the 12th century), Marco Polo wrote about it at length in the accounts of his travels in China, suggesting that the plant had not yet made it to southern Europe.

Different strains of rhubarb grew wild elsewhere, as well, including in Russia. Its genus name, Rheum, is said to be derived from Rha, the ancient name of the Volga River, on whose banks the plants grew.

It was added to soups (try it in lentil soup!) and sauces in the Himalayas and later arrived in the Middle East, where it was used in Moroccan tagines and Middle Eastern stews.

Records show that rhubarb was cultivated in Italy in 1608 and 20 to 30 years later in Europe. A 1778 record shows that rhubarb had become a food plant in Europe as a vegetable.

The earliest written record of rhubarb in the U.S. concerns a gardener in Maine who obtained seed or root stock from Europe, sometime between 1790-1800. He introduced it to growers in Massachusetts where its popularity spread. [source]

Here’s more about rhubarb, including why rhubarb is a vegetable and not a fruit.

HERE’S THE HISTORY OF STRAWBERRIES
  

Some foodists* like a bottle of wine as a gift. But they might like a bottle of fine olive oil even more. Or a bottle of the best maple syrup or barbecue sauce.

We have favorites for the latter two, just in time for Father’s Day gifting.
 
 
MAPLE GUILD BOURBON BARREL MATURED MAPLE SYRUP

The Maple Guild of Vermont has created a new way to make maple syrup.

The key difference is what happens to the sap when it leaves the tree.

 
By elegant, we mean not sugary-sweet, but a light touch of sweetness that is welcome in cocktails or on pancakes. It’s maple syrup for picky palates.

The syrup is sustainably produced, certified organic and non-GMO. In terms of traceability: They can even tell you what tree your syrup came from.

There are four flavors of this premium maple delight: original and three infused syrups.

 
A 12.7 fl.oz. bottle is $15.99, a 750 mL bottle is $26.99.

The company makes other maple-based products: maple cream, infused tree water, maple-sweetened iced tea, maple water and maple vinegar.

Get yours at MapleGuild.com.
 
 
HORSESHOE BRAND BARBECUE SAUCE

[2] Barbecue sauce with a mission to be the best (photo courtesy Horseshoe Brand).

This year, they introduced barbecue sauce in two varieties: Original and Hot.

We appreciate the quality of the ingredients, and the balance of flavors. This is not a typical sweet barbecue sauce, but one of the more rare recipes, with layers of flavor. You can taste how they meld: brown sugar, cayenne, garlic, molasses, onion, tomato, ginger and other spices.

The Hot version substitutes chipotle, ghost pepper and smoked habanero for the cayenne; and adds pineapple.

All of the brand’s heat comes from fresh chile mash: no extracts. You can taste the difference.

The two sauces are real treats for fans of barbecue sauce, and for those who like something more tangy on their burgers, eggs and fries.

A 16-ounce bottle is $6.99. Head to HorshoeBrand.com.

________________

*Factions in the fine food fold distinguish between “foodie” and “foodist.” Some think that “foodie” refers to people who view new foods and restaurants as a checklist, to say “I was there.” Foodists, on the other hand, are those who deepen their knowledge of foods and cuisine through reading, seminars, etc.; and have the ability to discuss the nuances with like-minded people.
  

[2] Instead of the dressing in the recipe below, you can drizzle balsamic glaze across the plate, as shown (photo courtesy Watermelon.org).

[3] This Watermelon “Caprese” uses the conventional Caprese cheese, mozzarella, and substitutes watermelon for the not-yet-in-season tomatoes. It adds pizzazz with a star-shaped cookie cutter. Here’s the recipe (photo courtesy Skinny Taste).

[4] Feta cheese with a favorite accompaniment, Greek olives (photo courtesy Aragec).

Last month we published a recipe for Watermelon Salad, using the conventional Caprese cheese, mozzarella.

Take a look: It has star-shaped watermelon slices for holiday weekends, plus a recipe for cherry tomatoes and bocconcini, bite-size mozzarella balls, stuffed into an avocado half.

This recipe, from cheese maestra Paula Lambert’s cookbook, Cheese Glorious, Cheese! uses a different cheese pairing: the classic watermelon and feta salad.

Her watermelon and feta salad uses bite-size watermelon cubes and crumbled feta.

We suggest a more glamorous version, Watermelon-Feta Stacks (photo #1). , because the slices are evocative of the cheese and fruit slices in a conventional Caprese salad.

The tanginess of feta plays well against the sweet watermelon, as do their differences in texture. This recipe is © copyright 2007, Paula Lambert,
 
 
RECIPE: WATERMELON-FETA STACKS

Ingredients (ingredients for 6 servings)

 
Preparation

1. SLICE the watermelon and feta into like-sized slices and set aside in the fridge to chill.

2. MAKE the dressing. Combine the scallions, chives, lemon rind, and mint in a bowl; add the olive oil and lemon juice and blend well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to serve. Note: If you like more dressing rather than less, increase the amount of oil and lemon juice.

3. PLATE the feta and watermelon in stacks, as shown in photo #1. Drizzle the dressing over the stacks; or, if you prefer, spoon it around the sides of the stacks (drizzling will create pools anyway).
 
 
MORE CAPRESE SALAD RECIPES

 
All are delicious food fun!
 
 
THE HISTORY OF FETA CHEESE

Feta is a brined-curd white cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. It is formed into bricks, salted and cured in a brine solution. The cheese is semi-hard, with a flavor that can range from mild and milky to salty with a very tangy acidity. It crumbles easily.

The first cheese on record comes from Homer’s Odyssey, in the 8th century B.C.E. While it was called, simply, cheese, the description of how it was made matches that of the cheese that came to be known as feta. It was made from the milk of goats and/or sheep.

The name feta, which literally means “slice” in Greek, first appeared in the 17th century. It is believed to refer to the practice of slicing the cheese to place into barrels for brining, a tradition still practiced today.

 
Feta has been enjoyed in Greece for some 2000 years or longer. In the 20th century, a mass immigration from Greece swelled the Greek populations of to Australia, Canada, Germany and the U.S.

These immigrants brought their culinary traditions with them, resulting in the import, and later the local production, of feta.

Feta adapted itself to local cuisines. In addition to traditional Greek appetizers, mains and sides, feta is used for everything from burger toppings, pizza, and salads: not just “Greek salad” but pairings with different fruits (try melon and stone fruits) and vegetables (our favorite is roasted squash with feta, pumpkin seeds, and greens of choice).

Today, only 2% of the feta consumed in the U.S. actually comes from Greece. Much of it is saltier feta from Bulgaria.

If you purchase cheese that is too salty, soaked it in water or milk to remove some of the saltiness.

We prefer a creating a creamy, tangy cheese with citric notes and a modest amount of salt. To find your ideal feta, try different brands and get as many tastes as you can from cheese counters that slice to order.
 
 
MOZZARELLA COMPANY FETA

Company founder Paula learned to make feta decades ago. She joined shepherds in the mountains of Greece, to learn the process from beginning to end.

Authentic feta is aged in wood barrels for 60 days. While the PDO (designated origin protection) of the European Union limits authentic feta to whole sheep’s milk, or a blend of sheep’s and up to 30% goat’s milk, Paula makes two distinctive feta cheeses: one from goat’s milk and one from cow’s milk.

“The two cheeses are made just alike, but there is a dramatic difference in the taste of the finished cheese,” she says. “The cow’s milk version is mild, while the goat’s milk Feta is tangy with a more pronounced flavor.

“The texture of the two cheeses is different [as well]: the cow’s milk feta is creamier and the goat’s milk feta is more crumbly.”

Here’s how the cheese is made:

“We begin by pasteurizing our farm-fresh milk; then we add cultures and enzymes. Once the curd has formed, we cut it into small pieces and stir it gently. After just a few hours, when matured to the proper acidity, we scoop the fragile little curds into baskets lined with cheese cloth. After most of the free whey has drained away, we place a weight atop the cheese, still in the baskets, and press it overnight. After drying for several days, the cheese is immersed in big vats of brine to mature. We mature the Feta made from cow’s milk for one month and the goat’s milk feta is matured for two months and even longer. Our feta is soft and creamy, yet dry enough to crumble.”

We love all the cheeses she makes at Mozzarella Company; so if you need a treat for yourself or a fine cheese gift, head to Mozzarella Company’s website.
 
CHECK IT OUT: THE HISTORY OF CHEESE