I don't believe there is any other side dish that so epitomizes summer, with the possible exception of a simple sliced tomato. In the morning of a day that promises to be a triple-digit steambath, it's time to head to the garden to pick a couple of favorites - cucumbers and dill. Because I usually share my dill with ravenous swallowtail butterfly caterpillars, and am happy to do so, I plant more than I need. The dill plants are amusing this year - the stormy month of June produced spindly stems that leaned and fell but then turned upward and continued to grow. And now in the early days of August that are hot and humid but continually rainless, the dill, and indeed the entire herb garden, thrives. On another day I will harvest more to dry and store but today only a small handful is needed. Placed in a small mortar, it is easy to use kitchen shears to snip the feathery leaves into small pieces.
The cucumbers are peeled, sliced, layered and salted. After covering and refrigerating for an hour, the excess water is drained off so the salad will not become watery. A thinly sliced onion is added and then a simple dressing of sour cream, vinegar, sugar and dill. By dinner time, the creamy dressing and the crisp vegetables have melded into a mouthwatering accompaniement to a grilled steak. (A garnish of the fresh-cut dill adds visual appeal as well).
I don't believe there is any other side dish that so epitomizes summer, with the possible exception of a simple sliced tomato. In the morning of a day that promises to be a triple-digit steambath, it's time to head to the garden to pick a couple of favorites - cucumbers and dill. Because I usually share my dill with ravenous swallowtail butterfly caterpillars, and am happy to do so, I plant more than I need. The dill plants are amusing this year - the stormy month of June produced spindly stems that leaned and fell but then turned upward and continued to grow. And now in the early days of August that are hot and humid but continually rainless, the dill, and indeed the entire herb garden, thrives. On another day I will harvest more to dry and store but today only a small handful is needed. Placed in a small mortar, it is easy to use kitchen shears to snip the feathery leaves into small pieces. 
The cucumbers are peeled, sliced, layered and salted. After covering and refrigerating for an hour, the excess water is drained off so the salad will not become watery. A thinly sliced onion is added and then a simple dressing of sour cream, vinegar, sugar and dill. By dinner time, the creamy dressing and the crisp vegetables have melded into a mouthwatering accompaniement to a grilled steak. (A garnish of the fresh-cut dill adds visual appeal as well).
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