How can I save a watermelon until the New Year?

Although mandarins are traditionally a symbol of the New Year, sometimes you want to see something more original on the festive table in winter. It may be greetings from the summer - watermelon, but then the question arises, how to keep a watermelon until the New Year safe and sound with its pleasant taste, vitamins and minerals.

We select the perfect watermelon

What is important to do first is to choose the right fruit for storage.

1. It is believed that watermelons retain all their beneficial properties at home for 3-4 months after collection, so that they survive the winter, the selected berry should be of late varieties, usually ripening in mid-late September. Moreover, they ripen on their own, which means the absence of harmful additives in them that accelerate growth. The most common varieties for long-term storage are Astrakhansky, Bykovsky, Volzhanin and Ikar. All of them have juicy sweet flesh and are quite resistant to disease.
2. The berry should be whole - without cracks, scratches, dents, rot, etc., have distinct strips on the peel and a uniform color, indicating ripeness from all sides. It is better to choose medium-sized fruits - small ones may already be ripe by the time of harvesting, and too large, on the contrary, have not yet had time to ripen completely.
3. The selected variety should be characterized by a thick peel and dense pulp.
4. You should not make a purchase in supermarkets and large chain stores - usually ripe watermelons are delivered there, most likely stuffed with chemicals for safety during transportation and storage in display cases. It is better to get the berry from trusted gardeners. And if it was grown independently, then for subsequent long-term storage, the crop should be removed a few days earlier than usual. And, of course, do not abuse the feeding of still growing watermelons with too much chemistry.

Storage rules

Keep the watermelon right. Obviously, this should be done at low temperature. Of course, you can send it to the refrigerator for several months, but then there will not be much space left for other products. Therefore, it is worth choosing a more free place in which the following conditions will be met.

1. Temperature is not higher than +5, +8 ° С. At room temperature, keeping watermelons for more than a couple of days is by no means impossible - they begin to rot and wander.
2. Humidity within 60-80%. With excessive dryness, the watermelon will quickly lose its liquid and will look lethargic, and in dampness it will quickly rot.
3. Good ventilation.
4. Darkness.

A pantry, mezzanine or an unheated, but glazed balcony (although in this case you will have to make sure that the temperature on it is not too low) will suit these requirements.

Tip

Experienced gardeners know how to keep a watermelon at home. The secret is that it must be well prepared for this - wash thoroughly, being careful not to damage the peel, wipe and allow to air dry. For maximum drying, you can impose straw at night, which absorbs excess water.

How to store?

As for specific storage methods, there are several empirically proven options.

1. Hanging. The watermelon is wrapped in natural fabric or old newspapers and hung in a linen bag, net or string bag. The berry will be provided with ventilation and uniform temperature and humidity conditions.
2. Sand falling. The watermelon is placed in a box of wood and covered with sand, trying not to tamp it too much to leave access to the air.Sand can be replaced with dry cereals, but it is important that they do not have insect larvae or other pests.
3. Straw. In this case, you can either put the watermelon in a drawer or simply place it on a shelf or on the floor, covering it with clean straw from all sides. Instead of straw, ash (preferably hardwood), dry tow or thoroughly dried moss can also be used. But insects and rodents often wind up in these products, so the storage location will have to be protected especially carefully.
4. Clay. Due to the adsorbing and disinfecting qualities, it will protect watermelons from moisture and fungus, and the resulting dense crust will protect against external influences. Clay should be diluted in clean water, and preferably in a non-metallic container, mix thoroughly and apply on the surface of the fetus with a thick layer with your hands or a brush, after which let it dry well and remove the watermelons in a cool dark place.

We store competently

Fruits can not be stacked in several layers: from the pressure of the peel, if it does not crack, it will surely rumple a little. It is better that the berries do not touch each other at all, lying separately or with a thick layer of something soft between them. So they will not only not crush each other, but also will not suffer if one of them nevertheless begins to rot and mold. It is not recommended to store watermelons with other fruits and vegetables, because they very easily absorb odors. It is important that the watermelon does not lie on a hard surface, otherwise the peel will at least for some, but be sure to crumple, which will affect the shelf life. Be sure to lay something soft enough.

Berries suspended in the net for the winter can be left undisturbed at all, unless the place of storage has become colder or warmer too much - then you need to remove them in more suitable conditions. And fruits buried in sand or wrapped in dry grass on average once every 2-3 weeks should be inspected for safety and turned over. If it is noticed that one of them began to deteriorate, then continue to try to save the watermelon is not worth it. If the damaged part is small, you can cut it off, and eat the rest right away, otherwise you can immediately get rid of the decayed or moldy product.

It is important to understand that after collecting and harvesting for storage, watermelons practically do not ripen. And if initially a greenish unripe fruit was acquired, then from months of lying in autumn and winter it will not become tastier and sweeter.

How long can a watermelon be stored?

When buying a good watermelon and following all the recommendations for its storage, it is quite capable of staying alive not only until the winter and New Year, but also until spring. Moreover, using the same rules, you can save other popular gourds - melon and pumpkin - until the holidays.

Alternatives to long-term storage

If there is any doubt that it will be possible to keep a watermelon for so long, or if there are no suitable conditions for storing it, then this berry can always be put on a New Year's table in a canned form. Not only the delicious pulp itself, but also the usually thrown crusts will be used. Boiling them with sugar, make watermelon jam. The pulp is crushed and filtered, and the resulting juice is boiled, getting a thick sweet syrup called watermelon honey. Both thick-bodied and thin-bodied varieties of watermelons, whole or chopped into pieces, are salted in brine, with cabbage, apples and even in the sand. It turns out to be a very original appetizer, although some may not like it because of a habit.

In winter, large stores can buy foreign watermelons. However, firstly, their price is ten times higher than that of domestic products in the summer season, and secondly, they will be much less tasty. And the point here is not in some bad varieties, but solely in the fact that for long transportations, the fruits are harvested very unripe, and no matter how much they lie, they will not be able to ripen significantly.