The price of cucumbers

I bought a large cucumber from Waitrose on Wednesday and that cost 90p - that was from the shop not online.

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It’s very small these days Azz. I really don’t understand why cucumbers have been hit with this high cost, perhaps the cost of water is up?

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Some prices are going up overnight. I’ve noticed some shops are trying to offer larger cucumbers alongside the regular size and charge more so we become conditioned to paying more than 89p

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Since reading this thread I’ve been on cucumber alert! This morning they were 98p in the local farm shop with 1/2 cucumbers at 50p …

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That’s quite a low cunumber. :slight_smile:

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The profits of supermarkets like Tesco (and iirc Waitrose) have tripled since the pandemic Annie - there’s no reason other than greed:

George Stephenson, locomotive mastermind and cucumber visionary, knew there would be a demand for straight cucumbers and invented these:

We always had bent ones back in the day.

image

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Happy to announce that I have stocked up on 69p reduced price cucumbers at Aldi tonight !

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So aside from those few rays of hope the price remains stubbornly at 89p across the board everywhere you go.

I saw an interesting development at sainsbury’s yesterday. 65p for a mini cucumber. That’s the old normal price of NORMAL sized cucumbers! Not that the 89p cumbers are full size either as those now cost 99p!



Size comparison in 1st pic

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I usually buy the Lidl Organic ones at £1.09, but at the moment have a glut of the ones I grew from seed back in May, they taste so much nicer!

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I managed to grow 2 or 3 in the past and they taste amazing when home grown. Unfortunately the slugs here also think they taste great!

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We don’t buy any all summer. They grow in our small back garden/greenhouse. Not too difficult if you have any gardening inclinations or experience. No plastic covering and the skin isn’t tough - and have a better taste.

Have you tried pickling ones left over with some dill - if you have a glut. A pity to waste them and let them go soft. They last all winter and are a reminder of sunnier days.

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We’re eating plenty of cucumber sandwiches atm!
If you pickle them are they like gherkins?

They are the same family! My pic does them in gherkin size chunks but you can pickle them in slices as well. Jamie Oliver has some recipes on line. I believe they are popular in Sweden and Poland.

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I had a BBQ yesterday and someone brought some home-pickled cucumbers. They definitely taste much nicer than the shop-bought ones. It’s apparently quite easy to do, but I am always worried I will get the hygiene wrong. Don’t you have to sterilize the jar in boiling water and seal it in a special way? I would love to try but don’t want to poison myself or anyone else!

My local Polish shop this morning. Most of the jars in the pic is gherkins.

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Thanks, looks like a nice, well-stocked shop.

The further north in Europe you go the more resourceful the cultures at pickling and preserving, which sustained populations through long harsh winters.

I suppose the trick now is to buy cucumbers when the price dips with a special offer and pickle them!

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Yes, you do have to sterilize the jar, lid and rubber seal but there are loads of books or videos on jams and preserving if you are interested in trying. We also bottle plum tomatoes which are useful for all year round sauces.

And these, floating in something, some dill next to it.

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