Preserving the Harvest….Cucumbers

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Canning pickles is not the only way to preserve cucumbers. You can also ferment, dehydrate and even freeze them.

It seems to be feast or famine with cucumbers at our little homestead. Some years I just cannot get them to produce at all and other years I’m wondering what in the world we’re going to do with them all. We’re in a feasting year this year.

Normally that would be a good thing but only three of us like raw cucumbers and only four of us like pickles. {sigh} So, I’m doing my best to preserve the cucumbers for the winter and to share with friends and family. But the vines are so thick that sometimes the only time I see a cucumber is once it’s over grown and turned orange. The chickens are loving those. 

I’m growing three different varieties of cucumbers right now; pickling, slicing and Armenian. We eat them all raw, although we all agree that the Armenian cucumbers are our least favorite so I probably won’t be growing those in the future. I preserve both the pickling cucumbers and small slicing cucumbers

I have a set of worksheets I print each year to keep track of what I’ve preserved. You can get the worksheets emailed to you by filling out the form below. 

Canning pickles is not the only way to preserve cucumbers. You can also ferment, dehydrate and even freeze them.

Canning Cucumbers

Otherwise known as pickles or relish. People seem to either love or hate pickles. And if they love them, they definitely have strong opinions about which ones they love. Some love sweet pickles and hate savory ones, and some people are just the opposite. I tend to really like them both. 

In order to can cucumbers you have to add vinegar because cucumbers are a low acid food. I looked in the Ball Blue Book and my pressure canning book and neither of mention pressure canning cucumbers without vinegar. I don’t know if that’s because it’s not possible to do safely or because the end result is gross. I do rouge food preservation things occasionally but canning cucumbers without vinegar isn’t one of them. 

Since you need to add vinegar to can cucumbers you can do it in a water bath canner instead of a pressure canner

One of the most common complaints about home canned cucumbers is that they lack the crunch that commercially canned cucumbers have. Here are a couple of tips for making sure your pickles or relish have crunch.

Start with cold cucumbers. After I wash our cucumbers I put them in the refrigerator until we have enough to can.

Also, when you are going to make the pickles, put the sliced (or whole) cucumbers in a bowl and sprinkle canning salt on them. Cover them with a towel and put ice on top. And let sit for at least 3 hours. I usually do this at night and let them sit overnight and can them in the morning. 

Lastly, grape leaves have tannin in them that is said to help pickles retain their crunch. So, if you have grape vines available go ahead and put a grape leaf in each jar. 

I make bread and butter pickles each year. This year I have so many cucumbers that I’m making canned dill pickles to give to some of our family. I’ve never made canned dill pickles before but Quinn from Reformation Acres gave me some great advice on how much dill to put into each jar. Then I found out she had this wonderful  video of her kids making dill pickles

Maybe relish is more of your thing? Laura from Heavenly Homemaker has a healthier version of sweet relish and Erin from Putting Up With Erin has dill relish recipe that has a little bit of kick to it. 

ingredients for fermenting cucumber pickles and The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables book

Fermenting Cucumbers

Another way to make pickles is to ferment them using a brine. I started fermenting this year and so are I’m loving it. I’m using mason jars and the Easy Fermenter system which is super easy to use. One thing I like about fermenting the cucumbers instead of canning them is that the hands on time is minimal with fermenting. 

Still, you want to start with cold cucumbers and add grape leaves (or a pinch of black tea leaves) in order to have crunchy pickles. 

Here are step by step instructions for fermenting dill cucumbers.

From what I’ve learned you really can’t ferment sweet pickles, they turn into wine. Also, since fermented pickles need to be stored in the refrigerator, they are hard to give as gifts or share with out of town family or friends. So, we’re doing fermented dill pickles for us and canned dills for sharing. The canned might not be as healthy as the fermented but they are way better for you that what you buy in the store. 

Here is a step by step guide for how to make lacto fermented dill pickles.

Canning pickles is not the only way to preserve cucumbers. You can also ferment, dehydrate and even freeze them.

Freezing Cucumbers

Yep, I’ve been freezing cucumbers. I know, it sounds gross. My family thinks its gross. But I have a plan. 

But a couple of months ago I was shopping for some bunco prizes in a little boutique (inside our local grocery store, but that’s another story) and they had a table set up with cucumber infused water. I loved it.

According to my (much cooler than me) friends, I’m a little late to the cucumber water party but that’s ok. Since I’ve been slicing and freezing cucumbers I’ll be able to enjoy organic cucumber water all year without paying an arm and leg for cucumbers that aren’t waxed.

To freeze cucumbers, just wash, slice, put on a baking sheet and put in the freezer. I like to line a baking sheet with parchment paper to help them come off easier once they are frozen. After they are frozen you can move them to a zippered freezer bag. 

To make infused water, put cucumber slices in a pitcher of water. You can put other things too like mint or berries. Let it sit in the refrigerator for several hours before drinking. You can also freeze the cucumbers in ice cube trays which is really fun.

You could also use frozen cucumbers in cucumber soup or smoothies. 

I also like to make cucumber lime sorbet. It will last several weeks in the freezer and is a great way to use up overgrown cucumbers.

Canning pickles is not the only way to preserve cucumbers. You can also ferment, dehydrate and even freeze them.

Dehydrating Cucumbers

Dehydrating cucumbers is a new one to me. But you can pretty much dehydrate any fruit or vegetable so I thought I’d give it a try.

Slice the cucumbers in 1/4″ or thinner slices, put in dehydrator and let dry for 6-8 hours. They were okay. We probably won’t eat them plain but I can use them in my infused water – I’ll just have to let it sit longer.

You can also dip the cucumbers in a pickle brine or even just vinegar and dill weed before dehydrating to make flavored cucumber chips.

image of The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables and jars of home preserved vegetables

The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables

If you you’re looking for more preserving inspiration, I know you’ll love The Ultimate Guide to Preserving Vegetables. In this book I share how to can, dehydrate, freeze and ferment almost every vegetable. I also share 100 favorite recipes for preserving the vegetables in fun way that will save you time and money later. Get your copy here. Get your copy here.

Canning pickles is not the only way to preserve cucumbers. You can also ferment, dehydrate and even freeze them.

What are your favorite ways of preserving cucumbers? Leave your ideas (or links) in the comments. 

Thanks for sharing with your friends!

56 thoughts on “Preserving the Harvest….Cucumbers”

  1. Wow! You give a lot of ideas. Thank you. I personally do not like to water can my pickles. I pour boiling brine over them and seal them. Then I set them until the next day. They are crunchy and delicious. I rarely have a problem with seals being bad. Of course, they have to sit three weeks before you eat them. But, this is the way my great granny used to do it. It’s the old fashioned way. So, if it didn’t kill them, then it should be okay. The family doesn’t care for the lacto-ferment. I still have a few jars. I eat one once in a while, but they still sit in the fridge. There are only two in the family that eat bread and butter pickles and it is such a waste to make some if no one eats them. But, I’ll make them anyway because if I get a craving, I don’t have to worry about eating pickles with food dyes and high fructose in them. Our relishes don’t really get eaten either, but I did end up selling a lot of my pickles last spring. People loved them. 🙂

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    • It’s funny how guidelines change, isn’t it? When I first started making jams and jellies, we were told they didn’t need processing, just turn them upside down until they cooled off. We were fine doing it that way, but when the guidelines changed, I changed with them.

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      • I’ve been making jam for 30 yrs and never processed any of it. We’ve never had a problem. Occasionally, one may not seal and I’ll just put that directly in the refrigerator.

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        • Hey Lisa, if that’s works for you that’s great. However, the guidelines from the USDA have changed over the last thirty years. I made jam that way when I started making it in the early 90s but when the guidelines changed I changed too. I feel a responsibility to share the approved guidelines online and not older ways that are no longer approved, although I realize that many people use the older methods and have never had a problem.

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    • Looking for a recipe for crunchy dill pickles. Would you be willing to share your great granny’s recipe? This year we have cucumbers coming out of our ears, so to speak. I have made a ton of fresh cucumber salsa, experimented with different dill pickle recipes and can’t find that “one” that my Grandma also made, have frozen some in hopes to re-capture the salsa this winter, and have made lots of refrigerator pickles combined with onion and peppers. Thanks In Advance! It seems that our elders held the best recipes close to their chest and it is difficult to find the goodies from days gone by…

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        • I have an awesome old Hollanders recipe for polish dill pickles. 4-5 qt jars put 1 slice of raw onion 1 garlic clove 1 dill flower in each jar fill jar with cucumbers pour brine [2 cups water 3 cups white vinegar 1/4 cup canning salt 1/8 tsp alum 2 cups sugar] over to fill jar 1/2 inch from the top and process like you normally do for pickles

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      • Diane, an older way of making pickles was just to pour hot brine over them and put the lid on. Then you would let them “set” for a few weeks before you ate them, basically you would put them in a cool, dark place (like a cellar). It’s not an approved method of canning and personally, I would store these in the refrigerator if I were to make them.

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    • It didn’t kill your grandmother’s family, but is even a 1% fatality rate good enough? That recipe doesn’t comply with any instructions I’ve read for safe canning. Unless you have information from the USDA saying they’ve tested your method and found it adequate, you don’t know if the people who eat your pickles will die from botulism.

      I’m sure not cooking them properly to sterilize them makes them more crunchy than the boring safe ones and maybe the brine makes up for the near zero cooking time, but I doubt it and, if the USDA doesn’t approve of it, you can assume that there is a risk of botulism.

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    • @Rachel E., do you start with cold cucumbers packed in your jars? or room temperature? How do you make your brine?

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  2. I was thinking of drying cucumber chips this year. I’ve dried zucchini chips with homemade ranch dressing and they were awesome. Thanks for the nudge. Dill and vinegar cucumber chips sound perfect.

    Now I’m hoping that my cucumber plants actually make cucumbers this year. They love heat and we don’t get a lot of heat, even in the greenhouse. If they grow I’m going to try some of your ideas.

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  3. I need to try fermented pickles again. I tried some way before I’d gotten much into fermented foods and my palate was a big, fat baby. I didn’t like them then, but I bet I would now.

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    • I am wondering if there is a way to can straight out peeled and cuded cucumbers that i use to make my creamed cucumbers. Can i use water and salt like you would do for green beans but hot bath them instead of presure cook? And if so how much salt per quart jar?

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  4. So I have just a handful of cucumbers leftover from my pickle making escapades and I haven’t known what to so with them. I think I’m going to try freezing them and making cucumber water. My only concern is that they have some bitter places where they were growing when they didn’t get enough water for a time. Do you think that would affect the taste of the water after they’ve been frozen? After they’re pickled you can’t tell that they were bitter. Thanks!

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    • hmmm, I’m not sure about the bitter taste. I would try some in water and see first. If it doesn’t taste bitter then freeze some for water. I’d love to know how it works out.

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  5. I am having a feast year for cucumbers this year. I have cucumbers every where!!! My mother loves freezer pickles and I made several pints (16) of them yesterday but I wanted to know if now after they are frozen if I could thaw them out and pack them in jars and process them like regular pickles to free up my freezer space?

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    • hmmm, I’ve never done that with cucumbers but I have frozen and then canned fruit and tomatoes. Personally, I would try just one jar first and make sure it still tastes like you want it to taste (especially the texture) and if they’re similar to what your mom likes, then do the others. If you try it, let me know how it goes, ok?

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  6. Hi Angi,

    I like to make cucumbers and sour cream and one year I made up about 40 quart size bags of it and froze them. Upon thawing I’d have to drain off the water (cause there’ always more and more water to drain off after the cucumbers have soaked with salt) and it left my cucumbers with just a little sour cream but it really wasn’t that bad. This year I was planning on doing the same thing only taking the cucumbers (which are first cut and layered with salt and then drained) and leaving out the sour cream when I freeze them and adding it when I take them out and thaw them. Is this making any sense? I think I’m rambling. Anyway. What do you think? Any better ideas?

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    • oh, that sounds like a great solution. Sour cream tends to separate when it’s frozen so if nothing else, the sour cream part will be better. I’ve never tried cucumbers and sour cream but it sounds wonderful.

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    • This recipe you used is good with dill and vinegar added to cucumbers with a little salt, then frozen. Thaw and drain, then add sour cream, salt and pepper. Delightful.

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  7. Can I freeze or can cucumbers to use later in canning with corn relish when my corn comes in ? Right now I have an abundance of cucumbers which I need for my corn relish .,, but corn is not ready .

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    • If your corn relish has vinegar in it then I would can the relish with out the corn and can the corn separately, then when I wanted to make corn relish open the two jars and make it that way. If it doesn’t have vinegar then I would not can the cucumbers because you need vinegar to water-bath can them and they would turn into a soggy mess if you pressure canned them. Freezing would change the texture of the cucumbers. You might try chopping one and freezing it for a day or so, then letting it thaw out and see if you think it will work for your relish. Let me know if you try it I’d love to know how it turns out.

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  8. This year I found a new way to preserve cucumbers and it saved my life since I probably had 100 pounds left after making 40 pints of pickle. I peeled half of them, seeded all of them and pureed them with a bunch of mint, lime juice and simple sugar syrup. I froze the resulting liquid in gallon ziplocs, layed flat so they can be stacked once frozen. When people come over, I thaw some to serve as a refreshing summer drink, as is or with a little gin, vodka or tequila for those who like a kick. You can also freeze in ice cube trays, keep frozen and put the cubes in a blender with tequila to make a delicious cucumber frozen margarita.

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  9. This looks like a simple way to preserve all the cucumbers I get from the garden this year! Thanks so much for sharing, hopefully I can follow your guide to the T and not mess anything up!

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  10. I was told that it is not possible to freezer cucumbers because they get gelatinous. What do these look like after thawing?

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    • Hi Barbara, once frozen cucumbers thaw they don’t look crisp and lovely like fresh or pickled cucumbers do.That’s why I suggest only using them for things like infusing water, cucumber soup, or smoothies – things where looks don’t really matter.

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    • You can infuse them in alcohol. If you use fresh cucumbers you’d probably need to store the infusion in the refrigerator simply because cucumbers have such a high water content that I’m not sure an alcohol cucumber infusion would be shelf stable for long term storage. What would you use it for? (I’m not much of a drinker so I truly don’t know.) Thanks!

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  11. Excellent article. This is the beginning of the growing season and already have tons of cukes. I am going to try the chips. I am so over pickles!

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  12. Another way to freeze sliced cucumbers is with sliced onions in a vinegar/sugar solution. Do the salt and drain process first, then add the liquid and ladle into bags or jars. We have fresh cucumber salad all winter.

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  13. When you go to can the pickles the next day after there has been ice sitting on them all night, isnt the ice now water? So how do you go about that? Do you just drain the water from the cucumbers or do you put the ice in a bag and then set it on the towel over the cucumbers?

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    • Just drain all the water from the pickles. You’ll also want to rise them a few times to get the salt off of them.

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  14. Can you cut up cucumbers and put them in jars with Italian dressing or Olive Garden signature Italian and water bath and seal?

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    • That would not be recommended. You don’t know how much vinegar is in the dressing and it there’s enough raise the acidity of the cucumbers enough to make it safe for canning.

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  15. If this frozen cucumber salad has vinegar, could I just can it?

    This recipe came from a link in one the comments in this post.

    2 quarts sliced unpeeled small cucumbers
    2 medium onions, sliced
    1 tablespoon salt
    1 cup vinegar
    1-1/4 cups sugar
    Directions

    1. Combine cucumbers, onions and salt. Let mixture soak for 3 hours. In a saucepan, warm the vinegar and sugar; stir to dissolve sugar. Drain cucumbers and add to vinegar mixture. Ladle into plastic freezer containers and freeze. When ready to use, defrost and serve chilled.

    Reply

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