Kitchen

[pattypeep]

What can I do to have my cucumbers last longer? I like to eat about 1/4 of one in my salad each day and they get gucky before I finish the whole thing. Anyone have a magic answer? TIA

[Gram W]

I don't know how long it will work with cucumbers but I found out by accident that my sliced peppers and celery last alot longer in the Lock & Lock containers.  These 3 containers got lost on the bottom shelf of my refrigerator almost a week.  They were crisp, looked and tasted good so I used them up immediately.  The sliced cucumbers were not in bad shape but I thought it best not to trust them as a few had started to become soft inside the skin.

I had taken sliced vegetables to a family function thus the extras.  I usually keep my veggies 3-4 days.  If they had all prepared I find I select them for snacks more often.  I can quickly grab a few pieces on the run.  Add hard boiled eggs, turkey pepperoni, sharp cheese, cherry tomatoes and lettuce for a salad.  Quick and easy.

As a widow I don't often take the time to cook a full meal like I did for my husband.  I found I have to keep quick healthy foods snacks, especially items that I like in my salads, at my finger tips .  

[pattypeep]

@Gram W Thank you. I just peeled one today for my salad and thought I'd put what's left in a lock and lock. The one that I have not peeled I popped in a Debbie Myers green bag that I stored away because I remember not being so impressed with them, but thought I'd give them another try. Thank you for your ideas.

[151949]

I use about a half a cuke at a time so I usually only peel as much as I plan to use. They really don't store well.

[Gram W]

@pattypeep.   I wash the cucumbers well and do not peel them.  The peels are good fiber ( supposedly helps fights colon cancer) and at my age I can use that.  Once peeled they don't last as long in my refrigerator.

[nana59]

Always put my leftover produce in a Debbie Meyer green box...have always worked for me...been using them for years.

[x Hedge]

@pattypeep, since cukes don't store well I'll prep the whole cuke (wash, peel, quarter or slice) and submerge what I'm not using today in cold, salted water.
Don't skip the salt. It alters the Ph to make it less hospitable to bacteria. (You can also drizzle a THIN layer of oil on top of the water as a barrier.)
Cover and refrigerate. Should extend the cukes storage life a few extra days so you can finish it instead of tossing it out.
Make sure hands, knife, cutting board, and storage container are clean.

[x Hedge]

@Gram W, @pattypeep, Cucumbers are not on the Dirty Dozen list, and their dark green skins can be left on thin cuke slices and eaten, especially tender young cukes. (Larger pieces of skin, like an unpeeled cuke quarter, may be indigestible and cause gut upset to some.)

But depending on when they're harvested in the season, they may be treated to extend their freshness to market. Cucumbers with waxed skins, or older tough skins should always be peeled before eating.

[OnlyShopsOnline]

I buy the long, seedless Canadian cucumbers that are sealed in plastic.  They aren't waxed.  I cut one in half and slice and eat it with a little ranch dressing.  I wrap the other half and it is fine to eat the next day.

[FranandZoe]

I use 1/2 to 1/3 at a time - wrap the rest in foil and keep in the crisper.  They keep very well that way.