As a homesteader who loves to travel, the main thing I always look for when I’m in a new place is always a recipe I can bring home and enjoy from what I can grow on my own land. Naxos, Greece gave us this tzatziki, and I will forever be thankful.

This sauce is tangy, creamy, lemony, herby- all the most amazing things!

We tend to make this most often in the summer when cucumbers are more than abundant and dill is fresh and vibrant. Add this to a grilled chicken gyro and some fresh from the vine tomatoes, and it’s a summertime feast at our house!

The main thing to know about this sauce is that you really do need your cucumbers to be drained well. Start with shredding them exactly like you’d shred cheese. A box grater is great for this, and it will start to pull the liquid out as you shred.

Once shredded, I like to put mine in a clean dish towel, sprinkle with a bit of salt just to pull out more moisture, and squeeze. A lot. Tightly.

Whole milk plain greek yogurt makes the creamiest tzatziki, so that’s what I go with. In a bowl, mix in your yogurt, shredded and drained cucumber, some fresh lemon juice, chopped dill, salt and pepper, and a couple of tablespoons of chopped garlic.

Now here is the absolute most important part- absolutely do not eat this immediately. This is a slow burn. It needs a few hours to really let those flavors marry, but once they do…perfection.

Once it has chilled for a while, pull it out and top it with some really good extra virgin olive oil and flakey salt.

We love this on a gyro, but a fresh flatbread dipped in it is the best, freshest starter to any meal!