Fruiting vegetables
Dried CucumberDrying Time, Storage and a Spicy Sesame Soy Recipe
Cucumbers are more than 90% water. Dried, they shrink a lot, their fresh green aroma gets stronger, and they gain a crunchy bite.
Fresh cucumbers spoil quickly, and when you grow or are given a lot, it’s hard to use them all. Dried, they keep a long time, and with the water gone, they don’t make sandwiches or salads soggy.
| Drying time | Storage | |
|---|---|---|
| Dry | 1–3 days | 3–4 weeks at room temperature (fridge in humid summer) |
| Semi-dried | 1 hour–half a day | 4 days in the fridge |
Drying times assume drying during the day in sunny weather and bringing them in at night.
How to dry cucumber
- Cut: Trim both ends and slice into 1 cm (⅜ in) rounds. To cut lengthwise instead, halve them lengthwise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon so they dry faster.
- Pat dry: Water seeps from the cut surfaces, so blot thoroughly with paper towels.
- Lay out and dry: Spread on a basket without overlapping. Cucumbers are very watery, so the trick is to pick a run of sunny days and dry them in one go.
- Bring them in: Bring them indoors by evening.
Where and when to dry is covered in How to Dry Vegetables, and tools in Tools for Drying Vegetables.
When it’s done
Dry (1–3 days)
It’s done when the rounds have shrunk thin, the green skin around the edge has gone wavy, and they snap when bent. They shrink to less than half their original size.
Semi-dried (1 hour–half a day)
Even an hour of drying takes the water off the surface and helps seasonings soak in. Used for quick pickles, they release less water and absorb the flavor well.
Day by day
Before drying
Day 2
Day 3
Storage
- Dry: Put completely dry rounds in a bag or airtight container with a desiccant, and keep somewhere cool and out of direct sun. Use within 3–4 weeks. In humid summer weather, keep them in the fridge.
- Semi-dried: Keep in a bag in the fridge and use within about 4 days.
If they soften from moisture during storage, dry them again. Fuzzy white or green growth, black spots or a bad smell are signs of mold or spoilage; throw them away. More in How to Store Dried Vegetables.
Rehydrating and using it
- Rehydrate: Soak dry rounds in water for about 15 minutes. They take on a crunchy texture quite different from fresh.
- Good in: Dressed side dishes, vinegared salads, stir-fries (especially Chinese-style), sandwiches, quick pickles.
- Semi-dried: Just rinse and use in dressed side dishes and pickles.
Recipe
Dried cucumber with spicy sesame soy sauce
- Dried cucumber rounds from 1 cucumber
- A: A little each of bonito flakes, soy sauce, toasted sesame seeds and shichimi togarashi (Japanese seven-spice chili)
- Soak dry cucumber in water for 15 minutes. Semi-dried cucumber just needs a quick rinse.
- Drain well and toss with A.
A few drops of sesame oil give it a Chinese-style flavor.
