We have always been cucumber fans in our house. A freshly sliced cucumber with a little garlic salt is the perfect treat while watching movies on a hot summer day. And my grandmother made a killer cucumber salad that is a family favorite. 

Cucumbers are best in the summer, fresh from the farm or off the vine if you're lucky enough to be able to grow them without a gopher or rabbit stealing them. They are mostly water, and are a good source of B and C vitamins as well as silica, calcium, folate, potassium and magnesium.

For an amazingly invigorating and refreshing summer drink, thinly slice a medium cucumber and a medium lemon and put them into a large pitcher. Add a small amount of grated or chopped ginger and a sprig or two of mint or lemon verbena. Fill with water and let sit in the fridge for a few hours. It is wonderful. I'll keep topping off the pitcher with water for a few days and then make a new batch. A perfect cooler for after a gardening work out.

Cucumbers are also good for your outsides. Rub a cucumber skin on a burn to soothe it. Putting a few slices on your eyes really does help reduce puffiness. That's why we include it in our Bright Eyes Mela Tae.

Be one with the cucumber - and keep it cool this summer.