Store cucumbers without refrigeration. How long to keep cucumbers in the refrigerator

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How to store fresh cucumbers for a long time (+ in winter)

Summer is coming to an end, the last cucumbers are ripening and it's a pity to say goodbye to a fresh harvest for a whole year. You can, of course, buy them in the store at any time, but at the same time, the prices and quality of the product are not at all encouraging.

Do not despair, because there are ways to keep cucumbers fresh for a longer winter. So summer residents or enterprising hostesses can stock up on fresh cucumbers for the future, and enjoy them in the winter.

Not all cucumbers are suitable for long-term storage, so you need to first select the ones you need. For example, greenhouse salad varieties, which have a very delicate and thin peel, cannot be preserved for a long time in their original form.

Cucumbers are a very delicate vegetable that needs to be provided with optimal storage conditions. First you need to get rid of temperature drops, and achieve optimal humidity. After all, if it is very humid and hot, cucumbers will begin to rot, and in dry hot air they will wrinkle and lose their taste.

Basic Rules:

• Do not wash the cucumbers before storing, just wipe with a dry, clean cloth to get rid of the earth. Purchased ones should not be wiped at all, because they are treated with wax or petroleum jelly so that they are stored longer. Remove this protective layer, and cucumbers will quickly deteriorate.
• Do not store in closed plastic bags - cucumbers will begin to "suffocate" and quickly rot.
• Keep cucumbers away from fruits (bananas, apples, pears) because they release ethylene, which helps the fruit ripen. This means that cucumbers will quickly overripe and deteriorate.
• Small cucumbers do not need to be stored, because they will dry out very quickly.
• Large and yellow cucumbers are watery and lose their beneficial properties, so there is no point in storing them.
• Greenhouse or fast-maturing varieties are not suitable, because they have a thin skin and spoil in a few days.

In addition, not all of them are ready for long-term storage, so first select good cucumbers:

• Fresh - the less time passes from the moment of collection to storage, the better. It is quite easy for summer residents to fulfill this condition, and if you buy in a store, you should pay close attention to the type of cucumbers. They should not be soft when you press on them - this is a clear sign of old cucumbers.
• Without damage and rotten places - such cucumbers will not survive a long winter, so they must either be thrown away or the damage cut out and eaten quickly.
• Hard cucumbers that hold when pressed. Soft cucumbers are already beginning to spoil, so they should also be consumed first. Otherwise, soon they will begin to rot and deteriorate.
• Choose firm, dry, and clean medium-sized cucumbers to keep them whole longer.

If you evaluate specific varieties, then Kharkiv or Nezhin cucumbers, or others with a dense skin, will do. Long-fruited and seedless varieties (parthenocarpic) are well stored, for example: Sadko, Kusovoy, Parade, Nerosimy, Nezhinsky.

How long do cucumbers keep?

If you just put the cucumbers in a bag with holes and put them in the refrigerator on the vegetable shelf, you can enjoy fresh cucumbers for about a week. Instead of a package, you can use a glass jar with a closed lid - the period is the same.

More precisely, the period can be predicted by the temperature in the refrigerator: 10-15 degrees = 4 days, 5-8 degrees = 7 days, and if you lower the temperature to 1-4 degrees, the shelf life increases to 28 days!

But even in this most simple and ordinary way, it is worth being vigilant. Once a day, look into the bag or jar, look through the cucumbers and remove yellowed or soft cucumbers.

How to keep cucumbers fresh longer

Keeping fresh cucumbers for a week or two is already good, but isn't that enough? I want to enjoy fresh fruits for at least a month or two, and add them to salads. Luckily, there are ways to extend the standard times a little more.

Most often, cucumbers are stored in the refrigerator, but it is worth maintaining a certain temperature. Do not lower it below 0 so that slime does not appear on the cucumbers. For this reason, it is not recommended to place cucumbers next to the freezer.

1. Napkins. Wrap each cucumber in a paper towel and then place in a perforated bag. So you increase the shelf life up to 14 days.
2. In water. Fill the container with water, literally 2 cm, and then place the cucumbers in it with the tails down. Put such a "bouquet" in the refrigerator, and change the water in the container every day. You can store cucumbers in this way for 21-30 days. The secret is simple: cucumbers make up for the loss of moisture by absorbing water from the container.
3. Egg white. Select whole cucumbers without damage, wash them, dry them, and then dip them in egg white. Let the protective film dry and then place in wooden or plastic containers. Now the moisture from the cucumbers will not evaporate, so they can be stored for 30-40 days. Before eating, rinse cucumbers well to wash off the raw protein.
4. Vinegar you can increase the shelf life up to 1-2 months. To do this, pour 1 cm of vinegar into an enamel pan. Set up a wire rack or sieve so that the cucumbers can be placed without them touching the vinegar. Cover tightly with a lid so that the vinegar does not erode, and place the structure in a cool room (basement or refrigerator). The vinegar will evaporate and create a kind of gaseous shell around the cucumbers. Due to this, they can be stored for several months without rotting or spoiling.
5. Circles in the freezer. Cut the cucumbers into circles, arrange on a cutting board and send to the freezer. When they are set and frozen, put them in a bag. In this frozen form, cucumber slices can be stored for up to 9 months. After defrosting, the cucumbers will become soft, but they will not lose their nutritional value and taste. It is best to add to salads so as not to focus on their appearance.

Cucumbers cannot be stored for a long time without a refrigerator. In this case, only a dry and cold basement will do. It can keep cucumbers fresh for a month or two. Just put unwashed cucumbers in an enameled or ceramic container, and sprinkle with clean, dry sand on top. Cover tightly with a lid. In some sources, summer residents recommend that the container also be buried in the ground in order to maximize the shelf life of cucumbers.

How to keep cucumbers fresh for the winter

Our grandparents also kept cucumbers, but they didn't have refrigerators. Therefore, you can use some of their tips to keep cucumbers fresh all winter long. I must say right away that some of them are very strange or impossible in urban conditions.

In a jar without air You can store cucumbers for 3-4 months. To do this, rinse strong and whole cucumbers, wipe and put in a sterilized 3-liter jar. It is not necessary to fill to the brim, leave a quarter of the space for a candle. Place a small paraffin candle on top of the cucumbers and gently light. Do not use aromatic - this will have a bad effect on cucumbers. Let it burn for 10 minutes, so that the oxygen from below burns out, and then close the lid of the jar with a burning candle. After 30 seconds, the candle will go out and there will be no oxygen left in the jar. Place in a cool place (cellar or refrigerator).

In the river can be stored for 3-6 months. To do this, put fresh cucumbers in a string bag or net, and lower them into a natural reservoir. It is very important that in winter the water does not flow and the water is not stagnant (the river will do). Cold running water keeps cucumbers fresh for many weeks, all that remains is to get a string bag at the right time and take out a few cucumbers.

In a barrel collect all fresh cucumbers, cover tightly with a lid and seal. Roll back to a reservoir with running water and lower to the bottom. When you need fresh cucumbers, get and uncork the barrel. Until the middle of winter, they are stored just like new.

It is clear that it is very difficult to find a river in the city, and even more so that the cucumbers are not caught and eaten! So the best way to keep cucumbers fresh for the winter (longer) is with a jar and a candle. It is this option that all hostesses use to please the household with fresh cucumbers in a cold winter.

Fresh, crunchy cucumbers with a full range of vitamins will always prevail over the canned version. Unfortunately, if stored improperly, fresh cucumbers begin to decompose very quickly. The solution in this case is to eat vegetables as soon as possible while they are fresh, or find a new way to store them. Fortunately, simple methods have long been invented to allow cucumbers to stay fresh for a long time. Check out our recommendations to learn how to keep cucumbers fresh all winter long.

Rules for choosing cucumbers for long-term storage

Consider the mandatory requirements for choosing cucumbers for storage. First of all, cucumbers must be fresh. It is necessary to minimize the time of transportation of cucumbers from the garden to the storage place. Cucumbers that have lain for 3-4 days at room temperature are no longer suitable for long-term storage. When choosing cucumbers on trading floors, you need to take into account the condition of the entire batch of vegetables. If in general the product looks stale, you should not choose individual fruits that differ in greenery - they still quickly deteriorate.

Did you know? The word "cucumber" in Greek means "unripe", "unripe". Indeed, the further the cucumber is from the moment of its full maturity, the better it is. Young greens have delicate skin, small and soft seeds, and a refreshing taste.

Cucumbers must also be free of defects and damage. Otherwise, the fruits will not last long.

Another important requirement is that only soil varieties are suitable. The dense body and bubbly skin of ground cucumbers are well stored. On the contrary, the juicy pulp and thin skin of greenhouse varieties are completely unsuitable for long-term storage of fresh cucumbers.

Based on the experience of specialists, cucumbers of the Kharkov and Nezhinsky varieties are best stored. Also, the fruits of long-fruited varieties meet our requirements:

• Parade;
• Competitor;
• Sadko;
• Bush;
• Irresistible 40;
• Nezhinsky 12;
• Nizhyn local.

And the last tip: if you are going to stock up on cucumbers for the winter, choose fruits from the last harvest.

Features of storing cucumbers in the refrigerator

If you keep cucumbers in the refrigerator without much preparation, they will only stay fresh for 3 days. However, there are a few simple secrets that will help ensure that cucumbers are stored in the cold for much longer. So, let's figure out how to properly store cucumbers in the refrigerator.

Freezing cucumbers

The appearance of frozen whole vegetables leaves much to be desired. Form and consistency are completely lost. Zelentsy become wrinkled and soft, and their taste deteriorates. Therefore, cucumbers should be finely chopped before freezing. So the vegetables fully retain their freshness and taste. In addition, cucumbers frozen in this way do not need to be thawed before use. Therefore, freezing is a perfectly acceptable option for keeping cucumbers fresh longer. However try to follow the correct freezing technique. It is necessary to cut the vegetables into medium or small cubes. Next, the cutting must be tightly placed in special bags with a clasp. Send the packages to be stored in the freezer. This product is convenient to use in the preparation of salad or okroshka.

Storing cucumbers in the refrigerator without freezing

• In water. In a tray or bowl of cold spring water, lower the cucumbers (vertically, tails down). Water should only cover the fruits by 1-2 cm. The bowl of greens should be kept in the refrigerator (in the vegetable compartment). It is advisable to change the water once a day. By absorbing water, cucumbers will compensate for the natural loss of moisture. The fruits will stay fresh for up to 4 weeks.

• Wrapping in paper towel – Another magical option for keeping cucumbers fresh. Zelentsy will stay perfectly fresh for two weeks. Put the cucumber in the center of the paper towel (napkin) and wrap, and then pack in cellophane. Do this for each fruit. Now don't forget to put the "bags" of wrapped cucumbers in the fridge. Raw cucumbers, surrounded by paper towels, stay dry for a long time. This effect is achieved due to the absorption of water from the surface of the fetus by the towel. The moisture level is lowered, which helps keep the cucumber fresh.

• In egg white. The principle of operation of this method is similar to the previous version. Thanks to the egg white, a film forms on the surface of the cucumbers, which prevents the formation of moisture. The fruits must be carefully, trying not to damage the skin, washed and dried. In the meantime, take a raw egg, separate the protein from the yolk. Next, you need to coat the cucumbers with protein. Store prepared cucumbers in the refrigerator.

Important! Do not store cucumbers in the refrigerator together with or next to vegetables and fruits that emit ethylene (apples, bananas). These products include: tomatoes, apples, bananas, pears, peaches,apricots,melon.

Rules for storing cucumbers in the cellar

To learn how to properly store fresh cucumbers in a barrel, check out our tips. Cucumbers can be stored in the cellar in ordinary wooden boxes. To do this, lay a thick plastic film on the bottom of the box and put selected cucumber fruits on it. Cover the top with cellophane to retain moisture. Any enameled or ceramic container with a lid is also useful as a container. Lay cling film on the bottom. Wrap each cucumber in a paper towel and place in a bag. Then carefully place the wrapped cucumbers in a container. So cucumbers retain moisture and freshness better. In a dry and cool cellar, cucumbers can be stored for a month.

Other ways to store cucumbers for the winter

Consider the ways of storing cucumbers that our grandmothers and great-grandmothers used. Unconventional methods help keep cucumbers fresh for a sufficiently long period. If you have the desire and opportunity, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with unusual recipes on how to keep fresh cucumbers until the New Year.

Recipe from the magazine "Worker"

We use only small or medium cucumbers. Vegetables must be whole, dry, unwashed and directly from the garden. Before harvesting, it is advisable to knock the dust off the fruit and water the bushes. Let the fruits dry on the bushes. Then we collect the fruits, trying to touch them less with our hands. Cucumbers do not wipe anything!

We place an ordinary wax candle in a sterile three-liter jar, and carefully and loosely place cucumbers around. After filling the jar, we light our candle. The fire displaces oxygen, and the container is filled with carbon dioxide. We roll up the jar with a metal lid. The candle will go out when the jar runs out of oxygen. Jars with cucumbers should be placed in a cool place. As Rabotnitsa magazine explains to us, fresh cucumbers in a sealed jar with a candle end up in an oxygen-free environment. This makes it possible to extend their freshness by 1-2 months. In an oxygen-free environment, cucumbers are stored much better.

Important!It must be remembered that this storage method is in no way a twist (preservation) of cucumbers for the winter. This is just a technique that allows you to slightly extend the life of fresh cucumbers.

How to store cucumbers in a barrel

The next option will tell you how to keep cucumbers fresh so that they do not spoil for a long time. First you need to purchase a wooden barrel made of solid wood. Oak barrels that are resistant to decay are excellent. We tightly pack the selected fruits of cucumbers into the barrel and hermetically cork with a wooden lid. The prepared barrel with cucumbers must be delivered to the river and lowered to the bottom. Take care that the barrel is not carried away by the current. In this way, you can keep the freshness of cucumber fruits until the middle of winter.

Storage in a vinegar chamber

How to help vegetables retain their moisture for a long time, as well as how to keep fresh cucumbers for the winter, will tell you the following non-traditional method. To store cucumbers in the vinegar chamber, you will need an enameled container and a plastic stand with holes. The container must be resistant to acetic acid. We set the stand so that the cucumbers on it do not touch the vinegar. Pour 9% food grade acetic acid (3-4 mm thick) onto the bottom of the dish. Cucumbers are laid on a stand in several layers, tightly closed with a lid and transferred to a cool place. Cucumbers keep fresh up to 1 month.

Cucumber - a wonderful side dish and an indispensable component in salads, an excellent appetizer and just a popular vegetable, has long ceased to be a curiosity on our tables even in the winter season. Buying fresh cucumbers today is not a problem even in severe frost....

Cucumber - a wonderful side dish and an indispensable component in salads, an excellent appetizer and just a popular vegetable, has long ceased to be a curiosity on our tables even in the winter season. Buying fresh cucumbers today is not a problem even in severe frost. True, the price of them “bites” out of season, and, as many say, the taste of such cucumbers is far from the same as that of cucumbers from their garden. This is probably why, towards the end of each summer season, we ask ourselves the question - how to keep cucumbers fresh for a long time? How can you maximize their shelf life? What varieties are suitable for this and what to look for when choosing fruits? And, probably, the most important question is where to store cucumbers? You will find answers to these and many other questions in this article.

Even the ancient Romans said: "Tastes do not argue." So it is: some love greens from the garden, others prefer greenhouse cucumbers, which you can buy at any time of the year, and others don’t see any particular difference between them at all. That is why we will not argue about tastes, we will not convince anyone either, but we will just talk about storing cucumbers.

How long can fresh cucumbers be stored

You can keep cucumbers fresh for 5-7 days without much difficulty. It is also possible to increase this period to 3 weeks or longer, sometimes even until spring, if special storage conditions are created. But let's talk about everything in order.

It is necessary to start selecting cucumbers for long-term storage even at the stage of their collection or purchase. After all, stale or overgrown fruits are simply not suitable for storage.

For long-term storage, cucumbers should be :

Fresh:

• when picking cucumbers in your own garden, try to make sure that as little time as possible passes from the time of collection to the moment of storage. Fruits that lie down for several days at room temperature will no longer be suitable for long-term storage;
• when buying cucumbers in the market, pay attention not only to individual specimens, but to the entire batch. So, if most of the fruits are wilted, you should not take such greens, they will not lie for a long time, even if the specimens you have chosen seem fresh.

Clean and dry:

• Cucumbers must be dry and clean. Keep this in mind when collecting them in the garden or buying in the market;
• it is impossible to wash the greens before storing them, because the fruits have their own protection against decay.

Without damage:

• carefully inspect the cucumbers: there should be no damage on their skin, otherwise the fruits will begin to deteriorate very quickly.

Thick skinned:

• for long-term storage, ground cucumbers with a dense skin are more suitable than greenhouse ones;
• the fruits of special varieties are well stored: Kharkov, Nezhinsky and others.

Excellent keeping quality of fruits in cucumbers of long-fruited parthenocarpic varieties, such as:

• Sadko
• Irresistible 40
• Nizhyn local
• Nezhinsky 12
• Competitor
• Bush
• Parade

Which cucumbers are not suitable for long-term storage:

• watery fruits with thin skin are poorly stored;
• overgrown cucumbers. Overripe and yellowed cucumbers lose all their useful properties and are no longer suitable for eating;
• it will not be possible to preserve for a long time greenhouse varieties of fast-ripening cucumbers. You can store such greens only for 3-4 days. The only exceptions are those greenhouse cucumbers that are packed in bags with carbon dioxide. For storage, they must be placed in the refrigerator, on a shelf for vegetables.

How to store cucumbers in the refrigerator

In the vegetable section:
Cucumbers will keep in the refrigerator (in the vegetable storage tray) for about 3 days without any problems, and you do not need to prepare them for such short-term storage.

In cellophane:
Cucumbers are placed in a plastic bag and on top, where the cucumbers are open, they are covered with wet gauze. Fruits packed in this way can keep fresh for about 10 days.

On paper:
By wrapping each cucumber with a paper towel (napkin) and placing them in a plastic bag, you can keep the greens fresh for up to 2 weeks.

In water:
You can keep cucumbers fresh for up to 3-4 weeks in water. To do this, pour cold spring water into a bowl (or tray) and lower the fruits into it with their tails down. At the same time, cucumbers should not be completely in the water, but only 1-2 cm. It is also necessary to store cucumbers in water in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. The secret of the method is as follows: as the fruits lose moisture, they will be able to compensate for its loss by absorbing water. For storage in this way, it is better to take cucumbers with a dense, dark green, slightly tuberculate skin. And in order to maximize the shelf life of cucumbers in water, it must be changed at least once a day.

In egg white:
Fresh cucumbers must be carefully, without damaging the skin, washed, dried and coated with egg white. A transparent film forms on the peel of cucumbers, which will prevent moisture from evaporating. Cucumbers are stored in a protein film in the refrigerator, on a shelf for vegetables.

Important. At low temperatures (below 0 ° C), cucumbers begin to soften quickly and mucus appears on them. Therefore, when sending cucumbers for storage in the refrigerator, make sure that they are not near the freezer.

How to store cucumbers indoors

In a box or crate:
In room conditions, you can easily keep cucumbers fresh for 2-3 days. To do this, they are simply carefully placed in a cardboard box, plastic tray, wooden box or paper bag. The temperature in the room should be within +10-15°C, with a relative humidity of about 90-95%. In a dark room with a temperature of about + 6-8 ° C, cucumbers packed in a cardboard box can keep fresh for up to 10 days.

In wet tissue:
Wrap cucumbers in a damp cloth and store in a cold room (with a temperature of about + 6-7 ° C), moistening the cloth as necessary. So you can keep the freshness of the fruit for about a week.

Important. Regardless of how and where you store cucumbers, periodically, about once every 3 days, they must be inspected to remove damaged and lost freshness fruits.

How not to store cucumbers

Packed in cellophane without air access:
Cucumbers, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag or film, even in the refrigerator will lie for about 2-3 days. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to save them this way for longer. The fact is that without air access, cucumbers will quickly “suffocate” and begin to rot.

Together with ripe fruits:
Any ripe fruits that emit ethylene - be it fruits (apples and others) or vegetables (tomatoes and others), cannot be stored together with cucumbers. Under the influence of ethylene, biochemical processes in cucumbers are accelerated and they begin to quickly turn yellow, which means they become unfit for human consumption.

Unconventional ways to store cucumbers

There are many more unconventional ways that make it possible to keep cucumbers fresh for a long time. True, for what period of time - there is no exact data. However, if there is an opportunity and desire, then why not try to use one of them? It is not for nothing that some of these methods were successfully used by our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, who managed to keep many perishable products fresh for a long time without a refrigerator.

In a pond:
If there is a pond, river or any other natural body of water nearby that does not freeze in winter, you can store cucumbers in it. To do this, Zelentsy is folded into a fine-mesh string bag made of synthetic material, a load is hung from below, lowered into a pond and properly fixed.

In sand:
Put cucumbers layer by layer in earthenware, sprinkling greens with well-washed and pre-dried sand. Close the lid tightly and store in a cool room - cellar or basement. If possible, then bury the container in the cellar in the ground. According to the authors of the method, buried cucumbers are stored for an even longer period.

In the well:
Put the cucumbers in a clean, dry bucket, cover them with a simple cloth on top and lower the bucket into the well so that its bottom slightly touches the water.

In cabbage:
Perhaps one of the most original ways is storage in cabbage. To do this, cucumbers are planted between rows of late varieties of cabbage. As soon as the ovary appears, small cucumbers, along with the lash on which they grow, are carefully placed between cabbage leaves, as close as possible to the stalk. So they will grow with cabbage, only already inside the head. For storage, cabbage heads are lowered into a cellar or basement. They say that cucumbers in cabbage can last until spring. Have you tried storing cucumbers in cabbage?

With vinegar:
Literally a 3 mm layer of vinegar is poured onto the bottom of clean, dry enamelware. Then a stand with holes is installed inside the dish so that cucumbers can be placed on it and they do not touch the vinegar. The fruits are placed on a stand in several layers, the container is tightly closed and placed in a cool room. In this way, you can keep the freshness of cucumber fruits for up to 1 month. published

In our time, tasting fresh cucumbers in the winter has become commonplace. On the shelves of shops you can find cucumbers grown in greenhouses all year round. But all lovers of this vegetable unanimously declare that the taste of purchased cucumbers in winter is not at all the same, and their prices are “not for everyone”. Summer residents try to use the entire crop as soon as possible, and roll up the surplus. But how can you keep your garden cucumbers until January-March? How to ensure their safety throughout the winter season?

It is not at all difficult to save fresh vegetables for 4-8 days, but in order for cucumbers to lie as long as possible, and preferably until spring itself, you need to provide them with appropriate storage conditions:

1. Cucumbers are 95% water, making them very difficult to store. The fact is that water evaporates even at low temperatures close to 0 Celsius.
2. The first thing you need to pay attention to during storage is the very quality of cucumbers, regardless of whether they are purchased or just removed from greenhouses.
3. The peel of vegetables should be hard, because it is a membrane that delays the evaporation of liquid and the thicker it is, the longer the cucumber will lie.
4. Damage to the skin indicates that the vegetable will begin to dry very soon and it will not work for a long time. Feel each cucumber, it should be elastic and not have voids inside.

Have you tried storing fresh cucumbers in the basement?

YesNo

In order to preserve the freshness and taste of cucumbers in the refrigerator, you can use the following recommendations:

• Put the selected vegetables in a plastic bag, but do not twist or tie it. Lay a wet cloth on top of the bag, you can use cheesecloth in several layers and place in the refrigerator in the vegetable storage compartment. Thus, cucumbers will retain their freshness and taste for 3-4 weeks. Gauze can sometimes be moistened in a new way.
• To keep a cucumber for a month, you need to wrap it in a paper towel and place it in a plastic bag. After the manipulations, the cucumbers are sent to the refrigerator.
• Many resort to the ancient method of storing cucumbers. Fill the basin with 3-5 liters of water and place the vegetables there with the hosts down. The water should completely cover the cucumbers. If you want storage to last longer, change the water once or twice a week. In this case, the loss of moisture by cucumbers is replenished by external moisture.
• We create a protective brush. Washed and dry cucumbers are covered with egg white. It creates a protective film through which the cucumber does not lose liquid, but continues to "breathe". Wash your cucumbers. Separate the egg white and brush each fruit with it. It forms a protective film. Because of it, vegetables will not lose moisture, but will receive oxygen.

The water content of the cucumber excludes its storage near the freezer. Also, the fruits do not like the neighbors of melons, pears and apples.

Where to store fresh cucumbers without a refrigerator

• Pack the cucumbers tightly into a plastic container. Ordinary cardboard packaging is also suitable. Place it in a dark, cool place, a basement will do. To keep cucumbers for more than a month, you can put a wet cloth on top of them. Don't forget to wet it once a week or even two.
• Lucky are those who live near a lake or pond that does not freeze to the end. Cucumbers are folded into a net and placed in water. Such cucumbers can be served at the table even by the beginning of summer!
• An ordinary enamel pan is taken. 6-9% vinegar is poured into it and a sieve is placed on top, which is filled with cucumbers. Touching cucumbers to vinegar is out of the question! Cover with a lid on top. In such a "Vinegar Environment", cucumbers can be stored in the basement or in the pantry.

• Dry, but not washed, cucumbers are folded into a sterilized jar. It is necessary to fold the fruits not tightly, leave a little space at the very top. Take a tealight (in a metal cup, sold in every gift shop) and place it in a jar of cucumbers. Light it up and roll up the jar tightly. All the oxygen contained in the jar will burn out and a vacuum environment will form. Thus, you can save part of your crop for a long time. Such a jar is placed in a dark and dry place. Suitable mezzanine, basement or pantry.

Where to store fresh cucumbers

Fresh cucumbers should be stored in boxes or crates. The storage location should not let in a lot of sunlight. As you already know, cucumbers tend to lose moisture very quickly.

• And if the room is warm enough, then it will not work to keep them for a long time.

• The optimum temperature for cucumbers to lie for more than 10-12 days is from +5 to +15 Celsius.

Recently, paper bags, as well as plastic boxes, have been very popular among summer residents. For longer storage, use a wet cloth with either method. It will serve as protection from the surrounding heat and create a favorable humid environment inside the box.

Not so long ago, vacuum sealers appeared in stores. These machines are easy to use and will help keep not only cucumbers fresh, but also any other vegetables.

Regardless of the storage method you choose, check your cucumbers once a week, removing spoiled ones and those that appear sluggish on the outside.

How to keep cucumbers fresh for the winter

It is great to store your vegetables in cellars and undergrounds. In these places, the temperature does not drop to below zero, and cucumbers do not freeze, retaining their taste and useful properties. There are a few more ancient secrets on how to keep fresh cucumbers in winter, preserving their crunch and taste:

• Select beautiful, strong and fresh cucumbers. Rinse under water and wipe dry.
• You need river sand. It must be washed and dried.
• Place the cucumbers tightly in a clay container (a jug with a wide mouth) and cover with sand.
• Close the jar with a lid and place your cache in the cellar, basement or pantry. With this method, the cucumber may not lose its properties up to 6-7 months!

Expert opinion

Filatov Ivan Yurievich, private farmer for over 30 years

Rows of cucumbers are planted between the rows of cabbage. As soon as the ovaries appear, small cucumbers are carefully placed between cabbage leaves near the stalk. Thus, the cucumber grows inside the cabbage. After harvesting cabbage, it is placed in a cellar or cellar, and sometimes buried. The vegetable is stored until spring!

What cucumbers can not be stored fresh for a long time

1. the vegetable was grown in greenhouse conditions and even more so on a hydroponic system;
2. the cucumber was subjected to temperature changes;
3. fruits are too watery;
4. the skin of the cucumber is thin, and there are damages on its surface;
5. seed cucumbers (overripe);
6. yellowed fruits.

You can not deprive the cucumber of air access. Storage in tightly closed plastic bags is unacceptable. Cucumbers evaporate the water of which they are composed, and if the bag is tightly closed, then a mini-greenhouse for the vegetable is obtained inside and it will begin to suffocate and rot.

The cucumber does not accept any neighborhood.

• Keep it separate from apples and other fruits.

• Vegetables are also no exception.

• Tomatoes cannot be stored together with cucumbers.

Many fruits and vegetables emit ethylene, under the influence of which the processes of evaporation of moisture from cucumbers are accelerated, they become yellow on the peel and become inedible.

Video

You can also watch a video where they will tell you how to keep a fresh cucumber longer until winter.

Preserving your harvest until early summer is the dream of every commercial gardener. Using simple, but time-tested ways to preserve the crop, you can treat yourself to a fresh crispy cucumber not only in the harsh cold February, but also in the summer months when the new crop is just blooming.

Cucumbers are vegetables that can be eaten as an independent product, and also used to prepare various dishes. To keep cucumbers always fresh, you must follow certain rules for storing these vegetables in the refrigerator. There are several methods by which cucumbers can keep their usefulness and freshness for several days and even weeks.

• So, at extremely low temperatures, cucumbers change their color to brown-green and become slimy.
• During storage in a warm room, cucumbers flake and begin to turn yellow.

The optimal temperature conditions for storing this vegetable are 5-6 ° C, with an air humidity of 90-95%. Under these conditions, cucumbers without any additional processing will retain their properties and original appearance for up to 2-3 weeks.

When storing cucumbers in the refrigerator, avoid contact with the following vegetables and fruits:

• apples;

• tomatoes;

• melon.

Glass, clay or wooden containers are ideal for storage. It is better not to use plastic bags for this purpose.

Storage time of cucumbers

Under different conditions, cucumbers can be stored for a different period of time. So, without providing additional conditions, under different temperature conditions, vegetables will retain their taste and appearance in the following time periods:

• up to +8 °C - 1 week;
• from +4 to 0 °C - the shelf life varies from 2 weeks to 1 month;
• from -2 to -6 °C - 1-2 months;
• -8 to -18 °C cucumbers can be stored for up to 12 months.

Variety selection for storage

First of all, cucumbers intended for storage must be harvested fresh. Even minor putrefactive damage can spoil the whole process. At the same time, it is necessary to minimize the time after picking cucumbers before sending them to the refrigerator.

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When buying vegetables intended for storage, pay attention not to individual copies, but to the entire batch. If most vegetables are in a wilted state, then they will not lie in your refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Damaged cucumbers (cracks, dents) should be eaten immediately. Such vegetables are not suitable for storage.

Cucumbers must have a dense skin, but the size of vegetables does not affect their safety. The following varieties are distinguished by good keeping quality:

1. Sadko;
2. Competitor;
3. Bush.

Overgrown cucumbers are not suitable for storage. Such specimens are best used for blanks.

Competitor

Storage methods in the refrigerator

How to store fresh cucumbers in the refrigerator? The best place to store cucumbers in the refrigerator is the bottom shelf. In some models, the humidity at the bottom is very low. To correct this condition, cucumbers folded into a container can be covered with a towel on top.

paper wrap method

How to keep cucumbers fresh in the refrigerator? To ensure long-term preservation of cucumbers, you can use toilet paper or napkins. Each cucumber must be wrapped in a small piece of paper, and folded into a bowl. In this case, the freshness of cucumbers is provided for 15-20 days.

Cucumbers preserved in this way can be used for cooking or eaten fresh. Vegetables retain not only their taste and color, but also a set of vitamins and useful things.

Storage in water, sand and vinegar

Temperature conditions, humidity and initial condition are the basis that must be respected in any case. As additional components for the preservation of cucumbers, you can use river sand, cabbage and 9% vinegar:

• Earthenware, river sand. It must first be prepared - rinsed in warm water and dried on a baking sheet or pan. Cucumbers in a bowl must be laid in layers, each of which is abundantly sprinkled with sand. In this state, they must be stored in the refrigerator. in this way, cucumbers can be stored fresh for up to 12 months.

• plain water. It is advisable to use raw and not boiled liquid for this purpose. To do this, cucumbers must be folded into a plastic container and poured with cold water. It should completely cover the vegetables. A bowl of cucumbers soaked in water must be covered with a loose lid and sent to the refrigerator. In this case, the shelf life of cucumbers is much less than the previous method - only 4-5 weeks.

To store cucumbers using this method, it is unacceptable to use mineral water and other carbonated drinks, tea or milk. These liquids are not suitable for pouring cucumbers and other vegetables and fruits.

• vinegar. For this purpose, it is necessary to use apple cider vinegar 9%, but in no case 70% essence. Before laying cucumbers, you need to pour a little vinegar on the bottom of the enameled dish - 3-5 mm. Then, a tray with holes or a deep colander is placed on the bottom of this bowl, on which cucumbers must be laid. You can stack in several rows.

Make sure the vinegar does not seep through the holes in the pan, as it can harm the vegetables. Spoiled cucumbers should not be eaten.

A bowl of vegetables must be placed in the refrigerator on the farthest shelf. It is also better to warn people who have access to the refrigerator so that they are careful not to accidentally drop the pot of cucumbers and you will be able to keep the cucumbers fresh longer.

You can also watch a video where they will tell you how to store cucumbers after picking.

This method involves storing cucumbers for up to 1 month. Fresh cucumbers are always nice to get out of the refrigerator, especially in the autumn-winter period, when the human body lacks vitamins. So, if you collect and store cucumbers at the end of August, then, subject to all conditions, you can eat them all winter.