How Long Do Cucumbers Last (And Why)?

Exact Answer: Up to 2 weeks

Cucumbers are renowned for enhancing the taste of salads, sandwiches, and burgers. The vegetable can be stored for 2 weeks. There are certain things one can do for maintaining the freshness of the cucumbers. The storage of cucumber plays a vital role in how many days the cucumber would stay fresh.

Cucumber is a good water-rich vegetable, and these are stored in the fridge for a long time. The cucumber beats the watermelon for water content. The water content in cucumber is huge just like, lettuce and icebergs. No doubt! Cucumbers are extremely hydrating, but excess water content can bring issues while storing the cucumbers.

This may be the reason that the cucumbers could not be stored for more than 2 weeks.

How Long Do Cucumbers Last?

The freshness and nutritional values of cucumbers can be maintained for 2 weeks. After 2 weeks, the cucumbers start losing their freshness and hydrating power. Many people keep the cucumber directly in the fridge without doing anything. Cucumbers are supposed to be clean after being bought from the market.

After cleaning the cucumbers they should be wrapped in a towel (or tea towel) to make them dry. Then the dry cucumbers should be stored in a bag. Don’t leave any moisture in the cucumber before putting it in the bag, as moisture will decrease the shelf life of cucumbers. The bag used for keeping cucumbers should be dry and not sealed entirely.

The bag should not be closed to provide the required air to the vegetables. The temperature for storing the cucumbers should be cool, but not excess cold. In simple terms, the temperature should not be a hot and chilling environment. The cucumbers, if stored in excessively chilled temperature then it may face chilling injuries.

Therefore, it’s vital to keep the cucumber in the bridge, but not in the freezer. The cucumbers should be stored separately from any vegetables that produce ethylene gas. Cucumbers will react deeply to the ethylene gas, as they are sensitive to this. The lasting period of cucumber decreases if they are stored together with the tomatoes or bananas.

After 2 weeks (14 days) the cucumber would start getting soft even in the fridge. So, make sure to use it in the specified period to avoid veggies wastage.

Why Do Cucumbers Last This Long?

The cucumbers can be stored in the freezer without being washed for around 2 weeks. The water content in cucumbers is the major thing of worry for their shelf life. The water will not allow the vegetable to sustain itself for a long period. There are many stores and markets that put wax coating in the vegetables.

The wax coating allows the cucumbers to stay fresh for a long time. Wax coating is not a good sign for cucumber storage as the coating is not friendly to the human body. The outer skin of the cucumber work as the protective shield for the vegetable. Once the outer skin (coating) of the vegetable starts getting off, the vegetable will start getting bad.

You can also store the leftover cucumber piece or slice in the fridge. Cover the slice or piece of cucumber by covering it with the help of a plastic bag (wrapper). If the cucumber is cut, then it needs to hold the moisture to last longer. Here, drying out the cucumber or soaking them off would not work. You can use a damp towel to cover the container in which the cucumber is stored.

Conclusion

The shelf life of cucumbers would be around 2 weeks. The cucumbers may get worse in 5 to 7 days if not stored properly. It’s always good to store the cucumbers without cutting them. If you store it in whole vegetable form, then it may stay fresh for a longer time. The shelf life of cucumber depends on how it is being stored.

References

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925521415300995
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S146685640800026X