We save the watermelon until the New Year at home

Watermelon is a popular treat of the summer-autumn season, but what a highlight it will become on the festive table in winter, and especially on New Year's holidays! However, keeping the berries in their original state for such a long period is not easy - you need to know how and where to store them.

How to properly preserve a watermelon before the New Year at home, we will tell you in the article.

Choosing a watermelon

Not every melon fruit is suitable for long-term storage. In order to choose the right fruit, it is important to consider a number of features:

1. Watermelon retains its taste and useful properties for 3-4 months, therefore, preference is given to late varieties that ripen in early or late September: for example, Ikara, Astrakhan, Volzhanin. Each of these varieties has a sweet, juicy pulp and disease resistance. The fruit should ripen on its own, without growth-promoting substances.
2. Choose only undamaged berries without cracks, dents, rot and scratches. For safe transportation, they are transported in boxes filled with straw. Fruit stripes should be bright and uniform in color. Medium-sized berries are most suitable.
3. Signs of a properly selected variety are dense pulp and thick rind.
4. It is undesirable to buy goods in supermarkets and large chain stores. Store-bought watermelons, as a rule, are delivered for sale unripe, stuffed with chemical additives. The best option is to purchase from a trusted gardener. It is advisable to agree in advance that the fruit is removed from the melon a couple of days ahead of schedule. So the likelihood of keeping the fetus longer will increase many times.

Finding the best option for the first time is not so easy, but later on, choosing the right watermelon will become a matter of habit.

Basic principles of long-term storage

Everything is important in creating optimal conditions for long-term keeping of watermelons: from room temperature to storage location. Experienced melon growers have identified a number of basic mandatory rules:

1. Dehydration of the peel. It will be enough to leave the watermelons under the leaves for a day so that the excess moisture evaporates.
2. Soft surface... Any manipulations with the fruit are done with soft gloves.
3. Rack with straw - the best place for long-term storage of watermelons. They are isolated from each other.
4. Temperature within + 5 ... + 8 ° C. Any increase in this rate will lead to souring of the berries.
5. Humidity is maintained in the range of 60–80%. Failure to comply with the indicators will lead to the loss of natural moisture in the fruit.
6. Attention and care. Putting the fruit and forgetting about it before winter is not an option: they are regularly examined and turned over to avoid stains and decay.
7. Berries are extremely sensitive to any neighborhood, therefore they are stored separately from other crops... Especially dangerous is the neighborhood with potatoes, which greatly reduces the shelf life of watermelons.

The fruits are stored both in the apartment and in your own house - there are nuances for each case.

In a private house

In such conditions, it is convenient to keep large batches of watermelons. The main advantage here is the large selection of storage locations. The most optimal:

• basement or cellar;
• attic;
• cool room or summer kitchen;
• pantry;
• garage.

The main condition: carefully monitor the humidity and temperature in the room.

In the apartment

You can organize a harvest storage area in the apartment, if there is a dark and cool place. Most suitable for this:

• refrigerator;
• pantry;
• bathroom;
• glazed balcony;
• mezzanine;
• loggia.

If desired, for large berries in the apartment, an area is allocated under the bed or windows.

Ways to store watermelons at home

At home, without the equipment of a special place, keeping several watermelons in perfect condition at once will not work.

At room temperature

Such conditions will allow you to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients in the pulp: for example, beta-carotene and lycopene are stored 20% more than in frozen fruits. However, the shelf life of the product at room temperature is reduced to 4-5 weeks.

In the cellar

Before placing watermelons in the cellar, it is important to make sure that the temperature and humidity are correct. If the parameters are stable throughout the entire period, then the shelf life of the berries will be 10-12 months.

In a refrigerator

The main thing in long-term storage is maintaining a stable temperature. In this regard, the most suitable place is the refrigerator. The fruits are placed on the middle or bottom shelf, on a dense soft tissue.

The disadvantage of this method is the extremely limited space. You will be able to put no more than 1-2 watermelons in the refrigerator. The option is suitable for a period not exceeding 2-3 months.

In the freezer

How to store watermelons in the freezer? To do this, they are cut into slices. The pulp does not react well to prolonged exposure to strong low temperatures: after thawing, it loses its original structure and a significant part of the nutrients. Therefore, the defrosted product is used to create drinks.

Blanks

In the form of blanks watermelon will last until next summer. It will lose its original juiciness, but gain piquancy and new flavor notes.

Interesting! If there are a lot of fruits, then they are fermented in barrels, like apples. For this, berries of the same size, weighing about 2 kg, are chosen.

Another way - canning in a bank... Such a blank will not only look exotic, but also delight with its taste. However, you will have to forget about the initial beneficial properties of the fruit.

Other storage options

In addition to the main ones, there are additional, sometimes unusual ways of storing watermelons.

Wax wrap

For this method, paraffin or wax is melted and then applied in several layers to the fetus. The thickness of the coating is no more than 1 cm. Such fruits are kept in a cool room.

In clay

Clay has adsorptive and disinfectant properties and protects the watermelon from fungus and dampness. The dense crust protects the fruit from any impact.

Clay is diluted in warm water (the container should not be metal), mixed and applied to the berry in a thick layer. When the crust has completely hardened, the watermelon is removed to a cool, dark place.

In sand or grain

With this method, the fruits are placed in a pre-prepared wooden box, which is covered with sand. It is not worth tamping much, so as not to block the air access. Another option is dry grains with no signs of pests.

In the straw

Clean straw is a great way to protect your watermelon. It is both folded into a box and placed on a shelf. Straw is easy to replace with deciduous ash, dry tow or dried moss. However, rodents and insects like to be in these materials, so they carefully monitor the place.

Hanging

The fruit is wrapped in natural fabric or old newspapers and hung in a net, canvas bag or string bag. This method will provide the watermelon with air access, uniform temperature and humidity conditions. The option is suitable for large apartments and private houses.

In water

A rather unusual option, in which cold water is used, with which the fruit is completely covered.A good solution would be to store the watermelon in a prepared ice hole or wooden vat. Change the liquid 2-3 times, do not allow freezing.

How many watermelons are stored

If the fruits were carefully selected and kept according to all the rules, then their shelf life increases until spring. On average, the duration is 3-4 months.

All storage methods are also suitable for other melons and gourds: melons, pumpkins.

Tips and common mistakes

If it was not possible to save watermelons for a long time, the main reason for this is non-compliance with the recommendations. Ignoring or partial implementation of even one piece of advice leads to product spoilage. The most common mistakes and problems:

• choosing the wrong fruit;
• violation of the level of humidity;
• lack of periodic care and inspection;
• temperature jumps;
• pests and parasites.

Therefore, careful preparation and a thorough study of the issue are so important. Tips for improving storage of melons and gourds:

1. Watermelons are selected completely ripeso that they do not ripen after harvest and are not prone to early spoilage. The taste of unripe berries leaves much to be desired.
2. The fruits should not come into contact with other crops and with each other. The contact points quickly start to rot.
3. Use only soft bedding (grain, hay, sawdust). Placing a watermelon on a hard surface is a surefire way to spoil it ahead of time.
4. Periodically, the fruits are turned over and checked for integrity. Do this with soft gloves so as not to damage the berries.

On examination, signs of rot, fungi are revealed. If any fruit has become noticeably lighter than the others, it is removed.

Read also:

How to store watermelon seeds for home planting.

Step by step instructions: how to dry a watermelon in an electric dryer.

Watermelon on guard of male power: how it is useful for the body.

Conclusion

Long-term storage of watermelons is not an easy process. Before starting, they carefully study all the recommendations and tips, without deviating from any of them. They painstakingly approach each stage: choosing fruits, organizing a place, planning care. Then in winter you will be able not only to taste the juicy delicacy yourself, but also to surprise your guests with it.