How to keep cucumbers fresh as long as possible?

On hot summer days, fresh cucumbers from the garden are very popular: they are added to salads, of which they prepare soft drinks, they are happy to be consumed just like that, in their natural form. When the season ends, the lack of this vegetable becomes palpable. What turns out to be on store shelves is not pleased either by taste or appearance. In such a situation, gardeners begin to wonder how to preserve the freshness of their own crops for as long as possible.

In addition to compliance with storage technology, it is important that the cucumbers themselves are of good quality. This vegetable is very capricious. First, its composition contains a lot of liquid, the evaporation of which leads to the deformation of the fruit and loss of taste characteristics. Secondly, cucumbers do not tolerate fluctuations in temperature and humidity. For example, if the room is too warm and humid, they will just start to rot. If the temperature is below zero, the fruit will be covered with mucus and soften. Such vegetables can not be eaten.

When purchasing seed, it is important to clarify whether the variety is to be stored, because not all varieties have good keeping quality. Such “unsuccessful” varieties include those that are planted in the greenhouse and ripen early. The same applies to thin-skinned fruits. In this case, preference should be given to those varieties that grow in open beds and are protected by thick skinned.

Vegetables for storage, of course, must be fresh. If they gather in their own beds, then the procedure should be started as soon as possible. If they are sold on the market, then it is worth looking at the condition of the fruits themselves, and their “neighbors” - if the latter look sluggish, then the first ones are unlikely to “live” for a long time.

There is a recommendation to select those specimens that have preserved the stem. Preference should be given to special varieties: "Kharkov", "Nezhinsky", as well as the long-fruited "Competitor", "Sadko", "Kustovoy" and others. Pickling varieties will also suit - they can be identified by a small length, smooth and evenly colored skin.

For long-term storage it is not recommended to take watery vegetables with thin skin and overgrown fruits. If the cucumber has already turned yellow, then it is not recommended to use it. Samples with internal voids are also being rejected - they quickly begin to rot. You can identify the wrong material by pushing on the fruit - if the skin peels out, it means that it does not fit. Finally, greenhouse early maturing specimens will behave badly during storage. The only exceptions are those that are packaged in carbon dioxide bags.

Selected cucumbers are carefully inspected, rotten and tainted fruits are eliminated. Vegetables are not advised to wash, because it is possible to destroy the existing protection, preventing evaporation of moisture. In purchased cucumbers - this is a wax layer, and in their own - a natural film. Therefore, you need to select only clean copies. If you need to remove additional dirt, then this should be done without the use of brushes and rough sponges, so as not to damage the skin. With spines it is also important to be careful.

The fruits are laid out on the fabric in the shade, where they have to dry. To extend storage and disinfection, each green stuff can be immersed in a solution of vinegar, which is diluted in certain proportions: 1 tablespoon per 1.5 liters of cool water. After that, the cucumbers are dried again.

Immediately after harvesting, even before the storage procedure begins, the fruit should be placed in the refrigerator or in the basement. If you leave them warm or in a lighted place, the keeping quality of the fruit will deteriorate. It is also impossible to place vegetables near ripe fruits (pears, apples, bananas, etc.).The latter will “give up” ethylene, which affects the neighboring fruits so that they ripen faster.

We should also consider the issue of packaging. If cucumbers are bought in the store, they should initially be placed in a special sealed package. Inside is not air, but carbon dioxide, which prevents the appearance of fungi and bacteria. But if the vegetables are harvested in the garden, then this issue must be solved at home. If done correctly, the shelf life may increase by several days or even weeks.

When vegetables are stored in a polyethylene bag, it should not be tied, but it should be covered with a damp cloth. If the bag is completely sealed, then holes are made in it, allowing cucumbers to "breathe" and avoid the accumulation of condensate. If cucumbers are wrapped in paper towels and then folded in a plastic bag, they will “live” even longer (storage is extended for a period of up to fourteen days). Instead of polyethylene is also often chosen bank of glass, the lid of which is made of nylon.

Finally, cucumbers can be packaged in non-standard film. Each cucumber is washed and dried, and then the beaten egg white is applied to its surface. As soon as the film dries, the fruit can be put in the fridge or hung in a dry basement. In the second case, they will "live" even until the winter months. The protein will stop the evaporation of moisture, but will not prevent the air from penetrating to the cucumbers.

The easiest way to store fresh cucumbers in the fridge. But in this case, the period is quite limited (from three to five days), so the fruits will not be prepared for the winter. Nevertheless, it is possible to “finish” up to a couple of weeks with the help of a container with water. Villagers sometimes spread the fruit in a net weighted with a load and lower it into the river with clean water. In a city, such a method is extremely difficult to enforce. Comes to the aid of the refrigerator and container (you can use a glass or enameled pan).

Cucumbers should be placed in containers with cool water vertically (their tails should “look” down). Vegetable will absorb liquid and save from excessive evaporation. If you change the water in the bowl every day, then the condition of the fruit will be maintained in good condition longer. For such storage is suitable not only refrigeration equipment, but also a cool basement. However, it is worth considering that such a system is only suitable for fruits without pimples, with smooth skin, long and rich green.

You can also freeze cucumbers by cutting them into ringlets and placing them in a single layer on a tray. Frozen pieces are placed in plastic containers or plastic bags. Such cucumber slices will be stored for at least several months, but will lose most of their taste characteristics.

In general, fresh vegetables do not like low temperatures, so it is not recommended to put them in the freezer. When they remain on the balcony or in the back room, they are brought into the house before the onset of frost. However, if you want to keep the vegetables a little longer and in the best condition, then you should think about the basement. The room should be dry, cool and unlit. It will be right to place the cucumbers in wooden or cardboard boxes so that you can keep them fresh for a whole month. During this period, the repository will need to periodically check and eliminate those specimens that will begin to rot or dry.

Placing cucumbers in the basement, you can wrap them in a damp cloth.The fabric should not dry out, so it will have to be regularly wetted. If the gardener has a keg of clay, then they can also use it. Fruits are laid inside and covered with sand. It is better to take the river material, peeled from the pebbles and qualitatively dried. An even more effective way is to dig a hole in the basement, put a barrel in it and dig it up.

If you live in the village, cucumbers collected from your garden, you can put in a bucket, close with gauze, and then put it in the well. Water should not hide capacity, it should only touch its bottom. There is an interesting way with the use of horseradish. The root is peeled and sliced, then folded into a pre-sterilized jar. Cucumbers are placed on top. Scalded with boiling water lid twist the container, which is then carried to the basement.

Using a jar, you can also process it with paraffin. Before rolling cucumbers into the container, a lit candle is placed, which creates a vacuum. Airless space will allow blanks to be stored for a long time. If an enamel pan is used instead of cans, it can be filled with vinegar. At the bottom a thin layer of liquid is formed, which is covered with a mesh or sieve. Cucumbers are placed on top so that they do not touch vinegar. Capacity closes the lid. Store the dishes will need to be in the cellar.

Finally, placing a cucumber inside cabbages is considered a bit of a strange but effective way. On the garden where the late-grade cabbage grows, cucumbers are planted so that they are between the rows. When small cucumbers appear, you should put them between the cabbage leaves without tearing them away. When a complete heading is formed, fresh cucumbers will be inside it. Such cabbage is removed for storage in the basement.

The most popular today is called the vacuum method, carried out using a special system. In this case, cucumbers do not lose their taste properties and remain fresh almost until the New Year holidays. In addition, in the absence of bacteria, pathogens of fungal diseases die.

The system itself consists of a small pump and a vacuum cover. Cucumbers are laid out in a container, air is pumped out of it by a pump, and then everything is covered with a special lid.

How to keep cucumbers fresh until winter, see the next video.