How to save a watermelon before the New Year: useful tips

Many people want to save watermelon until the New Year holidays to pleasantly surprise guests and relatives. Agree, summer delicacy will cause a real sensation. Long-term storage of watermelons is carried out by means of straw, clay, paraffin and even ash. The procedure is not particularly difficult, but you must have basic knowledge. Consider the most current methods that preserve the beneficial properties, structure and texture of the fruit.

The benefits of watermelon

1. Thanks to the watermelon pulp, the intestinal microflora is improved, the activity of the digestive tract is normalized, and the vessels are dilated. Eating fruits is indicated for people suffering from chronic constipation or, on the contrary, diarrhea.
2. Watermelon contains fiber, which is responsible for cholesterol levels.With regular use reduces the risk of atherosclerosis and other serious diseases associated with large amounts of adipose tissue. In addition, watermelon maintains blood glucose, allowing people with diabetes to lead a full life.
3. The berry contains lycopene - a natural antioxidant. It normalizes the work of the heart, stabilizes blood pressure, reduces the risk of developing malignant and benign tumors. With regular use prevented the possible occurrence of cancer.

Optimal storage conditions for watermelons

1. Exposure of fruits in the basement is considered to be the most profitable option, especially in winter. The main thing is to ensure that the humidity does not exceed 80%.
2. In this case, the temperature regime should be within the range of 2-4 degrees. These characteristics are the guarantor of preserving the juiciness, taste and structure of the fruit.
3. It is important to remember forever that when the temperature is below zero, watermelons start to freeze. This feature leads to irretrievable loss of quality.
4. The same applies to too high a mode (from 4 degrees). In case of violation of the mark inside the fruit, fermentation begins, which makes the pulp mushy and sour.
5. Also it is necessary to take into account the optimum level of humidity, it should not be above 80%. Otherwise, the watermelons begin to rot massively, again, the taste, juiciness and structure of the pulp is lost.
6. It is worth considering another important point - air circulation. The room for long-term storage of watermelons must be equipped with ventilation or airflow. Such a move will not allow bacteria to actively develop.

The choice of watermelon for long-term storage

1. If you buy a berry with dents or a cracked skin, clearly, watermelons will disappear. The same applies to specimens with an early degree of maturity. Watermelons with defects are stored for a maximum of 15 days.
2. Remember that late-ripening watermelons are suitable for storage. Fruits of this kind do not feed with nitrates for the earliest ripeness. Therefore, you need to buy them in the fall (approximately September 15-30).
3. Berries with a very thick skin are ideal for storage. Give preference to Volga, Astrakhan, Melitopol, Bykov watermelons.Also suitable varieties "Stokes", "Dessert", "Grace", "Cold", "Icarus."
4. Before buying inspect, feel the selected instances. The “correct” watermelons have a bright green and glossy rind without dull inclusions. Knock on it to make sure the density and elasticity.
5. A very important aspect in the selection of berries is the integrity of the peel. You can not buy watermelons with dents, cracks, sunburn, excessively unripe areas, scratches and other minor injuries.
6. To keep the treat until the New Year, choose watermelons with weak immaturity. Tails should be green, not dry. Also on suitable specimens you will see strips of white and a light touch.
7. Tap on the surface of the watermelon, the sound should be clear, not muffled. Fruits of this kind in the process of aging will reach the necessary level of ripeness, while they will lie still after the New Year (if the situation requires).
8. Refuse to purchase fruits that are traded along the dirty roads on the side of the road. Especially if the watermelons are lying on the ground, uncovered by an awning. Watermelons lying on gravel or sand under direct ultraviolet absorb all smog.
9. If possible, buy berries in the designated specialty shops. At your request, the seller is obliged to submit documents and a sanitary book for the services provided. All copies should be stored in one, maximum two rows, but not in a huge pile. According to the rules, watermelons are located on a pallet or in a box covered with a canopy.
10. To save the watermelon before the New Year, you need to pay attention to the weight of the product. The best indicator is 3-5 kg., No more. Too large fruits will begin to deteriorate from the inside.

How to save watermelon before the New Year in the cellar

To meet all conditions, it is necessary to choose the right room for storage. The ideal option is the shutter speed in the basement or cellar. Immediate preservation depends on the observance of important aspects, which we will discuss below.

Training

1. In late autumn and winter, keep to a temperature range of 1–4 degrees. Observe air humidity of about 75-80%. Arrange for proper circulation by erecting ventilation.
2. Before sending watermelons for permanent storage, sort them.Next, you need to get rid of excess fluid in the cortex. For these purposes, place the watermelons on dry grass and cover with plenty of straw. Soak berries 2.5-3 days, occasionally turning them.
3. To prevent the development of fungus, prepare a lime solution at a concentration of 2%. Grease the rind of each watermelon with it, let it dry for 3 hours. Next, select the appropriate storage option from the methods below.

Sand storage

1. Prepare a wooden box of suitable size. Pour out dry sifted sand to the bottom, send a watermelon to the cavity. Sprinkle the fruit with sand and tamp.
2. If you decide to store several watermelons in this way, make sure that they do not touch each other. If all the conditions are met, preparation and “conservation” are carried out, the watermelon will lie in the box until mid-January – early February.

Shelf Storage

1. Make sure that the shelves for future storage of watermelons are located at a distance of 80-100 cm from each other. Spread the racks with needles, straw, dried peat or other natural material.
2. Arrange the fruits on the shelves, observing the interval between the berries. Do not allow them to touch.Once a week, check the watermelons, turn them over, exclude rotten ones.

Storage in the ground

1. If you have a suburban area, take advantage of this. Dig a deep hole (about 35-50 cm), cover the bottom with dry wood chips or straw. The layer should be about 10-15 cm.
2. Treat the watermelons with lime at a concentration of 25%, send the specimens into the pit. Make sure that the berries lie separately from each other. Add more straw or wood to cut off the sides and top.
3. Sprinkle the watermelons with the earth above to get a 30-40 centimeter layer. Similarly, you can store a large number of berries, but it is very difficult to keep track of their integrity.

Water storage

1. An excellent storage option that does not require ingenuity and available tools is the use of water. Pick up a deep tub, send a watermelon into it, fill it with cold clean liquid.
2. In order to resort to this method, the surface of the berries must be perfectly intact. In this case, the water must be changed 1 time in 8-10 days.

Storage in ashes

1. Ash is an analogue of the aging of fruits in the sand. If for some reason you decide to resort to this method, choose the ashes from the burning branches of fruit trees.
2. The technology of "preservation" is identical: pick up a wooden box, cover the bottom with ash, lay out the berries and sprinkle them. Duration of exposure - until January.

Grid storage

1. If you plan to save a small harvest before the New Year, use a shopping bag or a fine mesh. Pick one fixture for each berry.
2. Wash the fruit with newspaper, parchment paper or album sheets, send inside. Hang the grid under the ceiling in the basement or cellar. It is important not to allow the fruit to touch each other.

Moss storage

1. To resort to this method, you need to collect moss in the fall. It must be dry and solid, otherwise the watermelons will rot. Before you start packing berries, lay the moss in the sun, leave to dry for 2 days.
2. Choose a box made of wood of suitable size. It would be better if each instance is allocated a separate box. Line the bottom with moss, send a watermelon inside, wrap it up on all sides, ram it.

Clay storage

1. Many housewives resort to this method on the advice of grandmothers, and this is not surprising. The method is considered the most effective of all available.If you create an individual cocoon for a watermelon, the fruit will lie for up to six months without losing its taste and structural properties.
2. Paraffin, alabaster or clay is taken as the basis for modeling. You need to prepare the composition, then "wrap" them every berry. The layer of the product should not be less than 1 cm. After solidification, the watermelons are quietly placed on the racks, suspended in a net or wrapped with straw.

How to save watermelon before the New Year in the apartment

1. To bring the berry to the holiday table, it is necessary to organize all the conditions for long-term storage. Maintaining the temperature regime is easiest in the refrigerator.
2. Before loading the watermelon into the chamber, send it to the freezer for 1.5 hours. Soak at a temperature of -10 degrees to ensure pre-treatment. Next, send in the refrigerator, observe the mode of 1-4 degrees above zero.
3. If it is not possible to store a watermelon in the refrigerator, ensure proper conditions on the balcony. At the same time in winter time the temperature should not fall below +1 degree.
4. The methods described above are considered to be excellent options for preserving fruits. You can also make a “cocoon” of paraffin, send the berry in a box of ash or sand,soak in cold water, etc. The placement option is also considered analogous: hanging, laying on the shelves.

Consider storing watermelon in the ground, sand, water, straw, ash, moss. Hang the fruits from the ceiling, wrapped them beforehand with a newspaper and placing them in a net. Put the berries on the racks so that they do not touch.

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