Kirbies, I love

There was a time when my mother used kirby cucumbers for pickling. That's what most people still do with them. But as the phrase goes in New Brunswick: they're also 'good eatin' cucumbers. They're seedless like an English cuke, but nutty-tasting. I think the nuttiness comes from the 'burps' (or bumps), but maybe not. Too much burpiness though can make for a bitter taste.

If yours are bitter, just slice them up and soak in a bit of salted water. Cindy did that last week when I went over for lunch. We had a late summer feast in her backyard, eating roasted tomatoes; fennel seed bread; pretty peeled beets, spicy salmon leftovers; a Japanese salad of sliced kirbies, radishes and their tops, and sesame seeds; and a drop or two of sake.

Get them at any market while they last. Good-bye summer.