Exotic fruits can be bought in the store all year round. But many do not like their taste – watery and often artificial. Seasonal watermelons, aged at home until the first frost, can be a great delicacy. We tell you how to properly store watermelon in order to please your loved ones with a summer taste in the middle of winter.
How to choose the right watermelon to store for a long time
If you want to save a watermelon until the New Year’s table, choose the best one available. Correctly pay attention to the following points:
- watermelon should be of medium size – no heavier than 5-6 kg;
- the surface is smooth and undamaged: free from dents, cracks, scratches, or stains;
- choose fruits in the fall – this way you will get a late variety. Such watermelons usually have a dense and thick peel, which will reliably keep the pulp intact, juicy, and sweet, such fruits can be stored for as long as you like without much effort.
How and where to store watermelon so that it stays fresh
Home conditions for storing watermelon must be strictly defined, then the winter will not affect the safety and will not damage the sweet fruit. The ideal place is dark, cool, and not too dry or damp.
If you have a cellar or closet at home with a somewhat constant temperature that does not exceed 6-9 ° C, you are in luck. If it is possible to set such a temperature in a conventional refrigerator and adapt it for storing vegetables or fruits, this home option can be considered optimal.
You can pick up other ways to store watermelon when it’s winter outside. There are more of them in a private house than in a city apartment:
- glazed cool balcony;
- cellar, basement, or attic;
- garage;
- vestibule near the front door in the common corridor;
- bathroom;
- pantry.
How to store watermelon: choose the right way
Ways to store summer fruits come down to one thing: you need to avoid contact with the watermelon with a hard surface and ensure good ventilation around the berries. How many watermelons to send for storage in one batch is up to you, the main thing is that they do not touch each other’s sides.
Hang the watermelon in fabric or netting
Wrap the striped fruit with cotton or linen, wrapping paper, or paper towels. You can put it in a bag made of natural fabric or a string bag, and build a durable rope hammock.
Hang on a beam or hook so that the watermelon does not touch the wall
How long the fruit can hang like this depends on the variety chosen, and the temperature and humidity of the air in the room.
Put in a sandbox
This method requires wooden boxes with sand. If the gaps between the boards are too large, line the inside of the box with gauze or wrapping paper. Take clean sand, remove debris from it, dry it well in the sun, or bake it in the oven.
Half-fill the box with sand, and lay the watermelon so that the stalk is at the bottom. If there are several fruits, keep a distance between them of about 6-10 cm.
Pour the same clean sand on top so that it completely covers the watermelons. How much sand is needed for one watermelon? On average, about 8-10 kg.
Experienced gardeners say that sand can be replaced with natural wood shavings, straw, grain, dry rice, buckwheat, and sifted ash obtained after burning firewood. All this should be dry, and the entire storage structure should be well-ventilated.
From time to time, you need to inspect the condition of the watermelon: if a sour or any other foreign smell appears, then the fruit has deteriorated. But the strong and pronounced aroma of watermelon says that it is time to eat it, even if the fruit has not lain for as many days as you would like.
Put the berry in a tub filled with water
Any container in which the watermelon will fit freely will do a baby bath, a canister, a deep basin, a small cistern, a wooden vat, or a tub.
Wash the container and fill it with clean cold water-filtered, otherwise, impurities from the tap will get into the pulp of the watermelon, and this can be dangerous to health.
Change the water every 3-5 days, as soon as it becomes dull or greenish, an unpleasant odor will appear.
Coat the watermelon with clay, paraffin, or wax
A somewhat unusual way to store watermelon, but considered one of the most effective.
Take natural clay without impurities – sculptural, pottery, or river clay will do. Dilute with water to the consistency of very thick sour cream and coat the watermelon with your hands or a stack. Apply several layers in this way, allowing the previous one to dry thoroughly.
Wax or paraffin is applied in a similar way in a heated form. The result should be a dense uniform “crust”.
In this form, hang the watermelon in a net or put it in a box with sawdust or sand in a cool place.