Nana's Marinaded Cucumbers

How we make it.

3 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 cups water
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar

Place cucumbers in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine sugar and hot tap water, stirring with a fork until sugar dissolves. Pour over cucumbers. Add vinegar. Stir gently to combine. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours and serve cold.

Why we make it.

I make these cucumbers to pass on something simple. The sour, refreshing crunch of a vinegared cucumber reminds me of my Nana's simple kitchen, where a bowl of cucumbers in the fridge meant my cousins were visiting for the summer. These were Ben's favorite, and Ben was my favorite. I can see still him in her driveway with a mouthful, spitting on the ants. Like her lemon meringue pie, her cucumbers sit at the top of the list of recipes that make us miss her most. She never wrote down how she made them, so I've had to make them from memory. I think I'm the only one who tries. I've changed a few things about the cucumbers I remember over the years, probably to dull the ache of never being able to get them quite right. Hers were completely peeled, sliced thinner and swam in a porcelain bowl full of vinegar, water, white sugar and probably something else she'd never think to tell you if you asked. I don't know if my cousins would recognize the way I make Nana's cucumbers now, but I make them with our childhood visits in my heart. Details may have gotten lost, but the simplicity of our grandmother's love hasn't. That's why we make it.