I buy those cukes because they last so long for me. The one I have in the fridge now is a week old. It is still in the plastic wrap, with one end open that I just pull down to cut off a small length to chop up for my salad.

One time I put a folded paper towel over the cut end, put a rubber band around it to hold the towel on, left the plastic wrap on the rest of the cuke. The cucumber needs to be able to breathe. Don't wrap it up in plastic; leave one end open to the air. Just slice off the dried up end piece then cut off what you need.

Teresa

I only buy english cukes, because DH prefers them. But I find their shelf-life to be fine.

Are you unwrapping them? They need to stay wrapped to retain moisture.

Maybe it's because your market isn't storing them properly? In my area they last a long time. Now Persian cukes (the little guys), spoil rapidly, in less than one week. Are we talking about that type of cuke?

I leave them wrapped. I've used your method Teresa, of cutting off just what I need, but still....they spoil very quickly.

Could be the storage method the store uses, or I suppose it could also be that they sit in transport for so long that they are already past their prime when they finally hit the shelves.

Linda

English cucumbers are not generally waxed. They have less protection if exposed.

dcarch

I also find that English cukes seem to spoil faster than Persians, but I think that's because they're so much longer. It takes us a while to get through a single English cuke so it's sitting around for a lot longer than the small Persians.

Cheryl

I had a restaurant in Alaska for a while and could never get more than a few days out of English Cucumbers. I had the same problem with "Spring Mix" lettuce. Now that I'm back in the lower 48, buying them weekly from my wholesale purveyor is no problem.

As with all produce, the fresher the better. You should never have a problem with these beauties if you can find them in your local Farmer's Market. Alternately, get to know the produce manager at your local grocery store. Ask him/her when their latest shipment arrived. Other times it may be as simple as picking from the bottom of the pile, as the oldest produce is usually on top.

ooh...just looked up pix of English cucumbers. sooo, that's what DSII brought home earlier this summer. He had a bunch of them that a friend's dad had given him. They were wonderful...first that I had ever eaten. Have been curious as to what they were so I could grow them next summer. And now I know!

The cukes that I get at the grocery store...the ordinary ones...never seem to last more than 3-4 days, if that, in the refrigerator. The English ones had a long shelf life...probably took me at least 2 weeks to use them all up and they didn't look 'just picked' when I got them. The pickling cukes that I grow seem to last a long time in the refrigerator, too. Most likely, if you're having problems keeping them, they're getting pretty long in tooth by the time they even get to the grocery store for you to buy them.

Best thing is to make up your mind to eat 'em right away. I love cucumbers cut in 'sticks' (like carrot sticks, cut in 3-4 inch lengths & quartered lengthwise) in lieu of a salad or just to munch on. Great dippers, too.