How to Store Cucumbers

Cucumbers are a fruit that are long and cylindrical with a mild edible dark green skin and seeds. They are grown between May and August and are eaten raw, in salads or used to make pickles. English cucumbers can grow up to two feet long but the smaller cucumbers make better pickles. Cucumbers can be stored in the refrigerator if the following steps are followed.

Instructions

1. Wash the cucumber off. Cucumbers are grown in the ground, and are covered with dirt and chemicals that need to be cleaned off.

2. Lay the cucumber on the top shelf. This is the warmest part of the refrigerator and the best place to store cucumbers. You can also place them in a bowl and set in them refrigerator.

3. Keep cucumbers away from apples, pears or other fruits that have ethylene. This makes the cucumber taste bad.

4. Leave the cucumbers in the refrigerator until you are ready to eat them.

Tips & Warnings

• Cucumbers can usually be kept 10 to 14 days at 45 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Choose firm cucumbers that have a smooth, bright dark green skin. Make sure there are no bumps or bruises on the cucumber.

• Cucumbers are chill sensitive and do not like temperatures below 10º C (50º F).

• Do not place cucumbers in the bottom crisper keeper or the bottom drawers of the refrigerator. Doing so will allow ice crystals to form inside the cucumber, thus making the cucumber soggy.