How to store cut pumpkin at home

It is difficult to overestimate the benefits of pumpkin - it contains a huge amount of vitamins and minerals that positively affect the human body. Regular consumption of pumpkin contributes to the normalization of the digestive tract, improves liver and kidney function, improves mood and relieves depression. The color of this berry is able to decorate and transform any dish. In addition, the pumpkin is considered a hypoallergenic product, it is successfully used as the first complementary food for babies. And pumpkin seeds are just a godsend for men's health, they are so valuable and useful.

In the autumn, it is time to harvest pumpkins. No matter how sweet and juicy these fruits are, eating them too much is impossible. And why? Pumpkin can be stored to enjoy its taste and benefit for several months.

How to store a whole pumpkin

A whole pumpkin can be stored in a city apartment for quite a long time, up to 5 months. Thanks to its tough crust, the pumpkin saves all taste and healthy properties with almost no losses. Store the whole pumpkin better in a dry and cool room - it can be a glazed balcony, a storage room, a cellar, a basement or a simple dark closet. For storage you need to remove only absolutely whole pumpkins without damage and cuts. If the fruit was harvested in the rain, it should be wiped beforehand with a cloth and dried. When storing multiple pumpkins, do not put them close to each other. If one starts to rot, it can infect the next one if it touches. In this case, it is necessary to revise pumpkins once every couple weeks for damage and rotting. Pumpkin with spoiled sides need to immediately remove or use.

How to store sliced ​​pumpkin in the fridge

First, the pumpkin should be completely clean. For convenience, the pumpkin is cut into pieces and cut with a sharp knifethick crust. In order not to hurt your fingers, it is better to use a special knife for cleaning vegetables, it is safer. After removing the peel, you need to remove the core and remove the seeds. The most convenient way to do this is with a spoon. Then you need to cut the pumpkin in small pieces and place in an airtight container. Place the container with the pumpkin in the refrigerator. In this form, the pumpkin will be stored for about two weeks. If you want to save the fruit for a longer period, you need a freeze.

How to store pumpkin in the freezer

The most optimal and useful way to store fresh vegetables and fruits is freezing. Despite the fact that many fruits after defrosting lose their structure, become watery and soft, all the useful properties in them are fully preserved. The same is true of the pumpkin.

To freeze the pumpkin, you must first clean the peel and core. Then cut the fruit into small pieces or grate, depending on what you are going to cook from the berries afterwards. Freeze the pumpkin should be portioned, so as not to do it again. Divide the fruit into portions that you will need for a single cooking.Store frozen pumpkin can be very long - up to six months.

Thaw the pumpkin gradually. Simply transfer the vegetable from the freezer to one of the shelves of the refrigerator and leave for a few hours. During this time, the sweet orange flesh is completely thawed and will be ready to eat. You can speed up the defrosting process by putting a pumpkin on the kitchen table. If you need a pumpkin here and now, you can defrost it in the microwave, but this method kills all the vitamins that the noble melon crop is ready to give you.

How to dry a pumpkin

Another way to preserve pumpkins is to dry the sweet pulp. As a result, you get sweet pieces of pumpkin, similar to dried fruit. This method of storage also saves most of the vitamins of this fruit.

1. First, the fruit must be prepared. As in the previous methods, we clean the pumpkin from the peel and bones, cut into small slices.
2. Omit the pumpkin slices for 30 seconds in boiling water. So we soften the fruit a little and make it even more delicious.
3. Remove the pumpkin slices with a skimmer and allow excess water to drain.When the pumpkin cools and dries, place the pumpkin pieces on a baking sheet, pre-lining it with baking paper. This is done so that the pieces are not stuck. The fire in the oven should be minimal, not more than 150 degrees. Long drying at relatively low temperatures allows preserving more vitamins in fruits.
4. When the pumpkin slices are completely dry, they can be removed from the oven. The field of how dried pumpkin cools, pour it into a canvas bag.
5. Dried-dried pumpkin can be stored for about three months in a dark, cool and well-ventilated place. Regularly look at the bag with the pumpkin to prevent insects from getting there.

Dried-dried pumpkin is not only useful, but also very tasty - many children love this uncomplicated product.

What to cook pumpkin

Pumpkin is able to diversify boring culinary dishes. From it prepare a lot of delicious and interesting dishes.

1. The most popular use of pumpkin is porridge. Sweet rice porridge with pumpkin is a classic that you can’t replace with anything.
2. Pumpkin is perfectly used as a filling for the dough.Some Central Asian nations cook manti and puff samsa with pumpkin. Stuffing for such dishes is prepared as follows - finely chopped pumpkin mixed with onions, beef or mutton fat, a little salt and pepper are added.
3. And what are the potato pancakes with pumpkin! Pumpkin together with raw potatoes are rubbed on a grater, salt, pepper, chicken egg and some flour are added to the mass. From the prepared mass you need to make pancakes and fry them on both sides. It is difficult to refuse such a snack!
4. Very fragrant, sweet and unusual pumpkin jam is obtained. To do this, cut the fruit into small pieces and add sugar. When it lasts a few hours, the pumpkin starts to give juice. The next day, you can start cooking pumpkin. Cooked jam pretty quickly. Pumpkin slices are rapidly becoming soft. When it comes to an end, add juice and lemon or orange zest to the mass. This will give the jam extraordinarily delicate flavor and sourness. Jam can be drunk with tea, added to pastries or oatmeal - it turns out very tasty!
5. Pumpkin can even be pickled and canned.Dissolve sugar and a little vinegar in water, pour the pumpkin pieces with the prepared syrup and leave it to marinate for the night. Add to your favorite mass of spices - cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper. Cook the mixture on low heat until the pumpkin is soft. After that, you can eat a pumpkin immediately or pour it into sterilized jars. In this case, it will be possible to enjoy the sour-savory taste of juicy pumpkin in winter too!

Recipes with pumpkin are very diverse and versatile - from it is prepared the first and second courses, desserts and even compotes.

Pumpkin is a storehouse of vitamins that can improve the work of any organism. Do not neglect these big orange fruits. Having learned to keep a pumpkin, you can enjoy its unusual taste all year round.

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