The season of fresh watermelons is quickly ending, especially in cold regions. The solution is simple - make blanks for the winter. Today’s article is dedicated to several popular and delicious recipes.
Ingredient preparation
The main ingredient is the watermelon itself, so its choice should be given a lot of attention. The best selection of ripe berries falls in the middle of the season. Regardless of the recipe, the berry should be ripe, not green and not overripe. Otherwise, the workpiece will fail.
Important! You can not buy fruits and vegetables on the side of country roads: during their stay there they are saturated with exhaust gases.
Criterias of choice:
- medium size - a fruit that is too large can be overfed with nitrates;
- if the whole salt is planned, the diameter should not exceed 15–18 cm;
- a healthy and ripe fruit has a bright, without visible damage and dents skin;
- the peduncle should be dark in color, dry;
- it is better to choose thin-skinned varieties, they have the most juicy pulp;
- when tapping the surface of a watermelon in a ripe berry, the sound is dull.
Step-by-step recipes for preparing watermelon for the winter
To prepare stocks for the winter, you will need some tools, such as a seaming key. It is advisable to prepare the dishes in advance: wash and disinfect the cans and lids.
In own juice under a nylon cover
3 cans of 3 liters for 2 hours
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Peel one third of the fruit from the crust and chop in mashed potatoes, add salt, mix.
- Salty mashed potatoes must be left for an hour until the grains of salt are completely dissolved.
- The remaining watermelons, after peeling, are cut into large slices.
- Then, in a cleanly washed jar, lay out all the components in layers: a layer of slices, a layer of mashed potatoes.
- Fill the cans on the shoulders, the upper pieces of pulp should be buried in watermelon juice-puree.
- The container neck needs to be wrapped up with a dense fabric from a natural thread, in a week the product will have time to salt well in a cold place.
- When ready, it is closed with a steamed nylon cover, stored in the cellar.
Salting in its own juice does not require a preservative; its preparation will occur due to the natural fermentation process under the action of lactic acid.
Did you know? In Japan, a rare variety of black watermelon is grown, in 2008 at an auction one of the first copies of the culture went under the hammer for $ 6300.
In syrup without sterilization
1 can for 1 liter 2 hours 25 minutes.
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
- Peel the flesh from the skin and seeds.
- Dice and boil in a saucepan for 5 minutes.
- Cool, add sugar and lemon juice.
- Leave for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Put on low heat and boil for 5 minutes after boiling.
- Place the pulp and syrup in a sterile container, roll the lid and wrap it with a blanket.
Did you know? In the Kalahari desert, in Africa, you can still find wild watermelons the size of a ball from tennis and weighing up to 200 g.
Cold salted watermelons
1 can for 3 l40 minutes
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
- Wash the fruit, cut the pulp into slices.
- Put in a jar previously prepared.
- In a saucepan, boil water with salt until completely dissolved.
- Cool the marinade and pour in the pulp.
- Fix the neck with gauze folded in several layers.
- Leave for 2 days for pickling.
- Cork the blank with a lid and store in the cold.
If there is such an opportunity, a similar snack is made for the winter in barrels.
Important! The lack of sterilization and vinegar as a preservative makes this food more healthy, it can be consumed by people with stomach diseases.
Storage Features
Salty and pickled preparations are stored in the basement or cellar. The storage temperature of products under a kapron, rather than an airtight lid is + 5 ... + 8 ° С. The room should be dry, but have ventilation. This kind of preservation is stored for 3–6 months, after this period, the beneficial effect is reduced. Regularly need to inspect the products for mold on the surface, if it is found, it is removed. If necessary, add freshly prepared brine to the pickle.
Hermetically sealed winter products can be stored at home, for example, in the pantry. Storage temperature - + 5 ... + 20 ° С, humidity - not higher than 70%. Jam or jam from watermelon when stored at 0 ° C and below can quickly be candied. After seaming the product, it must be turned upside down and checked for leaks.
There are a lot of options for harvesting watermelon for the winter: pickling, pickling, jam and candied fruit. You can cook anything for every taste, the main thing is to know how to properly protect the product from damage.
