It is better to enjoy watermelon during the season; in winter, watermelon is a rarity. But how you want to feel the taste of summer again on a frosty winter day by taking a bite of a juicy berry. It will be a pleasant surprise on the New Year's table. But not everyone knows how to preserve watermelon until the New Year. There are many ways to preserve watermelon for 3-4 months, just before the New Year holidays.
Signs of a ripe watermelon
It is advisable to buy one fruit for testing. This will allow for a more thorough check:
— If the pulp has noticeable yellow tints, it means that chemicals were used during cultivation;
— The pulp should turn cloudy upon contact with water. If it turns bright red, then there are nitrates;
— You shouldn’t store very crumbly pulp until the holidays;
— If there are cracks, white or brown spots on the peel, then you should not buy a watermelon. The peel must be intact, otherwise it will not be possible to preserve the fruit;
— It is worth choosing a berry with a dry tail or stalk and shiny skin;
— There is no need to choose large watermelons, as they will rot faster. Weight should be no more than 5 kg;
— It is important to buy ripe fruits. If the berry is unripe, it will remain green. An overripe watermelon will soon spoil;
— Berries should be picked in dry weather, as high humidity increases the likelihood of rotting;
— Late varieties are used for planting, so it is advisable to start harvesting in early autumn.
Important: Selecting a batch of fruits for storage for the winter is a labor-intensive and responsible process. Therefore, first you should buy 5-6 fruits; there is no point in purchasing a large batch at once.
Which type of watermelon to choose?
You can preserve berries until the New Year holidays only if you know how to choose the right variety. Late-ripening varieties with thick skins are suitable. It is recommended to buy berries for harvesting in the second half of September. At this time, this variety, with a very high probability, does not have nitrates, since their ripening is later and does not require auxiliary agents (substances).
It is recommended to choose varieties of melons with strong pulp. At home, berries of late-ripening varieties are well stored: Stokes, Dessertny, Volzhsky, Kholodova, Astrakhansky, Podarok Kholodok, Blagodatny, Ikar. Do not choose overripe fruits; they will not be stored.
It is important to follow storage rules.
- The storage area is completely dark.
- The room must have ventilation (constant).
- The temperature should be from +6 to +8 °C. At higher temperatures, fermentation processes will begin, which leads to spoilage, and at lower temperatures, freezing will occur.
- Indoor humidity is 60-80%. A decrease in moisture will lead to drying out of the berries, and an increase will lead to rotting. The ideal storage option is a basement (or cellar).
The most common ways to store watermelons:
HANGING
Using this method, it will be possible to preserve watermelon in the apartment and in the house until winter. In the first case, it can be left in the pantry, in the second - in the basement. Cover the fruit completely with thick natural fabric and wrap it around it. Place it in a shopping bag and hang it on a hook. It is important to ensure that it does not come into contact with the surface of walls or cabinets;
STRAW
Place a thick layer of straw at the bottom of the shelf or box where the watermelon will lie. Place the fruits at a short distance from each other. Make sure that the stalk is on top. Form partitions of straw between them. It is necessary to put straw on top;
MOSS
You need to collect dry plants from the forest. Place it on the bottom of a wooden box or crate, place the watermelons, covering it with moss around it. You can thus preserve the watermelon until the New Year in a cellar or basement at a temperature of 2-3 degrees;
WAX
Melt the substance, cover the fruit in several layers until the thickness is 1 cm. Place the berry in a cool room;
SAND
This method is suitable for a private house and apartment. Place the wooden box in a cool room, fill it approximately halfway with dry sand. Place the berry so that the stem is at the bottom. If you need to save several watermelons, you should make sure that they do not touch each other. Then cover them completely with dry sand. An excellent alternative would be dry grain;
WATER
It is important to ensure that the liquid is cold and covers the fruit completely. The fruit can be left in the ice hole. If watermelon is stored underground for the New Year, then you need to fill a barrel or wooden vat with liquid. The water needs to be changed every week. It is very important that the fruit is undamaged, otherwise it will rot very quickly;
ASH
It prevents the formation of putrefactive bacteria or fungi and absorbs excess moisture. This allows you to preserve watermelons for a long time. Pour a thick layer of sifted and dry ash into a wooden box. After carefully placing the fruit, cover it completely with ash. Cover the box with a lid and place it in a basement or cellar;
CLAY
Pour water into the clay until it reaches a paste-like state, then apply it to the fruit. After drying, apply the next layer. As a result, the thickness of the clay will be approximately 0.5 cm. Place the fruit in a cool, dark room, placing it on sawdust or hanging it;
FREEZING
The method is common for preparations for the winter. Exposure to low temperatures has a negative effect on the fetus. As a result, it acquires a liquid consistency. But there are some methods that will help preserve watermelon until the New Year holidays. You need to clear the pieces of peel and seeds, put them on a flat plate, and put them in the freezer. This will preserve the juiciness, taste and shape of the watermelon. After freezing, place the pieces in a bag or container. They can then be used for cocktails or desserts. It would be interesting to serve it as ice cream, cut into portions. It should be understood that such a watermelon will differ significantly in taste from the fresh fruit.
Reviews and tips on how best to preserve watermelons
According to reviews, fresh watermelons can last from 3 days to several months - it is important to comply with the conditions. If it is a warm room, then you should not count on it for a long time, as the pulp will simply turn sour or the fruit will begin to rot. There are often discussions on forums about storage methods. From the reviews you can glean the following:
Alexandra, 32 years old
This is not the first time I leave watermelons for the New Year. I select a few dense fruits at the end of the season and simply roll them under the bed in the bedroom. You have to examine them very carefully before purchasing; any chips or cracks are a reason to choose another one. Sometimes the berries are slightly overripe, and the middle becomes loose, but this does not spoil the taste.
Evgeniya, 27 years old
We left watermelons for storage last fall. They made something similar to a house on the landing and put the fruits there. I couldn’t try it on New Year’s because I ate them earlier. But in mid-December it was very pleasant to enjoy fresh summer berries.
Tatyana, 37 years old
It is better not to store watermelons on the floor - there is a possibility that it will leak. A good way is to hang it in a string bag in the hallway or basement. At the beginning of October, I asked the traders about the suitability of buying them for storage, they answered - “Later - now the peel is still thin, but when it becomes thick, then buy it.” In general, it is best to wait until the last harvest.
Valeria, 45 years old
Last summer I grew watermelons at the dacha - in principle, it was a good attempt. I decided to leave one of the fruits for the New Year - I hung it in a separate part of the public corridor in a nylon stocking. It didn’t work out to cut it on New Year’s Eve - they simply forgot. We received the watermelon on February 23 – juicy, tasty, just needs to be refrigerated. The only thing is that the flesh has become pinkish, in comparison with other fruits of that season.
Also, from discussions on forums, you can highlight advice from more experienced users.
This is interesting: The simplest recipe for jam from watermelon rinds
The main storage recommendations include the following:
- Each fruit NEEDS a dedicated space. Watermelons should not come into contact with each other or with other products. Otherwise, rot may form at the contact points.
- A hard surface under or on the side of the watermelon will cause spoilage. The reason is the pressure exerted in a small area. To avoid this, the fruits of melons are spread with straw, sawdust or cloth.
- Periodically, the product must be checked for condition. Each of the watermelons is picked up and examined from all sides - if there are traces of rot, then it must be removed from the rest. Be sure to wear cloth gloves.
- If, during inspection, a watermelon with reduced weight was found, then it should be disposed of. This is usually a sign of spoilage of the pulp and general drying out of the fruit inside.
Features of storage in an apartment and private house
Watermelon can be successfully preserved until winter not only in the country, but also in the apartment. It's more difficult, but possible. Let's look at how to store a watermelon in an apartment until the New Year.
Recommended places:
- bathroom;
- pantry;
- glazed balcony.
In a private house, watermelons are stored in the following places:
- attic;
- basement or cellar;
- garage;
- summer kitchen or cool room, the temperature should not be higher than 8 degrees.
It is very important to ensure that the berries do not come into contact with each other.
How long does watermelon last?
No need to leave until the new harvest or spring. A juicy, tasty watermelon will never last until March. Deadline: Christmas Day, mid-January. Perhaps in the near future varieties adapted to long-term maturation will appear.
Shelf life under different conditions:
- for 4 weeks in room conditions;
- in the basement, cellar for up to two months;
- in specially created conditions with processing and preparation for up to 4-5 months.
Deadlines are approximate. They shrink when storage conditions, temperature conditions, and crust integrity are violated. Proper storage is also required for quince and other products.
Recommendations
According to reviews from experienced melon growers, it is recommended to adhere to the following rules for long-term storage:
1. Use only ripe watermelons. After picking, they will not ripen further, and unripe fruits are stored less and do not have a perfect taste;
2. When storing, berries should not touch each other, other vegetables or fruits;
3. Do not place watermelons on hard and hard surfaces. It is necessary to add straw, sawdust, sand, grain;
4. Fruits should be constantly turned over to ensure their integrity is maintained.
With the right choice and following all the rules, the berries are stored without loss of taste for 3-4 months.
Conditions for long-term storage
Basic storage conditions:
- darkness,
- ventilation,
- compliance with temperature conditions.
The choice of location for preservation depends on the possibility of darkness, the obstruction of sunlight or bright artificial light.
The location is chosen in advance, containers, boxes, barrels are placed in an area with open access, without the need to rearrange them.
The room must be ventilated, which ensures that the optimal temperature is maintained and does not create conditions for the growth of bacteria.
The ideal storage temperature is +2...+5 degrees Celsius. Berries freeze at a lower temperature; when it rises, fermentation processes begin to occur. The humidity level should be 65-80%. Excess moisture leads to rotting.
Storage in a house or apartment
The advantage of a private house is the presence of a basement where many canned products, potatoes, and root vegetables are stored.
The temperature in the cellar remains unchanged with proper design and compliance with operating rules. Additional storage spaces - garage, attic, dressing room, pantry.
Ideal storage temperature – +2…+5 degrees Celsius
There are no such favorable conditions in the apartment, so they are created artificially. A storage room, a balcony, and an insulated loggia are used.
Common Mistakes
The main mistake is considered to be neglecting the rules listed above. But there are several other oversights that harm the process:
— Using glossy magazines for packaging . There is no need to do this, since printing uses chemical dyes that end up in the fruit;
— Canning in paraffin . It is a petroleum product, so it should not come into contact with food.
Is it possible to freeze watermelon before the New Year?
It is not customary to freeze whole berries: when exposed to temperatures below 0, the inside of the berry becomes covered with ice, and when defrosted, it thaws, forming excess water. This affects the taste: the watermelon becomes watery and less sweet.
Many housewives use watermelon to freeze in parts. The taste of the preparations is inferior to the real cut fruit, but there are fans of preservation.
There are several techniques:
- The pieces are cut, dried, and sent to the freezer. After the first stage of freezing, the pieces are poured into a bag and frozen completely.
- The piece is sprinkled with sugar, transferred, and frozen in a container.
- All seeds are completely removed, then the pulp is poured with any fruit juice and frozen in a plastic container for an hour.
Homemade recipes cannot recreate the taste of a real whole watermelon; they are used as ice for drinks and for decorating desserts.
Defrosting of workpieces is carried out in two stages:
- The container is taken out of the freezer and placed in the refrigerator;
- Finally defrost at room temperature.
Defrosting too quickly will deprive the watermelon of taste and the pieces will completely lose their shape.
