How to freeze cucumbers for the winter: 5 methods with recipes

Russia does not experience a shortage of cucumbers even in winter. But vegetables imported from abroad are a poor alternative to home-grown cucumbers from the garden! You know everything about the vegetables grown on your plot, and therefore you are confident in their safety, benefits and taste. In the article, the editors of the Antonov Garden project have collected five recipes with step-by-step descriptions of how to properly freeze fresh cucumbers for the winter.

How to prepare fruits for freezing 2. Recipes for freezing cucumbers 2.1. Freezing whole fresh cucumbers 2.2. Freezing cucumbers into cubes 2.3. How to freeze cucumbers in the freezer for salad 2.4. How to freeze cucumbers for okroshka 2.5. Freezing cucumber juice

Photo by ru.detositphotos: Cucumbers for freezing are prepared in different ways.

Subtleties of technology

The technology for freezing cucumbers is simple, but has several subtleties. We suggest you learn about them to get the best results.

Late varieties of vegetables are more suitable for freezing than early varieties. Experienced housewives also recommend choosing young and dense fruits with small seeds for this purpose.
Cucumbers can be frozen whole, diced or sliced, or grated. You can also prepare cucumber juice by freezing. However, whole fruits are rarely frozen, since they cannot be cut either frozen or after thawing. The only way to use them is to grind them in a blender and use them as a base for smoothies.
It is recommended to freeze cucumbers in the form in which you plan to use them, and in portions: one bag - one serving of vegetables.
It is not recommended to defrost cucumbers before use to prevent them from losing their shape. They are added to the dish cold and mixed, then wait a short time for them to defrost in the dish itself.
Typically, for freezing, cucumbers are chopped, placed on a baking sheet and placed in the freezer for 2 to 8 hours, depending on their size. After this, the pieces are moved into a container and bag, excess air is released from the bag, the containers are tightly closed and put in the freezer. Cucumber juice is frozen in ice cube trays and also placed in a bag, using one cube at a time as needed.
It is recommended to write the freezing date on containers and bags with winter preparations in order to have time to consume them before the expiration date.
The shelf life of frozen cucumbers depends on the freezing method and composition. Flash-frozen vegetables can be stored for 5 to 8 months unless they are part of a mixture that contains perishable foods. If cucumbers are simply placed in the freezer and have not been subjected to rapid freezing, their shelf life will be reduced to 3-6 months.
If the cucumbers are defrosted, they cannot be re-frozen: you will have to either eat them or throw them away.

We suggest going directly to recipes where you can freeze cucumbers for the winter for salads and soups, and also make cosmetic ice from them.

Preparing to freeze cucumbers for the winter at home

Cucumbers are known to be watery. If you violate the rules for preparing for long-term storage, the fruits will lose their taste, shape, and ability to crunch appetizingly. The primary task is to select suitable instances:

The fruits must be ripe, but not overripe. It is better to leave small unripe vegetables in the garden - let them wait in the wings.
Choose vegetables with thick skins.
Pulp with large seeds is not suitable. The seeds should be small.
Cucumbers should have elastic flesh.
It is important to choose the right variety. You cannot freeze salad varieties, for example, Zozulya F1, Flagman F1, Patti F1. Long-term storage at low temperatures softens the product, making it slippery and tasteless. Housewives often give preference to the following cultivars: Muromsky, Felix, Nezhinsky, Kapelka.
Carefully inspect the picked fruits. If cucumbers are affected by pests or diseases, they cannot be consumed in any form. Use only healthy vegetables to freeze.

Having sorted the fruits, begin preparing for winter freezing. The process is quick and simple, even an inexperienced housewife can handle it.

Rinse the cucumbers under running water.
If the fruits have wilted a little, return them to freshness. Prepare a cold “bath” with ice water. Keep for one hour.
Lay out a paper towel. Set the vegetables out to dry. The water must drain completely, this is important.
Trim the fruit on both sides. Taste it. There is no point in freezing bitter cucumbers - you can safely throw them away.
Cut according to your chosen recipe.

To freeze cucumbers, use plastic bags or containers with a tight-fitting lid. Be sure to ensure the packaging is sealed, otherwise the vegetables will absorb foreign odors, which will spoil the taste.

Advice. The ideal option is to allocate a separate block of the freezer for cucumbers. This will prevent the penetration of other odors.

Photo pixabay/krzys16: Sort out ripe and healthy specimens.

How to freeze whole cucumbers for smoothies

Components:

fresh cucumbers no more than 12 cm long.

Freezing algorithm:

Wash the cucumbers with a brush and cut off their ends.
Let the cucumbers dry, then place them on a baking sheet at a short distance from each other.
Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 8 hours. If your unit supports the intensive freeze function, activate it.
Divide the cucumbers into bags, place them in a container and return them to the freezer.

Whole cucumbers can be stored for at least 6 months. To prepare a smoothie, the fruit should be allowed to melt slightly, then cut into several parts and place in a blender. When the vegetable has completely thawed, turn on the appliance and turn the vegetable pieces into a homogeneous mass. Add fermented milk product or other cocktail components, whisk them and serve.

Using frozen cucumbers

Freezing fresh cucumbers for the winter is a fairly simple and ergonomic way to store vegetables in the freezer. We have identified the most popular of them and previously mentioned several options for eating frozen cucumbers.

For further use of frozen vegetables, it is important to understand:

What dishes will the preparations be included in?
How long are you willing to wait for food to defrost?

Vegetables, frozen in ovals or circles, are used in preparing salads, sandwiches, and for decorating dishes. For cosmetic purposes, they are used to make face masks and products for moisturizing the skin around the eyes and décolleté.

Using frozen cucumbers

For those who like to eat vinaigrette, Olivier salad or treat themselves to okroshka in winter, freezing cucumbers in cubes for the winter is perfect. Cutting vegetables into cubes is good for creating vegetable mixes from different fruits, which are later used to make soups or fried with meat in sauce.

Women often store cucumber juice in the form of ice cubes in their freezers. The explanation for choosing this form is simple: it is the basis of brightening and nourishing masks and lotions for washing.

Note! Juice, unlike frozen pulp, must be used up within six months. Frozen vegetables, of course, are inferior in appearance to fresh fruits, but they will definitely help you save your budget during the winter season and provide benefits with their vitamins, giving dishes a special, “summer” taste

Frozen vegetables, of course, are inferior in appearance to fresh fruits, but they will definitely help you save your budget during the winter season and provide benefits with their vitamins, giving dishes a special, “summer” taste.

Salads

Experts recommend making salads with frozen cucumbers. Great for options such as Olivier salad, Greek salad, vinaigrette or any other vegetable salad. In this case, it is not necessary to defrost the workpieces.

Important! It is better to immediately place the chopped cucumbers in the dish, after breaking the pieces with a fork - this way they will not lose their juice, and the oil will help to retain it inside the pieces. Frozen cucumbers will perfectly complement a vinaigrette, Olivier salad or a side dish for herring

Frozen cucumbers will perfectly complement a vinaigrette, Olivier salad or a side dish for herring

The pieces can be a good component for preparing a side dish for salted fish, such as herring. To prepare this side dish use:

peeled and chopped potatoes, boiled in their jackets;
small sour apple;
onion, diced;
several cranberries or currants;
a little mustard and salt;
frozen cucumbers in cubes.

All ingredients are mixed evenly, seasoned with mustard and salt to taste.

Okroshka and soups

Homemade frozen cucumber can be used to prepare hot vegetable soups or cold winter okroshka. To do this, it is better to prepare vegetables in cubes. There is no need to defrost frozen fruit during cooking. To use cucumber in okroshka, it is better to freeze it immediately in a small amount of whey.

Mixed vegetables frozen in whey

To make hot vegetable soup with frozen cucumbers, you need very few ingredients. This is a very simple soup recipe that will give you summer vitamins. Required ingredients:

one small bag of frozen preparations per serving;
medium onion, dill, sweet pepper, garlic clove;
meat or chicken broth;
vegetable oil for frying vegetables and sour cream or cream for serving.

Fry the onion and garlic, add to the broth, add frozen cucumbers, salt and pepper. Serve soup seasoned with cream or sour cream. This dish will delight you with its originality.

Sauces

To prepare sauces, it is better to use frozen cucumber in grated form. This cucumber mass melts quickly, which reduces the time for preparing the sauce. There are many options for preparing cucumber sauces: with mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, with added sugar and herbs. Sauces with cucumber flavor are suitable for greens and chicken salads or for oven-baked lean meat.

Cucumber sauce can be made with fresh or frozen cucumbers

Cucumbers, frozen for salad slices

Components:

strong cucumbers.

Freezing algorithm:

Wash and dry the cucumbers.
Remove the ends.
Cut the fruit into cubes about half a centimeter in size or into thin circles. You can chop some vegetables in one way, and some in another.
Place the pieces on a baking sheet without stirring. Cover them with cling film.
Place in the freezer for 4 hours (or longer).
Place the vegetables in portioned bags, packing them approximately 100 g each.
Release the air from the bags, close them tightly with a special zipper or tie them.
Store in the refrigerator.

To prepare frozen cucumber salad, transfer the bag of frozen cucumbers to a plate and place it on the top shelf of the freezer. When the vegetables are about half thawed, mix them with the other salad ingredients. Keep the appetizer in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes, season and serve.

Freezing options

There are several methods for freezing fresh cucumbers. The housewife determines the most suitable option, taking into account the way they are consumed in winter.

Whole

The easiest way to freeze cucumbers is:

The fruits are washed and dried.
Trim the ends on both sides.
Peel off the skin.
Place in plastic bags.
Sent to the freezer.

However, such preparation in winter is inconvenient, since cutting frozen fruits is almost impossible. If you leave them to defrost, the vegetables will become watery and unsuitable for salad.

In circles or cubes

Housewives most often use this method of storing cucumbers in the freezer. Vegetables are cut into slices or cubes and frozen. When choosing a cutting method, housewives take into account what dish will be prepared from the workpiece.

Vegetables are cut into cubes for okroshka and vinaigrette, and into thin slices for salads and sandwiches.

How to prepare:

Cut clean and dried vegetables into slices 2-3 mm thick.
Dry the pieces well from moisture - this will take up to 30 minutes.
Arrange the cucumbers in a single layer on a baking sheet, cutting board or tray.
Cover the workpiece with cling film.
Place the container in the freezer for one night.
Place frozen pieces into one bag.

The procedure for freezing cubes is similar. The only difference is that it is advisable to cut the fruit at both ends and remove the peel.

For storage, use special plastic freezer bags, foil or food containers.

Important! To prevent the pieces from sticking together into one big lump, they are first frozen in one layer on a cutting board, and then poured into one bag. Vegetables cut into small cubes are best packaged in portions

Then you will not need to defrost the entire large bag, it is enough to use only a small part of the workpiece

Vegetables cut into small cubes are best packed in portions in bags. Then you will not need to defrost the entire large bag; it is enough to use only a small part of the workpiece.

Grated

Clean vegetables are grated on a coarse grater and placed in bags. The juice released from the fruit is not drained and is also frozen. It can be poured into ice cube trays. After freezing, the ice is taken out and poured into a bag.

Clean fruits with skin are passed through a meat grinder or grated. The juice squeezed through cheesecloth is poured into ice trays. After a day, the containers are emptied, and the ice is poured into one bag.

Reference. To obtain cucumber juice, you can use a juicer or blender. Before putting vegetables into the device, they are peeled.

Frozen grated cucumbers for smoothies or tarator

Compound:

cucumbers – 1 kg;
dill – 100 g;
parsley – 100 g;
salt – 10 g.

Cooking method:

Peel the washed and dried cucumbers and grate them coarsely. It is better to grind them in a bowl so as not to lose valuable juice.
Finely chop the greens, previously washed and dried. Mash the greens, sprinkle with salt, and add to the cucumbers.
Stir the cucumbers and place them in portioned containers, dividing the mixture into 2-4 parts (depending on the quantity you are used to preparing the tarator).
Close containers tightly and place in freezer.

A convenient preparation for Bulgarian cold soup will not deteriorate within 6-8 months. It can also be used to make smoothies.

Culinary secrets

Making cucumber preparations for the winter by freezing is not difficult. But to get the expected result, it doesn’t hurt to know a few nuances.

You can freeze cucumbers either whole or chopped. After defrosting, whole fruits become soft, the skin peels off, it is almost impossible to cut or grate them neatly, all that remains is to puree them with a blender. Cucumbers cut into pieces are mixed with other products without defrosting, then they will be distributed in the dish without being crushed. You can also freeze cucumber juice and puree, which can be used to make smoothies or for cosmetic purposes.
In order for cucumbers to be stored better, they are initially frozen in small portions, spread out on a board in a thin layer, and only then are they transferred to bags or containers and put away for storage.
Using the quick freezing function will increase the shelf life of vegetables by 2-3 months and better preserve their structure.
Cucumbers cannot be re-frozen, so they are distributed into bags and containers in exactly the portions needed to prepare a particular dish.
A mark on the package of cucumbers with the date of freezing will ensure that the product does not expire.

Readers of the online magazine “New Domostroy” can freeze cucumbers for the winter in several ways. 7 recipes collected in this material will help them with this.

How to freeze cucumbers and radishes for okroshka

Components:

cucumbers – 1 kg;
radishes – 0.5 kg;
green onions – 0.3 kg;
fresh dill – 100 g.

Cooking algorithm:

Wash the vegetables and herbs and let them dry.
Finely chop the green onions and dill.
Cut the cucumbers and radishes into cubes.
Stir the crushed products.
Divide the food into 5 parts, package it in bags and put it in the freezer.

One package of frozen mixture is designed to prepare okroshka from 1 liter of kvass or kefir. You can store it for no more than 1.5-2 months, as radishes spoil quickly.

Frozen cucumber puree

What do you need:

cucumbers;
silicone muffin tins;
packages.

How to cook:

Peel and finely grate the cucumbers.
Divide the puree into muffin tins. Pour in the juice that was released when chopping the cucumbers.
Place the molds in the freezer overnight.
Remove the ice figures from the molds, put them in a bag, and put them in the freezer.

Cucumber puree is useful for making smoothies. You can also make cosmetic face masks from it.

How long and how are frozen tomatoes stored?

The duration of storage of vegetables depends entirely on the power of the freezer and the temperature maintained in it. The optimal temperature for long-term storage of tomatoes is 18 degrees below zero. This temperature will allow frozen tomatoes to last for 10-12 months. If the temperature is lower, the shelf life will be reduced to 4-6 months.

Tomatoes are stored in special bags where air access will be limited.

Defrosting frozen fruit

The principle of defrosting tomatoes will depend on what method was used to freeze them. Tomatoes frozen whole are defrosted at room temperature. After the tomatoes have melted a little, you can cut them in a way convenient for you.

If the tomatoes are intended for salad, they do not need to be thawed. Just cut them into thin slices and add to the salad.

If you want to add peeled tomatoes to a dish, place them in a container of boiling water for a few seconds, then easily remove the peel.

Red vegetables frozen by other methods are added to dishes only in frozen form and are not previously defrosted.

Which cucumbers store well: choosing the fruits

Cucumbers for freezing must be fresh and firm. Do not use limp, overgrown, rotten or cracked fruits. Such vegetables quickly become bitter when exposed to cold.

If possible, find out the variety of the selected cucumber and its purpose. Hybrid salad varieties have rather loose and juicy pulp. They are good fresh in salads and appetizers, but they do not tolerate icing very well.

Other varieties are used for freezing - pickling and universal. It should be very dense and crispy.

Select medium-sized cucumbers. Small gherkins can be frozen whole. Large fruits are usually stored as slices or grated and pureed. In the future, such freezing is used to prepare salads, stews, and vegetable smoothies.

Be prepared for the fact that after defrosting, the cucumber will not look like a fresh product.

Where is it better to store cucumbers in the refrigerator or not. How to store cucumbers at low temperatures

Housewives are also concerned about the question of where to store fresh cucumbers and tomatoes at low temperatures. Let's consider storage options.

In a barrel

Residents of rural areas traditionally use this method of preserving the freshness of vegetables, since it requires large rooms with a constant temperature of no higher than +4°C.

The barrels are pre-prepared: doused with boiling water and dried. The bottom is lined with horseradish leaves, which prevent the vegetables from fermenting. The fruits are placed in a barrel with their tails down. When the barrel is full, cover the vegetables with another layer of horseradish and close tightly. The container is stored in a cool, dark place until spring.

In water

You can preserve the freshness and taste of green vegetables in water. So they do not last long, only 3-4 weeks. To prepare fruits for storage, fill the container (saucepan or plastic container) with 1-2 cm of cold water. The vegetables are placed in the water with the stalks down, and the container is put away in a cool room. It is recommended to change the water once a day.

In this form, the watery vegetable does not lose valuable moisture, being fed from the container. The fruits remain crisp and fresh for a month.

In sand

You can also store vegetables in sand. To do this, line a wooden or cardboard box with newspaper, make small ventilation holes in the walls and fill it with 1-2 cm of sand. A layer of vegetables is laid out on it and covered with sand. And so on until the box is full. Cover the container with newspaper or cloth and put it in a cool place. A garage where the temperature does not drop below +4°C, as well as a glazed loggia, are suitable.

In egg white

Vegetables can be stored in a very unusual way - using protein. This way the fruit will remain fresh for up to two months. To do this, the crop is coated with egg white and dried. Covered vegetables are covered with wax paper and placed in a cool, dark place.