Fresh cucumber in winter is a real delicacy. Everyone knows that this vegetable spoils and fades very quickly. Keeping the cucumber fresh for a long time is very difficult, but possible. How? We will talk about this in this article entitled "How to keep fresh cucumbers for the winter?" Study the information presented to your attention and take it into your arsenal.
Preparing fruits for saving
Before you learn how to save fresh cucumbers for the winter, let's talk about which copies of this vegetable are suitable for long-term savings.
It is unlikely that you will be able to preserve the spring and summer fruits for a long time. For harvesting for future use, use the autumn crop of cucumbers. Select only whole, dense, bright green midsize specimens. Tear off the vegetable from the bush so that the stalk remains on the fruit about two centimeters long. If you buy cucumbers in the market, be sure to pay attention to this fact. If the fruit does not have a petiole, such a cucumber will quickly wither. What to do with vegetables next? We learn about this from the following information.
How to keep fresh cucumbers longer? Description of effective methods
- Put the fruits in a clay or ceramic bowl and cover them with clean, dry sifted river sand. Cover the container with a tight lid and bury it in the ground in the basement.
- For a month, cucumbers can be stored in cold water. Fruits set tightly one next to the other in a wide bowl with pointed ends up. Pour vegetables with very cold water (preferably from a spring or well) for 5-8 centimeters. Regularly, two to three times a day, refresh the fluid.
- How to keep cucumbers fresh in the winter? Here is another old recipe. Dry each fruit with a clean towel and coat with fresh chicken protein. Leave the vegetables to dry, put them in a wooden box or plastic dish and store in the cellar.
- Vinegar can help you keep your fruits safe and sound for about two months. How to save fresh cucumbers for the winter in this way? Pour table vinegar (9%) on the bottom of the dish, which is not oxidized, and place a metal grate or sieve on top. Put the pickles on this stand and cover tightly with a lid. Inside the container, a gaseous medium is formed, favorable for the preservation of fruits.
- You can prepare cucumbers for the future in the bank. But for this we will not use either salting or pickling. How to keep fresh cucumbers for the winter in a glass container without the use of preservatives? A candle will help us in this matter. Fold clean, wiped dry fruits in a three-liter jar “on the shoulders”. Place a small wax candle on top of the fruit. Let it burn for about 10 minutes with the lid open. This is necessary in order to burn out oxygen. Next, plug the lid, do not extinguish the candle, but leave it inside the can. She will burn there for some time. When oxygen is gone, the fire will go out. Cucumbers prepared by this method are stored in the refrigerator or basement.
These simple ways will help you extend the shelf life of your favorite summer vegetable by several months. And if you do everything right, then on the New Year's table you will have fresh tasty cucumbers.