How to store cucumbers to last longer is not so difficult to apply. As a vegetable that is often used as a companion to grilled fish, fried fish, chili sauce, and other heavy foods, cucumbers are certainly a must-have supplies at home. Not only as a fresh vegetables, cucumbers can also be processed into various other delicious dishes such as pickles and salad.
Not only delicious, cucumber fruit is also a fresh fruit that can relieve thirst because it contains a lot of water. In fact, cucumbers contain many good nutrients to support the health of the body.
How to store cucumbers should be applied to keep them fresh and durable. However, preferably, cucumbers are not stored for more than three days. Cucumbers that are stored for too long will be more easily damaged and rotten.
Here Homekitchenmagazine.com a summary from various sources, on how to store cucumbers.
How To Store Cucumbers To Last Longer
When buying cucumber
When buying cucumbers, be sure to buy fresh cucumbers. Fresh cucumbers have attractive features, fresh and green or whitish. Cucumbers that have yellow sign is not good to consume.
Clean under running water
Before storing cucumbers, wash the cucumbers clean under running water. This is so that the content of pesticides and other bacteria is lost.
Let them air dry
If the cucumber has been washed clean, let them air dry for a while until the water is cool. It is recommended that cucumbers be kept in a clean and dry condition.
Put the cucumber in a paper bag
The next way How To Store Cucumbers To Last Longer is put them in a paper pag.
Put the cucumber in a paper bag and store in a cool place. Avoid storing cucumbers in humid places, hot and exposed to direct sunlight.
Put in plastic
Once all the cucumbers are covered in tissues, put all the cucumbers in a plastic bag. Do not cover the plastic bag, leave it open so that the air can circulate properly. If you are using plastic with a flip lock, be sure to keep the top of the plastic open so that the cucumber can still ‘breathe’ properly. Place this bag in the bottom drawer in the fridge. Keep away from ingredients that produce excess gas such as tomatoes or apples.
Ideal Temperature
The next way How To Store Cucumbers To Last Longer is put them in ideal temperature.
The best temperature to store cucumbers is cold, but not freezing. Hot and too cold temperatures alike will make cucumbers rot quickly.
Keeping the temperature around 10 degrees Celsius will keep cucumbers, fresh for at least 3 days.
Don’t Store in the Freezer
The next way to store cucumbers is to use a fridge. However, when storing cucumbers in this fridge, try to store them in place of vegetables.
You should avoid storing cucumbers in the freezer, as this will make them easy to rot. Cucumbers stored in the freezer will also be more watery when removed from the fridge.
Don’t Peel
One way to store cucumbers that need to be considered is not to be peeled first. When storing cucumbers, try not to store the cucumbers in a peeled or cut condition. Cucumbers that have been peeled or cut will be easier to damage.
Keep away from ethylene
Another thing, cucumbers are very sensitive to ethylene, a natural gas that can cause cucumbers to quickly ripen and decompose.
The high content of ethylene gas is owned by bananas, tomatoes and melons.
Therefore, it is best not to keep cucumbers close to the three fruits.
Custom storage methods
Of course, there are other ways to store cucumbers. For example, clean, dried fruit can be coated in egg whites. It forms a film and will prevent moisture evaporation. Cucumbers in protein film are stored in the fridge, in vegetable compartments or other cool places (underground, the cabinet under the window sill).
Some housewives use to store cucumber vinegar. To do this, pour a little vinegar (about 3 mm) into the container, then make a mount where the fruit will be laid (they should not touch the vinegar). Vegetables are placed in several layers, containers are tightly closed and placed in a cold room. The shelf life of cucumbers with this method is about one month.
Many summers dwellers use ancient, time-tested methods. For example, to keep cucumbers tasty and juicy for as long as possible after harvest, planted with cabbage seedlings. Once small fruits are tied, they are placed on cabbage leaves, where they then grow. They are kept there in cabbage, in a cold place. So cucumbers can be stored throughout the winter.
Another interesting and easy way to store a cucumber harvest – in a clay pot. The fruits are placed in bowls, covered with calcined river sand and buried in the soil (lowered into the cellar).
And if the river flows near your site, you can try the methods that our ancestors often used. The harvest is placed in wooden barrels, tightly sealed, placed on the river bed and fixed. An important condition: water must flow, do not freeze. So that the cucumber can be stored throughout the winter.
Thank you very much for reading How To Store Cucumbers To Last Longer, hopefully useful.