When in the summer there are so many cucumbers in the house that it is already impossible to quickly eat them all in a regular salad, and throwing away, naturally, is a pity, then the first solution that comes to mind is to pickle. But maybe there are options for how to keep fresh cucumbers in the refrigerator for longer? After all, salting is a completely different taste!
What conditions do cucumbers like?
The vegetable is surprisingly moody. If it is too cold, then it softens and mucous. If it's hot, it turns yellow and wilts.
Therefore, to understand how long to keep cucumbers fresh, you need to know the optimal conditions for it. This humidity is 90-95% and the temperature is plus 5-6 degrees. In such an environment, cucumbers without any additional processing will “live” for two to three weeks.
Also, during storage, cucumbers should not be placed along with tomatoes, apples, melon, otherwise they will quickly deteriorate.
It is advisable to choose glass, wooden or clay containers for storage. You can put a clove of garlic in it to protect the cucumbers from decay.
How much can you store cucumbers
Figuring out how long to keep the cucumbers fresh, it would be nice to clarify what period is understood by the word "long." Here are the dates that these fruits can hold out at different temperatures, if you do not provide them with any special conditions:
- up to 8 degrees - up to 7 days;
- from 0 to 4 degrees - from two weeks to a month;
- from -2 to -6 - 1-2 months;
- from -8 to -12 - up to 5 months;
- from -18 to -14 - 5-9 months;
- from -24 to -18 - about a year.
Cold storage
What do we usually do when we want to extend the “life” of a product? Send it to the cold. Cucumbers at a temperature of about 0 degrees can be stored in a refrigerator for twenty days. But there are two nuances.
Firstly, there are varieties of cucumbers, including greenhouse ones, which do not tolerate low temperatures. Secondly, for safety they need a humidity of 90%. And the cold softens the cucumbers. How long to keep the cucumbers fresh in the refrigerator with these features in mind?
Without any preparation, cucumbers from their own beds will quietly lie in the refrigerator for 3-5 days on the shelf for vegetables. Store vegetables last 7-8 days. If you need to increase this period, do the following.
Sort the cucumbers. If there are yellow inflorescences, remove them. No need to wash. Wrap each fruit with a paper towel, and then fold it into closed but not sealed bags. In this form, they will lie for 10-14 days.
It is simply not recommended to store in plastic bags without wrapping paper. If you already use them, then make sure that they have holes in them.
Freezing
How to keep cucumbers fresh for longer if you do not plan to eat them in the next few months? Only by freezing.
Wash and dry the vegetables. Cut into slices or cubes - depending on how you intend to use them.
Distribute the chopped cucumbers on a plate, cover with cling film made of polyethylene and send to the freezer for several hours. Pour the cucumbers ready for storage into a bag, tie and return to the freezer. Try to keep a minimum of air in the bag. You can use a straw for juice to blow it.
It is permissible to freeze whole fruits, pre-wrapping them in polyethylene. But in the future, you still have to grind them before use, and make it more convenient when the vegetables are fresh.
In polyethylene without a refrigerator
These fruits contain a large amount of water, which quickly evaporates through the skin. Based on this feature, you can figure out how to keep the cucumbers fresh for a long time.
The most obvious option is to prevent the evaporation of moisture by covering the fruit with a plastic bag or film. But cucumbers also need to “breathe”, so you should not tightly wrap each of them in film.
Put them in bags or wrap a few pieces (no more than 2 kilograms) with foil. At a temperature of no higher than 15-20 degrees, they will "live" from 15 to 30 days, in some cases longer.
In the water "bouquet"
Try to provide moisture-loving vegetables with a constant flow of fluid. Arrange them in a pan vertically, with tails down. Fill the container with water so that it covers the cucumbers by about a third.
Usually green fruits are stored for a long time in such conditions. However, water must be changed every day, otherwise the vegetables will rot.
In the "wrapper" of egg white
Cellar owners less often have a question about how to keep cucumbers fresh for a long time, as there are more conditions for this: there is a cool room with a fairly high humidity.
For the described method, it is advisable to take cucumbers with a long stalk, since after processing the fruits need to be suspended somehow.
Wash and dry the vegetables thoroughly. Beat the egg white and generously cover the cucumbers with it. After drying, the protein forms a film, which, on the one hand, prevents the evaporation of moisture, and on the other hand, allows the fruit to breathe.
Processed cucumbers are hung from the strings by the ropes and stored in a cool place. In this form, they will store their useful properties and taste for a rather long time.
They must be cleaned before use.
In a jar with a candle
This method is somewhat exotic, but if you want to know how long to keep the cucumbers fresh, and by the word “long” you mean a period of more than a month or two, then a candle in a jar is a real find.
The method allows you to fully maintain the taste. It is more suitable for storing fruits that have just been picked from the garden, but store vegetables can also be saved by this method.
Sort the cucumbers. They should be of excellent quality, without the slightest damage. Take a three-liter jar and sterilize. Wipe freshly picked or purchased cucumbers with a dry cloth, no need to wash.
Put an ordinary candle in the jar (any, but not scented!), And lay the vegetables around it. But do not stuff to the top, you need to leave some space. Light a candle and let it burn for ten minutes.
Then take the metal lid and plug the can. This must be done so that the candle does not go out. It will go out by itself when oxygen runs out in a closed can.
Keep a container of cucumbers in a cool place.
Another way
This is an old recipe that promises to be preserved for at least several months. It will take vinegar and a non-metallic container. You can take an enameled pan.
Pour some vinegar into the bottom of the container. Lay the cucumbers so that they do not touch it. For example, use some kind of grate. Then close the lid tightly. Inside, a gaseous environment is formed that is comfortable for the fruit.
We made out many options for how long to keep the cucumbers fresh. Choose the right one and enjoy fresh vegetables at any time of the year!