Plastic Wrap Is The Key To Longer Lasting Cucumbers

Most people are trying to make more economically- and environmentally-sound decisions these days. Recycling paper, reducing plastic use, and reusing what can be reused are common practices in most households these days. These ideas have become so popular that whole cities are banning plastic bags and fining residents for not recycling, but one of these practices could be leading to wasted money and wasted food.

According to Healthy Options, fruits and vegetables spoil quickly due to bacteria, mold, and fungus. Produce has a high moisture content and the natural process of respiration, where they continue to consume oxygen and produce carbon dioxide, leads to spoilage. Additionally, enzymes in fruits and vegetables cause them to ripen and deteriorate over time, which can be accelerated by exposure to heat, light, and humidity. There are ways to slow down this spoilage, though, like refrigerating produce, keeping it away from direct sunlight — and using plastic.

In 2022, a Swiss study published in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems found that, while retailers have caved to public pressure to remove plastic packaging as much as possible from fruits and vegetables, they may have created another problem. Plastic packaging has a protective function that can help keep produce fresher for longer, creating a barrier between the food and air. Without it, fruits and vegetables start to spoil faster. This means that if your produce has been transported without the plastic, it may already be deteriorating by the time you buy it.

In that same study, which focused mostly on cucumbers, the authors found that plastic wrapping had less environmental impact than the amount of food that is wasted from not using plastic wrap. Per the BBC, the best tools farmers have for reducing food waste include plastics and chemicals, even though scientists are currently working on different ways to protect produce, such as creating edible barriers that can coat produce in a protective film.

So what does this mean for you? The best way to protect your cucumber from spoiling is plastic wrap. Real Simple says cucumbers should be stored in the refrigerator, preferably in the crisper drawer to maintain their freshness, and you should wrap them in plastic wrap to keep moisture locked in. MasterClass says you can wrap cucumbers in paper towels or even tea towels to absorb excess moisture, and store them in a plastic bag or airtight container to prevent them from drying out. They should last for one week stored this way.

If you want to slice your cucumbers, you should put them in an airtight container, Brightly says, then fill the container with water before placing it in the fridge to help keep the moisture in. The slices should last for about five days in the fridge if you store them this way. According to The Healthy, you should not store cucumbers near ethylene-producing fruits like apples and bananas, as this can cause them to spoil faster.