After a bit of a hiatus for summer vacations and computer glitches, Market Mash Up is back with a winner in this preparation featuring unique cucumbers disguised as lemons from Evensong Farms at the Silver Spring FreshFarm Market.

The lemon cucumber is an heirloom variety that doesn’t taste anything like a lemon but actually more like a sweeter version of a cucumber. Even the rind is enjoyable, rather than bitter like some standard green cucumbers can be when they sit around too long.

It’s beautiful globe shape, about the size of a tennis ball, and bright yellow color made me think immediately of stuffing it, but I hesitated at the thought of baking something in it for fear its delicate texture would turn to mush in the heat of an oven.

For a cold stuffing, I thought first of a pasta salad, but dismissed the idea as too predictable. I scoured the cupboards and came across some bulgur wheat grains I bought for some cooking notion I had months ago but never got around to using. Taboule is most often made with this grain, but it reminded me too much of a pasta salad, so I almost bagged it.

When I spied some Greek yogurt in the fridge, I thought about how I could flavor it and give it enough body to stand up to stuffing a few hours before serving. Mint and cucumber are naturally compatible with yogurt, as evidenced by their use in many Middle Eastern dishes, but cucumbers tend to make the yogurt watery. If I added the bulk and nutrients of the bulgar, it might counteract this problem as a stuffing.

Topped with freshly diced beets for color and sprigs of mint for garnish, this dish made a healthy and visually appealing summer appetizer, with leftovers for breakfast.

Enjoy.

Cold Stuffed Lemon Cucumbers

1-2 freshly cooked beets

1 cup cooked bulgar wheat

4 firm lemon cucumbers

1/2 cup thick Greek yogurt

1 T. chopped mint mixed with 1 t. olive oil OR 1-2 t. prepared pesto

Cook beets: Peel and boil about 20 minutes or until just tender. Set aside to cool.

While waiting for beets to cool, prepare bulgar: Pour 2/3 cup boiling water over 1/3 cup bulgar in a heatproof bowl, cover, let sit 10 minutes or so until water is absorbed.

Dice beets and set aside for garnish.

Cut about 1/4 off top of lemon cucumbers. Dice tops and set aside for garnish. Scoop out flesh and seeds and place in a medium bowl.

In the medium bowl with cucumber guts, add yogurt and enough cooked bulgar to create a very thick pudding texture. Stir in mint and oil or pesto, salt and pepper to taste.

Stuff lemon cucumbers generously with yogurt filling, top with diced beets and cucumber tops and sprigs of mint, if desired.

Refrigerate for an hour or so until completely chilled, then serve.

Serves 4-8 as an appetizer.