How to store melon at home: ways

Preparing the melon for storage

Different varieties of melon can be expected to have different shelf life. There are varieties whose fruits cannot be stored for more than 15 days. Low-life are those that can be stored for only one month, medium-life – up to two months, shelf-life – up to three months, and those that are subject to even longer storage are considered very keeping. 

“Bykovchanka”, “Zimovka” – these varieties can be left until the New Year, they are able to lie all winter without losing their taste, it’s a pity that they do not ripen in the middle lane, these late varieties are grown only in the fields of the southern republics.

“Yellow Canary”, “Gulaba” and “Torpedo” grow well in our dachas, so they can be put in long-term storage. If everything is done correctly, then a delicious melon can not only decorate the table in honor of the New Year, but delight us all winter. Slightly unripe fruits with intact skins are selected for storage. The nose of the melon should be firm, not soft (indicative of ripeness), but the aroma is already clearly distinguishable. The fruit of this degree of ripeness, without any damage, is carefully torn off the stem with hands, leaving 3 cm of the tail. It is advised to do this on a warm, cloudless day, then the melon can still be warmed up in the sun, leaving it in the garden and turning it on different sides for even heating.

Save, especially for a long time, you can only absolutely whole healthy fruits. Therefore, before laying in special rooms or for storage at home, you need to carefully examine all the fruits again – the slightest darkening of the skin indicates rot starting in the middle, and any deep crack can lead to infection from the outside. It is best to cut and eat all suspicious fruits as soon as possible, and not to postpone for the winter.

We store melon in winter

In the south, melon growers keep their crops of melons in specially built structures with very thick (up to 1 m) clay walls. Melons are stored there all winter until next year at a temperature not higher than +13 in summer and +6 in winter.

It would be right for us to keep melons separately from all other fruits, since they absorb all extraneous odors – they get the smell of damp earth from potatoes, and apples generally contribute to the rapid ripening of melon pulp.

The best solution would be to store melons in a separate cellar room, where the temperature in winter does not drop below +6 or +8 degrees, and the humidity does not exceed 80%. High humidity will cause rotting, and too low will cause the fruit to dry out. No matter how many fruits you put in the same room, they should not touch each other. You can lay them out on a soft bed of cloth, sand or sawdust on the shelves. A box with dry sand would be a good place, melons are placed vertically in it, stalk down, and covered up to half with sand or sawdust. If the tail has already fallen off, it is advisable to fill its place with paraffin in order to protect yourself from infections.

To store a fresh melon correctly is to hang each fruit separately, using a net or a canvas bag, so that it does not touch anything but this bag. At the same time, the room must be ventilated, and the fruits should be inspected at least once a month, and those that begin to deteriorate should be removed.

Storage in the apartment

How long a melon will lie at home depends primarily on the degree of its ripeness. An unripe fruit on a soft cloth litter in a shaded place can lie at home for a week. If the nose of the fruit is soft, the aroma is strong, then the pulp is already fully ripe, in which case the shelf life is reduced to two days. In a cool place in the apartment, for example, at the balcony door, an unripe melon of a suitable variety can lie for a month – not until the New Year, of course, but also good.

A whole intact melon can be put in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks, on the lowest shelf. Before that, it is desirable to wash it, dry it, then wrap it in cling film (leaving holes or slots for air) or in a cloth made of natural fabric.

We are used to the fact that at home everything helps to keep the refrigerator, often we even exaggerate its importance. This is not always correct. Here is a melon, for example, at a low temperature (close to zero) it can become harmful – ethylene is produced in its ripe pulp, and a large amount of it can cause poisoning of the body. For the same reason, it is not advisable to keep the cut fruit in the refrigerator, and in general it will be right to eat it right away.

Many people put the cut melon in special containers, close it tightly and then confidently eat it the next day. It’s better not to. If put in the refrigerator, low temperatures will stimulate the production of ethylene. If left at room temperature, the sweet flesh may start to rot in a short time. So it turns out that it is better to throw away the half-eaten fruit than to expose yourself and your loved ones to the danger of poisoning.

The only way in which your favorite refrigerator will help keep delicious pulp until the New Year or even for the whole winter is freezing. It just needs to be done right.

To freeze, peel and cut the pulp into small strips up to 4 cm long, up to 2 cm wide and up to 1 cm thick. Then spread in one layer on a baking sheet or dish so that the strips do not touch, place in the freezer until completely frozen. After that, they can be folded into a plastic bag and stored in the same freezer, not only all winter, but even a whole year. Frozen balls from ripe pulp look spectacular. This method allows you to save most of the useful elements.

Dried melon can be stored at home for the same amount of time. Some make a tender tasty jam from it.

There are many ways to keep your favorite fruit for a long time and enjoy it at any time during the year. But it will never be as tasty as freshly brought from the garden, where it has fully matured under the rays of the gentle sun.

Video “Drying melon” Kolkhoz Woman “

This video demonstrates the process of preparing dried sweet melon “Kolhoznitsa” in an electric dryer for fruits and vegetables.