How to keep a watermelon in the cellar until the new year - 7 best ways
Watermelon in January is a small New Year's miracle that will cheer you up and remind you of a sunny summer. But berries with a high content of juice are easily damaged and sour, susceptible to rot and mold.
The easiest way is to keep them in the basement or cellar, where optimal conditions are created. We will tell you how to do it correctly below.
The content of the article
Which watermelons are suitable for long-term storage
Choosing the right fruit is only half the battle. Important characteristics of the berry are variety, ripeness, condition and weight.
The best varieties
For long-term storage late-ripening varieties are suitable. Their ripening period is from 95 to 110 days after germination. Such fruits go on sale from the end of August, have a strong and thick peel, ripen better.
The most common varieties:
- Chill - popular in Russia. Large fruits weighing 15-25 kg ripen in 100-110 days. Light green with distinct dark stripes, watermelons are shaped like a slightly elongated ellipse. Stored for up to three months.
- Icarus - medium late variety, suitable for long storage. Fruits weighing 13-15 kg tolerate transportation well and stay up to five months. Watermelons are dark green with faint black stripes.
- Bush 334 - late ripening, has relatively small fruits weighing up to 8 kg, light green with dark stripes. The peel is strong, withstands transportation. The shelf life is up to three months.
- Heroic - despite this name, watermelons weigh no more than 8 kg. The color is light green with dark stripes. The peel is thin, the flesh is dark red. The shelf life of fruits is up to three months.
How to choose the right fruit
For long-term storage, watermelons are harvested by hand on a soft bedding so that they do not get hurt or sour.
When buying berries, pay attention to a number of signs:
- dry tail, distinct yellow or orange spot;
- peel without external damage, holes (small brownish stripes are traces of grass and insects);
- average weight: "giants" of 15–20 kg are damaged under the pressure of their own weight and take up a lot of space;
- the surface is equally hard and dry in all places, without dents, soft spots.
The fruits should be laid out neatly on a soft mat. Piled in a heap, they quickly turn sour.
Important! Unripe berries are not suitable: they do not ripen well outside the bush.
In stores, watermelons are often placed in carts or crates with metal bars. Under the pressure of their own weight, such fruits are quickly damaged. Invisible traces from the net will cause rapid deterioration of stock.
How to keep a watermelon in the cellar until the New Year
The cellar is one of the most suitable places for melons. Due to the optimal (unchanging) conditions, the level of humidity, the berries do not spoil here for a long time. We will tell you how best to store fruits in such a room.
Training
The underfloor has been prepared since autumn: they check the ventilation system, remove foci with mold and dampness, and destroy parasites.
To do this, carry out:
- Cleaning ventilation pipes: The grill on the holes will block the passage for insects and rodents.
- Wall preparation: large cracks are sealed with cement, foci of mold are treated with special compounds, painted with lime.
- Drying the room: in dry weather, the basement is left open for several days.Shelves, boxes, racks are temporarily taken out into the street.
- Disinfection with a smoke bomb: this will destroy foci of mold, rot, and scare away rodents and insects. They burn a sulfur stick at the onset of the first frost, when rodents begin to actively seek warm shelters.
Optimal conditions
The cellar is well suited for storing melons and gourds: watermelons need a constant temperature of + 2 ... + 4 ° C and a humidity of 60–80%.
Important! The berries are not laid out on a hard surface: under the pressure of its own weight, the bark is gradually pressed through, the fermentation process begins. Straw, sand, moss are used as bedding, or the fruits are hung in a net.
Leave the fruit for the winter not only in the basement, but also in the apartment.
The most suitable places for this:
- pantry;
- bathroom;
- mezzanine or wardrobe;
- glazed balcony or loggia.
The fruits are not placed next to heating devices. Choose a dark place with a constant temperature. When stored on a balcony in severe frosts, watermelons are removed to the room.
Nuances
When storing several fruits, they are isolated from each other: if one of them starts to deteriorate or lets out juice, the rot will spread to other berries. Periodically, the state of stocks is checked - when wet soft spots, cracks, plaque appear, watermelons are removed from the storage place.
Sometimes the peel is treated with various formulations to extend the shelf life of the product:
- Clay - the peel is smeared with a liquid solution, allowed to dry, then a second layer is applied. The thickness of the coating is 0.5–1 cm. The processed berries are stored hanging or on a litter.
- Wax or paraffin - the substance is melted, the surface of the berry is treated with it. Then she is placed on a soft bedding or hung. Wax and paraffin protect vegetables and fruits from rot and mold.
Processing of the peel has a significant drawback: the additional peel interferes with the control of the condition of the fruit.
It is not necessary to keep the whole berry. The diced pulp is placed in the freezer. Instead of bags, plastic containers are used to prevent the pieces from crushing and losing juice. Such blanks are suitable for making desserts.
Basement storage methods
Among the various storage options for watermelons in the basement, the most affordable one is chosen, taking into account the available materials. Commonly used are straw, sand, grain, moss or ash. Depending on the filling of the cellar, you will need shelves, separate boxes and boxes.
On racks
The shelves must be dry and free from mold. Any soft material is spread on them: straw, rags, crumpled paper. Watermelons are placed separately from each other at a short distance.
Important! Periodically check the condition of the fruit and turn it over.
In limbo
It is convenient to keep the berries in string bags and mesh bags for vegetables. Fruits are coated with clay, wax or wrapped in a natural fabric (cotton or woolen). They are hung so that they do not touch walls or shelves.
Good to know. An old pillowcase is suitable for wrapping, which is used as a bag.
In sand and ash
Sand is one of the most readily available materials. It is taken clean and dry, without insects and grass residues. Sieve for cleaning.
A layer of sand 5–10 cm is poured at the bottom of the box. A watermelon is placed in the middle, completely covered. Instead of sand, wood ash is used. It has antiseptic properties, good protection against mold and pests.
In the straw
Dry straw is placed in a box or on shelves. A watermelon is placed on the litter, covered with dry grass on all sides. Periodically, the hay is stirred and the fruit is turned over.
In liquid clay
To store berries in a barrel or bucket, they dilute with liquid clay. Place the watermelon so that it is completely submerged. The container is closed so that the fruit does not float.
In moss
If there is a forest nearby, moss is dug out. It absorbs moisture well, protecting the fruit from damage. Collect the material in dry weather, then thoroughly dry it in the sun.The watermelon is completely covered with moss, stored in a box or suspended.
Maximum storage times
Watermelon variety determines how long it will be stored. Late-ripening varieties are suitable for consumption on average up to three months. Buy berries at the end of the season: September - early October.
Attention! When calculating the term, it is important to remember that the fruit has already been lying for some time after harvesting with producers and sellers.
Reviews
Many people share their experience of successfully preserving the fruit until winter.
Svetlana: «Watermelon is the highlight of my New Year's table. I usually buy fruit for the winter at the end of September. The main thing is to choose whole and strong. I cover it with alabaster mixture. I dilute the solution to the consistency of sour cream. After drying, the surface should be even, without cracks. I hang the processed berries in a net in the basement. "
Sergei: “I always had a watermelon for my son's birthday in January. This has become our home tradition, and now that the child has grown up, he still comes to us for a treat. We do not live in a private house, so we leave the watermelon on the mezzanine in a box with crumpled paper. Sometimes I wax it. To do this, melt 10 ordinary candles in a bowl. I hold the fruit in the air, dip it a little and turn each side. The wax immediately grasps, especially if the berry is in the refrigerator. "
Conclusion
Half of the success in long-term storage of watermelon depends on the quality of the fruit itself. He is chosen medium in size, without damage. A dry tail and a small light spot indicate maturity.
The berries are bought in September - October, kept in a ventilated cellar, on a soft bedding, separately from each other or suspended. It is important to regularly check the condition of the berries, turn them over. The average shelf life of watermelons is up to three months.