How to prepare tasty and healthy watermelons in your own juice for the winter

August is the month of vacations, the sea and, of course, watermelons. During their ripening period, everyone seeks to feast on this sweet berry. But the season passes quickly, the watermelons are running out, and you want to eat them again and again. Then numerous proven recipes for pickling, pickling and canning will come to your aid. Thanks to them, it will be possible to enjoy watermelon even in winter.

Selection and preparation of watermelon

Firstly decide on the preparation method and what you want to get in the end.

Choose late varieties for winter preservation... The early ones, which appear on markets and store shelves in July and early August, contain a large amount of nitrates. It is better not to make canned preparations from these watermelons - as a rule, cans with such products explode. The exception, of course, are berries grown in their own garden.

It is more convenient to use watermelons with a thin rind: it does not take up much space in the jar and allows more pulp to enter the workpiece.

Both red ripe and pink berries are suitable for pickling.... If you want crispy watermelons, choose a slightly unripe fruit. Overripe ones are used mainly for sweet preserves in cans, they are used to make juices, syrups and toppings for desserts and pastries.

Important!Remove the seeds from the watermelon so it will better retain its taste throughout the winter.

For pickling whole fruits, choose small berries, with a diameter of no more than 15 cm.

Read also:

How to understand that a watermelon has gone bad

How to make watermelon pulp jam

Why is watermelon juice useful and how to make it

The best recipes

Harvesting watermelon in its own juice can be made as a sweet dessert or sweet and sour and even a savory salty snack.

Salted watermelon in a jar

Sounds strange, but sweet and juicy berries make a delicious salty snack, which will complement even a festive table.

Ingredients (for four 1 L cans):

• watermelon - 1 pc.;
• salt - 4 tbsp. spoons;
• sugar - 4 tbsp. spoons;
• vinegar 9% - 4 tbsp. spoons;
• cloves - 8 pcs.;
• small apples (ranetki) - optional.

Preparation:

1. Cut off the crusts and pulp.
2. Sterilize glass jars.
3. Cut the watermelon rinds into 4-5 cm pieces and place in jars. It is good to fill the voids with ranetki or small apples. Place a couple of cloves in each jar.
4. Boil water, add salt and sugar to it. Just pour a tablespoon of vinegar into a jar, then boiling brine.
5. Wait for the air to come out (you can help this by moving the jar on the table a little).
6. Add brine, close the jars with lids.
7. After a day, when the workpieces have cooled, put them in the refrigerator. Serve the appetizer cold.

Spicy lightly salted watermelon

Lightly salted watermelon cooks quickly and easily... You can serve such a preparation on the table just a few days after salting and surprise everyone with a spicy dish of sweet berries.

Ingredients:

• watermelon;
• dry mustard;
• salt;
• sugar.

Preparation:

1. Prepare a pickling jar.
2. Cut the watermelon into circles and divide them into four parts. Be sure to remove the crust so that the spices are evenly distributed over the entire area of ​​the piece.
3. Prepare three plates: add dry mustard to one, salt to the second, sugar to the third.
4. Rub each piece on all sides, first with mustard, then salt, and then sugar.
5. Place the grated pieces tightly in the jar and close the nylon lid.

Such a workpiece should be at room temperature for two days.... After the specified time, put the jars in the refrigerator. On the third day, lightly salted berries can be served. But for more piquancy, soak the blanks in the marinade for seven days.

It will be interesting:

How to cook a simple but delicious melon jam

How to make aromatic and tasty melon orange jam

With honey

If you bought a large but unripe watermelon, don't despair. This recipe will help you save unripe berries. and treat yourself to a delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

• watermelon - 10 kg;
• water - 9 l;
• honey - 10 tbsp. spoons;
• sugar - 5 tbsp. spoons;
• salt - 5 tbsp. spoons;
• vinegar 9% - 300 ml.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the fruits, wash them thoroughly.
2. Wash and sterilize the jars in any way you are comfortable with.
3. Cut the watermelons into slices about 5-7 cm long, peel them and fill the jars to the top.
4. Pour boiling water over the jars filled with watermelon slices and leave for 10 minutes.
5. Make a pickle. Add sugar, salt, honey and vinegar to boiling water.
6. Drain the jars and pour the prepared brine over the watermelon.
7. Roll up the lids and turn the cans upside down. Wrap with a blanket and leave as it is until it cools completely, then store them in the basement or pantry.

Harvesting in own juice in a barrel

To preserve as many nutrients as possible, pickle watermelons in your own juice in a barrel... With this method of salting, heat treatment and the addition of vinegar are not required, therefore, during fermentation, natural lactic acid bacteria are formed, which have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora.

Ingredients:

• whole watermelon - 10 kg;
• watermelon pulp - 5 kg;
• salt - 2 tbsp. spoons.

Preparation:

1. Prepare 5 kg of watermelon mass. Peel and grind with a blender.
2. Pour salt into the resulting mass and mix well.
3. Wash whole fruits - they should be small.
4. Next, the process of assembling the workpiece begins. Put the first layer of berries in a barrel and cover it with salted watermelon mass. Thus, transfer all the fruits to the brim, the watermelon mass should be laid out with the top layer.
5. Cover the barrel with a lid or linen cloth. Leave it in a cool place for a week.

In a week, the preparation in the barrel will be ready... If mold develops during fermentation, remove it.

Terms and conditions of storage

Watermelon blanks should be stored in a dark and cool place.... This could be a closet or basement. Remember that berries harvested for the winter in different ways are stored for a different amount of time.

Canned watermelons are stored in jars for a yearpreserving useful substances. It is undesirable to store blanks in barrels for more than 5-6 months.

How and with what to serve

Canned watermelon can be used as an independent dish or as an addition to the main... Crispy salted berries will complement the taste of grilled meat and baked fish, poultry or potatoes. A delicious appetizer will also turn out from various grilled vegetables with the addition of canned watermelon.

Sweet watermelon blanks will serve as an excellent decoration and complement any dessert with their unusual taste. They go well with cocktails and mousses.

Conclusion

The watermelon season does not last very long, therefore, in order to extend the summer, the housewives have learned how to make preparations from this large berry. Despite the fact that the salting process is quite laborious, you will not regret the time spent.

Watermelon, canned in its own juice in cans or barrels, will allow your household and guests to enjoy the fresh and juicy taste on long winter evenings.