I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!


--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it by
> keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This afternoon
> after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white mold on the
> unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!

Hmm I've never tried to keep one on the counter top ... and now I never
shall )


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 10/27/2014 12:51 PM, James Silverton wrote:
> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
> by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
> afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
> mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!
>
>

I've heard that with tomatoes, but never with cucumbers. Now I know why.

--
From somewhere very deep in the heart of Texas

On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 18:06:41 -0000, "Ophelia"
> wrote:

>
>
>"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
>> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it by
>> keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This afternoon
>> after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white mold on the
>> unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!
>
>Hmm I've never tried to keep one on the counter top ... and now I never
>shall )

Cukes keep very well on the counter top, in pickling brine! LOL

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
>I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it by
>keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This afternoon
>after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white mold on the
>unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!

Who told you not to?

On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:51:24 -0400, James Silverton
> wrote:

>I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
>by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
>afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
>mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!

I've always followed the general rule, that how you buy it from the
store, is how you keep it at home. Of course, there are always
exceptions to the rule.

koko

--

Food is our common ground, a universal experience
James Beard

Yup, koko...cucumbers are usually with lettuces, bell peppers, carrots, and the like, and in most stores, these
fresh items are in cool-misting shelving. Maybe not refrigerated, per se, but they certainly feel like it.

Other produce like potatoes, tomatoes, squashes, and onions are in non-cooled bins.

N.

Nancy2 wrote:
>
>Yup, koko...cucumbers are usually with lettuces, bell peppers, carrots, and the like, and in most stores, these
>fresh items are in cool-misting shelving. Maybe not refrigerated, per se, but they certainly feel like it.
>
>Other produce like potatoes, tomatoes, squashes, and onions are in non-cooled bins.

Except for tomatoes all those should be kept chilled, not refrigerated
like milk but at like around 50ºF... modern refrigerators have
vegetable bins that can be temperature and humidity controlled, mine
does and its more than 15 years old.
Today's markets keep produce in coolers in their storage area, and
replenish in front as needed. Stores that close at night move produce
to the storage area to keep chilled.

On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:04:03 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:46:38 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> Stores that close at night move produce
>> to the storage area to keep chilled.
>
>No, they don't.

Not in your Texass ghetto.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:46:38 -0400, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>
>> Stores that close at night move produce
>> to the storage area to keep chilled.
>
> No, they don't.

You've got that right! Unless perhaps they had displays outside or
something. Winco has a lot of their stuff at room temp. and they don't move
it. Heck, Family Fruit in NY kept almost everything at room temp. and they
didn't move it. Almost all of the stores here close at night. Used to be
that they were all 24 hours but now those are few and far between. I think
Winco is the only one that is.

"Sqwertz" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 15:03:55 -0700, koko wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:51:24 -0400, James Silverton
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
>>>by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
>>>afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
>>>mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!
>>
>> I've always followed the general rule, that how you buy it from the
>> store, is how you keep it at home. Of course, there are always
>> exceptions to the rule.
>
> Stores with quick turnover don't refrigerate much of the produce that
> can or should be refrigerated when you get them home (if you want them
> to last for more than a few days).
>
> Peppers, squash, cucumbers, ginger are all things I can think of that
> aren't refrigerated at the store, but can and should be once you get
> them home.

Depends on the store. A lot of stores will put out sale displays of things
that might be better off refrigerated. And one of those cheapo places in PA
actually had bagged baby carrots at room temp. I did buy a bag to make a
big pot of chicken and noodles. I made them as soon as I got to my MIL's
house. Most of what that store sold had pull dates of that day or a day or
two later.

On Monday, October 27, 2014 1:51:08 PM UTC-4, James Silverton wrote:
> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
> by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
> afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
> mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!
>
>
> --
> Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)
>
> Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

Yeah - the fridge will yield a few more days. Once it's cut tho, forget about using the remainder the next day - they go mushy but fast. For this reason, I buy the smallest one in the bunch.

On 2014-10-27 17:51:24 +0000, James Silverton said:

> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
> by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
> afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
> mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!

There is an art and science devoted to keeping cucumbers. Pickling!

I have also noticed that they turn bad quite quickly, be it in the
fridge or on the counter. Now I just lacto-ferment them in a brine
with the proper bacterial culture.

On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:02:17 -0500, Sqwertz >
wrote:

>On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 15:03:55 -0700, koko wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:51:24 -0400, James Silverton
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
>>>by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
>>>afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
>>>mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!
>>
>> I've always followed the general rule, that how you buy it from the
>> store, is how you keep it at home. Of course, there are always
>> exceptions to the rule.
>
>Stores with quick turnover don't refrigerate much of the produce that
>can or should be refrigerated when you get them home (if you want them
>to last for more than a few days).
>
>Peppers, squash, cucumbers, ginger are all things I can think of that
>aren't refrigerated at the store, but can and should be once you get
>them home.
>
>-sw

According to the UC Davis Department of Post Harvest Technology, cukes
should be stored at room temperature not in the fridge. If you do feel
the need to put them in the fridge, they can tolerate up to 3 days of
cold storage if they are used as soon as they are removed from the
refrigerator.
Cucumbers are susceptible to cold injury if held more than 3 days at
temperatures lower than 50F/10C. Signs of cold injury are wateriness,
pitting on the outside and accelerated decay.
Another factoid: Cucumbers are sensitive to ethylene gas, which is put
off by some ripening fruits and vegetables. So for longest storage,
don’t keep your cukes near apples, melons, tomatoes or bananas.

Ever since reading that article we've kept our cucumbers on the
counter and they've lasted much longer than if stored in the veggie
drawer of the fridge.
Ross.
Southern Ontario, Canada

Ross wrote:
>
>According to the UC Davis Department of Post Harvest Technology, cukes
>should be stored at room temperature not in the fridge. If you do feel
>the need to put them in the fridge, they can tolerate up to 3 days of
>cold storage if they are used as soon as they are removed from the
>refrigerator.
>Cucumbers are susceptible to cold injury if held more than 3 days at
>temperatures lower than 50F/10C. Signs of cold injury are wateriness,
>pitting on the outside and accelerated decay.
>Another factoid: Cucumbers are sensitive to ethylene gas, which is put
>off by some ripening fruits and vegetables. So for longest storage,
>don’t keep your cukes near apples, melons, tomatoes or bananas.

I grow hundreds of pounds of cucumbers every year. Cucumbers don't
have a long shelf life regardless, that's why most at market are
waxed, but those can't be pickled, and should be peeled for salads.
Most people keep their vegetable bin much too cold, some keep it darn
close to freezing and often it does freeze so vegetables are ruined. I
have a second fridge in my basement primarilly for my garden crop
storage. I keep that fridge at 45º-50ºF, which I found is ideal for
most vegetable storage. My cukes don't get waxed, I either eat or
pickle them within 24 hours of harvest or I give them away. The
following chart is for home garden crops... people have no idea about
when vegetables at market were harvested, typically they are near the
end of their shelf life. Cucumbers are best harvested under five
inches and eaten or pickled the day of harvest... I immediately wash
and rub off the spines and I refrigerate mine because I prefer eating
them chilled. I've found that if vegetables are left out on the
counter the house quickly fills with fruit flies. I don't buy
stupidmarket cukes waxed/out of season, they are awful.
http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/...en-vegetables/

With all due respect, Ro, the cucumbers in my supermarket are kept semi-chilled (with the lettuces,
radishes, carrots, zucchini), and, according to your article, will not last at all if stored on the counter
when taken home. If you can pick them out of the garden, that is a different matter. But supermarket ones,
kept in my veg drawer, will last up to 4-5 days. I don't mind keeping them chilled because that is how
I eat them.

N.

On 10/28/2014 6:16 PM, Ross@home wrote:
> On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 21:02:17 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 15:03:55 -0700, koko wrote:
>>
>>> On Mon, 27 Oct 2014 13:51:24 -0400, James Silverton
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
>>>> by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
>>>> afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
>>>> mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!
>>>
>>> I've always followed the general rule, that how you buy it from the
>>> store, is how you keep it at home. Of course, there are always
>>> exceptions to the rule.
>>
>> Stores with quick turnover don't refrigerate much of the produce that
>> can or should be refrigerated when you get them home (if you want them
>> to last for more than a few days).
>>
>> Peppers, squash, cucumbers, ginger are all things I can think of that
>> aren't refrigerated at the store, but can and should be once you get
>> them home.
>>
>> -sw
>
> According to the UC Davis Department of Post Harvest Technology, cukes
> should be stored at room temperature not in the fridge. If you do feel
> the need to put them in the fridge, they can tolerate up to 3 days of
> cold storage if they are used as soon as they are removed from the
> refrigerator.
> Cucumbers are susceptible to cold injury if held more than 3 days at
> temperatures lower than 50F/10C. Signs of cold injury are wateriness,
> pitting on the outside and accelerated decay.
> Another factoid: Cucumbers are sensitive to ethylene gas, which is put
> off by some ripening fruits and vegetables. So for longest storage,
> don’t keep your cukes near apples, melons, tomatoes or bananas.
>
> Ever since reading that article we've kept our cucumbers on the
> counter and they've lasted much longer than if stored in the veggie
> drawer of the fridge.
> Ross.
> Southern Ontario, Canada
>
My experience may not have been a fair test since the cucumbers had been
in the fridge for a day or so before putting them on the counter. This
weekend I may just store the things without ever refrigerating them.

--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

On Tue, 28 Oct 2014 14:46:04 -0700, Oregonian Haruspex
> wrote:

>On 2014-10-27 17:51:24 +0000, James Silverton said:
>
>> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
>> by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
>> afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
>> mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!
>
>There is an art and science devoted to keeping cucumbers. Pickling!
>
>I have also noticed that they turn bad quite quickly, be it in the
>fridge or on the counter. Now I just lacto-ferment them in a brine
>with the proper bacterial culture.

You don't need a bacterial culture, just a proper brine.

koko

--

Food is our common ground, a universal experience
James Beard

On 10/27/2014 12:51 PM, James Silverton wrote:

> I have been told not to keep cucumbers in the fridge. Well, I tried it
> by keeping a cucumber in the fruit bowl on the counter top. This
> afternoon after a couple of days, I discovered a healthy crop of white
> mold on the unused cucumber. I am going to use the fridge!!!

If you can't eat them quickly, best to store in the fridge. But cukes
have such a mild flavor that chilling them can make them practically
tasteless. Plus, it affects their texture. I much prefer them at room
temperature - so I take them out of the fridge an hour or so before I
eat them.