Watermelon is a symbol of summer. The juicy fruits are a great thirst quencher and are easy to find during this season. Many watermelon lovers want to enjoy the taste of the fruit not only in summer, but also in winter. In this article we will tell you what you need to do to enjoy watermelon in winter and what ways you can preserve its taste.

1. Thanks to watermelon pulp, the intestinal microflora improves, the activity of the digestive tract is normalized, and blood vessels dilate. The consumption of 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, the risk of developing atherosclerosis and other serious diseases associated with large amounts of adipose tissue is reduced. In addition, watermelon maintains blood glucose levels, allowing people with diabetes to lead a full life.
3. The berry contains lycopene, a natural antioxidant. It normalizes heart function, stabilizes blood pressure, and reduces the risk of developing malignant and benign tumors. With regular use, the possible occurrence of cancer is prevented.

Choosing watermelon for winter storage

To ensure that the shelf life of the fruits is as long as possible and at the same time they retain their taste, it is very important to know which watermelon to choose for harvesting for the winter. Appearance When choosing fruits, be sure to pay attention to their appearance. There should be no damage to them. Sunburn, cracks, scratches and dents make the fruit unsuitable for long-term storage.

There are several proven ways to preserve watermelons for the winter at home, the main thing is that the temperature is below room temperature. But at home, you can’t store just any type of berry. Late-ripening watermelon varieties with thick skin are suitable for this. You should especially pay attention to the following options:

• Volzhsky;
• Astrakhan striped;
• Dessert;
• Bykovsky;
• Pulse
• Gift from Kholodov.

Whatever variety you choose, you should not purchase watermelon in early August in order to extend its shelf life and save it until the new year; the purchase should be made in mid-September - in October. Then the plant will not have long to stay at home. To achieve a guaranteed result, you can even grow a suitable variety of watermelon yourself.

The ideal weight of the berry should be 4-5 kg. The watermelon must be handled carefully, not thrown, maintaining its integrity. Otherwise, it will quickly disappear and cannot be stored. Variety You can save watermelon until the New Year only if you choose the right variety. Only late-ripening varieties with thick skins are excellent for storage. It is recommended to purchase fruits for harvesting at the end of September. Usually they contain virtually no nitrates, since by this time their ripening occurs without auxiliary substances. It is recommended to give preference to varieties with strong pulp, such as “Astrakhan Striped”, “Dessert”, “Podarok Kholodova”, “Volzhsky”.

Storage conditions for fresh watermelons

The places where fresh watermelons will be stored before New Year must be:

• ventilated;
• dark;
• cool (air temperature in the storage should not be higher than +5-+8 °C);
• with a relative humidity of 60−80%, but no more. In a dry room, the berries will quickly lose their juiciness, and in too humid, they will simply spoil.

Where is the best place to store fresh watermelons in an apartment?

There are not many places in the apartment that would meet all the above requirements, but they do exist. The most suitable premises for long-term storage are the following:

1. pantry;
2. glazed loggia;
3. bathroom or any other poorly lit room with low temperature;
4. mezzanine.

In any of these places, “sunny fruits” will be stored for a long time. However, choosing the right storage is not the only key to success.

Methods for storing watermelons before winter

There are many proven methods for storing sweet fruits with success. All of them are effective and available even at home:

• In the newspaper.

Wrap the watermelon loosely in dry newspaper, place it in a net and hang it up.

• In alabaster or clay.

Dilute the alabaster with water and coat the berries. After the first layer has dried, apply the second. Once dry, also hang the watermelon in the net. Alabaster can be replaced with clay.

• Storage in ashes.

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

• Net storage.

1. If you plan to save a small harvest until the New Year, use a string bag or fine mesh. Select one device for each berry.
2. Wash the fruits with newspaper, parchment paper or album sheets, and send them inside. Hang the net from the ceiling in the basement or cellar. It is important to prevent the fruits from touching each other.

• Storage in moss.

1. To use this method, you need to collect moss in the fall. It must be dry and whole, otherwise the watermelons will rot. Before you start packing the berries, spread the moss out in the sun and leave it to dry for 2 days.
2. Choose a wooden box of the appropriate size. It would be better if each copy was given a separate box. Line the bottom with moss, place the watermelon inside, wrap it on all sides, and tamp it down.

Regular checking of watermelons during long-term storage

So that you do not have questions about how long you can store a watermelon, you should conduct a daily inspection of the fruit. By identifying rotten fruits in a timely manner, you can protect others from spoilage - the appearance of spots and rotting. It is important to turn watermelons every day, change the litter and ventilate the room. This will avoid the appearance of various defects and bedsores on the surface of the crust. All actions should be performed using disposable rubber gloves to minimize contact with hands. By following these simple recommendations, you will learn how to properly store watermelons so that they remain fresh, tasty and juicy.

Freezing watermelons for the winter

If you do not have the opportunity to place melons in a separate room, then you are probably wondering whether watermelons can be stored in the refrigerator and how long a frozen watermelon can be stored.

It is best to store the watermelon in the freezer, where it is placed pre-cut into pieces. To do this, it is recommended to remove the crust, cut the pulp into uniform, small pieces and place on a flat surface in one layer (for example, on a tray or baking sheet). The tray is then placed in the freezer, where the pieces are evenly frozen. After part of the fruit, you can quickly transfer it to containers or tight bags.

Such berries can be stored for a very long time - until the next harvest. However, remember that defrosted pulp quickly loses moisture and volume, so be sure to consume fresh watermelon quickly. Also, do not forget to close the container tightly, otherwise the fruits will become saturated with freezer odors.

Watermelon is a juicy, tasty and healthy summer berry, the appearance of which is eagerly awaited not only by children, but also by adults. Unfortunately, the duration of its ripening and harvesting is short and completely dependent on weather conditions. Preserving watermelon until the New Year is quite possible if you follow some secrets.

Useful properties of watermelon

Delicious berry - it's not only a wonderful dessert, but also an incredibly beneficial product for human health. Watermelon contains many useful substances and minerals, namely: calcium, sodium, potassium, ascorbic acid, carotene and thiamine. Don’t forget about antioxidants, which prolong a person’s life and slow down the natural aging process.

An integral part of the fetal pulp is folic acid, which plays an important role in the process of intrauterine development of humans. A high concentration of magnesium helps prevent the development of urolithiasis and is also a powerful antidepressant. The striped berry, which consists of 90% water, perfectly quenches thirst, and its diuretic properties are actively used in various diets.

Therefore, if a whole plantation has grown healthy berries and the family is unable to eat it all on their own, the issue of storing watermelons for the winter becomes acute.

Varieties for long-term storage

Few people are aware but melons belong to crops with a long shelf life. Under the right storage conditions, the striped crop can last up to three months without losing its taste and beneficial properties.

Storing watermelon until the New Year is a serious issue in which many nuances need to be taken into account. For long-term storage, it is possible to give preference to the fruits of late-ripening thick-skinned varieties. They retain elasticity excellently and retain moisture.

Examples of long-lasting varieties:

• "Popovka";
• "Volzhsky";
• "Astrakhan striped".

Examples of varieties that can be stored for a long time under strict observance of the necessary conditions:

• "Dessert";
• "Melitopol";
• "Bykovsky";
• "Astrakhan Marble".

It is worth adding that modern varieties without seeds also store well..

To please your family and friends with fresh watermelon for the New Year, you should initially choose the right fruit that you can store for a long time:

Optimal storage conditions

When storing watermelon for a long time, everything is important - from air temperature to its humidity, as well as its proximity to other fruits and vegetables. Experienced melon growers strongly recommend adhering to all the rules very precisely. The main ones:

How and where to store watermelon for the winter

Experienced gardeners know many ways to store striped berries: in hay, paraffin, clay, ash and water. The most affordable and simplest options are those with hay and water, but this is suitable for owners of cellars, not apartments.

In a spacious cellar or basement in vats of water, the shelf life of the berries will last until mid-winter. With the dry storage method, the fruits should be laid in one layer on a flat, soft surface. Experienced agronomists are convinced that it is correct to place watermelons in grain.

As a rule, straw, sawdust, moss or hay are used as bedding. Each berry should lie at a distance from each other.

But what should city residents do in this case, where it is possible to store berries only in residential premises? Of course, it is pointless to talk about real harvest reserves, but a few pieces can be saved until October-December if you try really hard.

Hanging in a cool place can be an easy storage option in a living room. To do this, the berries are tightly wrapped with natural fabric. Place it in a soft net, one piece at a time, and hang it from the ceiling in the pantry or other dark corner of the apartment.

If you are the owner of a glazed balcony, then a separate place in it can be lined with straw or hay. The best places in a living room for long-term storage of watermelon are:

• mezzanine;
• pantry;
• bathroom;
• loggia or glassed-in balcony;
• fridge.

When choosing a location, you should take into account all the important parameters. At room temperature, the storage time will be reduced by 1-1.5 months. However, unglazed loggias and balconies are a bad time to store fruit, especially in winter. A frozen fruit is unable to bring either taste or aesthetic pleasure.

Cold storage

It is not always possible to eat a large berry in one go. To ensure that the remaining portion lasts for some time, the correct measures should be taken to store it:

If you understand that you cannot handle fresh cut watermelon, then simply preserve it: pickled watermelons are very tasty, although they can no longer be called a dessert.

Is it possible to freeze watermelon for the winter?

In winter, the human body especially urgently needs fresh vegetables and fruits.

Unfortunately, freezing has a detrimental effect on the juicy pulp; it loses its consistency, transforming into liquid. Nevertheless, ways to freeze berries were invented. The peeled and seeded pieces should be placed on a flat dish and placed in the freezer. When exposed to cold, watermelon will retain its juiciness, taste and appearance.

After freezing, the pieces must be transferred to a bag or container. During the New Year holidays, they can be used to prepare desserts or drinks.

Frozen striped berries are a wonderful treat during the cold season. For convenience, it is recommended to freeze the fruit in portioned pieces.

Attention, TODAY only!

Many of us want to preserve a piece of warm summer that we can enjoy during the winter cold. Such a fragrant and sweet memory can be the storage of watermelons, which will appear on the table as a delicious dessert during the autumn or winter holidays. If you don’t know whether you can preserve watermelon at home, then in this article we will tell you how to do it. And if you are also the happy owner of a basement or cellar, then from this article you will learn how to store watermelons in the cellar.

How long can watermelon be stored?

Naturally, the first question to ask is: what is the shelf life of watermelons in general?

It all depends on the type of crop. Early-ripening varieties are least suitable for long-term storage, but late-ripening fruits are the best. These varieties include Astrakhan marble, Peasant, Lezhkiy, Astrakhan striped, Kholodok and others, the ripening period of which is in September. The peculiarity of late varieties is that the process of chemical synthesis of sugars in them occurs more slowly, and therefore the breakdown of chemical bonds takes more time. Therefore, late varieties can retain taste and elasticity for up to 5 months.

If you are interested in how long berries of early varieties can be stored, then their storage period is very short and amounts to days.

At home, it is better to immediately eat such fruit or process it.

As already mentioned, varieties that ripen in early or late September are best suited for storing watermelons for the winter. The likelihood that such a crop is grown on nitrates is extremely low, which makes the fruits not only tasty, but also healthy.

Next, pay attention to the appearance of the fruit. If, when purchasing, you notice cracks, dents or scratches on the watermelon, then it is better to consume this fruit immediately. Any damage becomes a potential source of bacterial infection.

The purchased watermelon must be ripe; this is the only way it will be stored at home for a long time. However, this maturity should be natural, and not accelerated. Therefore, do not buy berries in supermarkets or along the highway. Firstly, the fruits there often do not have the best taste, and secondly, they are sold unripe.

If you decide to save berries from your own garden, you can start picking them five days before final ripening, doing this very carefully, without damaging the stem. Then the fruits are carefully transported to the storage location. In this case, transportation should not be carried out “en masse”. It is recommended to place the crop in a vehicle in one layer on a soft bedding - in an amount sufficient so that the fruits do not hit each other during transportation.

Required temperature and humidity

How long the melon crop will be stored is directly affected by the humidity and temperature of the storage room. Where else to store watermelons if not in a basement or cellar, where you can provide ideal conditions for the berries! The best temperature for storing watermelons is +2–6 degrees, and the humidity should be 75–85%.

Thanks to high humidity, the fruit will lose less of its own moisture, so it will remain juicy and aromatic longer. And a stable temperature close to the minimum will allow you to enjoy crispy but not frozen pulp even in winter.

At home, a good place for storage can be a pantry or refrigerator if their capacity allows you to store the berries whole. In addition, at home you can store watermelon on the mezzanine, balcony, or in the pantry.

How to keep it fresh

In order for the fruit to remain fresh and tasty for as long as possible, it is recommended to store it in a hanging state separately from other crops. Many home garden owners keep their crops in the underground, where they carefully place the stored fruits on a bed of straw or other plant material. In addition, in a private home, you can afford to store watermelons in special boxes with sand, where the fruits are lowered and sprinkled with sand or ash as a layer. In addition, you can make a layer between the berries using moss.

Before placing the fruit in place, it must be washed, dried and coated with some kind of protective substance. Among such substances, wax, alabaster, clay and two percent lime are considered the best. The fruit is covered so that the dried substance forms a crust of 0.5–0.8 mm.

Freezing for the winter

If you do not have the opportunity to place melons in a separate room, then you are probably wondering whether watermelons can be stored in the refrigerator and how long a frozen watermelon can be stored.

It is best to store the watermelon in the freezer, where it is placed pre-cut into pieces. To do this, it is recommended to remove the crust, cut the pulp into uniform, small pieces and place on a flat surface in one layer (for example, on a tray or baking sheet). The tray is then placed in the freezer, where the pieces are evenly frozen. After part of the fruit, you can quickly transfer it to containers or tight bags.

Such berries can be stored for a very long time - until the next harvest. However, remember that defrosted pulp quickly loses moisture and volume, so be sure to consume fresh watermelon quickly. Also, do not forget to close the container tightly, otherwise the fruits will become saturated with freezer odors.

Other storage methods

In addition to all of the above methods, there are two more - pickling and pickling watermelons. These methods will preserve the fruit well, but the taste of the pulp will change. Pickled and pickled watermelons can be stored for a whole year or longer, provided that the recipe and culinary processes are followed correctly.

Video “How long to store watermelon”

From this video you will learn how to properly store watermelon.

When the melon season is in full swing, it's time to think about how to store watermelon at home so that you can enjoy the healthy and tasty berry in November and December.

Basic principles of storage

First of all, you need to pay attention to the choice of fruits for storage, because not every watermelon can stay fresh for a long time. If you have your own harvest, selecting the best specimens will not be difficult. Watermelons should be collected extremely carefully, avoiding even the slightest damage, and try not to wrinkle them. Choose your fruits medium size: Too small ones may turn out to be unripe, and in overripe berries the processes of rotting will begin faster.

The optimal weight of the fetus is 4-5 kg. Please pay pay attention to the peel– it should be hard, elastic and shiny, with a clearly defined pattern, without roughness or stains.

How long do damaged watermelons last? Under any conditions, they will last no more than 10-20 days.

If you do not grow watermelons and melons, follow the above rules for choosing at the market or in the store. You should not buy crushed fruits with cracked skin. Be sure to touch the watermelon with your hands and feel each individual area, because defects are often impossible to determine by eye. Any scratches should be a reason to refuse the purchase.

Choose late-ripening varieties with a thick rind and make sure the fruit is ripe enough: when you tap the watermelon, you should hear a dull sound.

In the market, it is better to refuse to purchase watermelons from wholesalers who transport and sell them in very large quantities. If possible, it is better to buy the fruits directly from the melon owners.

The watermelon must be of the correct shape, otherwise there is a danger of buying a berry with hidden defects. Before storing, please consider the following recommendations:

• Wear gloves when carrying fruits;
• do not place watermelons on hard surfaces, both during transportation and storage;
• You shouldn’t put berries in a pile; it’s best to transport and store them at a distance from each other;
• During storage, periodically inspect watermelons and remove spoiled specimens to avoid the spread of rot to the entire batch.

To preserve watermelons for a long time, it is important to ensure the correct temperature and humidity. At what temperature can fruits be stored? Optimal indicators – from +1 ℃ to +4℃ . At higher temperatures, the fruits will soon begin to rot and the pulp will quickly turn sour. The humidity in the storage area should not be too low or too high. Dry air will cause the fruits to lose their elasticity and wither. The best humidity indicator for saving watermelons is 75-85% .

Ensure constant air circulation in the place where you plan to store the melon crop.

To extend shelf life, inspect and turn the fruits several times a month. This way you can also control the condition of the berries yourself.

Methods for storing watermelons at home

At room temperature

Many people wonder whether it is possible to preserve watermelon at room temperature, because under natural conditions more nutrients remain in the berry. The shelf life largely depends on the variety and degree of ripeness of the fruit, for example, thick-skinned varieties can be stored for 4-5 weeks.

You should not leave cut watermelons at room temperature, otherwise they will quickly spoil.

In the cellar

If you live in a country house, there is probably a cellar among the agricultural buildings. It is there that you will be able to preserve watermelon for the winter thanks to the optimal temperature and humidity. How can you place striped berries in a cellar or basement? Here are a few options:

• bury in the sand. Place the watermelon in the box so that it does not touch the walls. Place in the cellar and cover with dry, clean river sand. The disadvantage of this method is that you will not be able to examine the fetus regularly. This is how you can store watermelon 3-4 weeks, so try to use the treat before the expiration date;
• bury in ashes. Wood ash is used for storage in the same way as sand. The only condition is that the raw materials for storage must be made of natural wood. Pour a thin layer of ash onto the bottom of a wooden box, place the berry in it and pour it on top;
• cover with straw. This method can be used to store watermelon both on racks and in drawers. Lay straw on the surface and place the fruits on it, without letting them touch each other. Place the remaining straw in the gaps and on top to completely cover the workpiece. To regularly inspect for damage, simply move the straw heaps apart;
• coat with liquid clay. This method is quite original and has been used since ancient times, therefore it is considered highly effective for long-term storage. The clay layer forms a protective crust on the surface of the watermelon, which prevents the berry from spoiling. Dissolve the clay in water until it becomes liquid sour cream, completely cover the watermelon with the mixture, wait until it dries completely and lower it into the cellar;
• cover with moss. This is the most extravagant way to preserve watermelon until the new year at home. The application technology is the same as when using straw. Prepare dry forest moss for shelter by first drying it in the sun. Place a layer of natural material on the bottom of the box and cover the watermelon additionally on all sides. Keep the harvest prepared for storage in a cool cellar.

Another reliable storage method is hang fruits in soft nets as high as possible to the ceiling of the cellar. This ensures them high-quality ventilation, and the likelihood of damage when turning over is practically reduced to zero.

In a refrigerator

If you live in a city apartment or you simply do not have a cellar that meets the necessary conditions, a refrigerator will be an alternative. You can store a cut watermelon or a whole fruit on the shelf, because buying too large a fruit is always accompanied by the need to save the remaining pieces.

To prevent the flesh from becoming slippery and unpleasant to the taste, cover the cut area with cling film or place the watermelon on a plate cut side down and cover with a bag. The fruit cut into pieces should be placed in a deep container and covered with film on top, avoiding the film touching the pulp.

The situation is different with the whole fruit, which is perfectly preserved in the refrigerator. If you purchase a late-ripening variety, it will last in a cold place for 10-15 weeks. Early ripening watermelons with thin skin can be stored for no more than 2 months without compromising their quality.

When storing in the refrigerator, it is important to consider the condition of the fruit: it should not have damage or defects.

In the freezer

Judging by numerous reviews, the most popular place for long-term storage of watermelon pulp is the freezer. If you only need berries for making drinks (juices, cups, jelly, cocktails), then freezing is the ideal storage method.

Peel the rind and remove the seeds from the pulp, place it in food containers or bags, dividing the contents into small portions. For convenience and to save space in the freezer, you can grind the edible part in a blender and store the watermelon as a complete preparation. The finished base for refreshing drinks can be stored in the freezer for no more than 10-12 months.

Storage of workpieces

Watermelons are salted, pickled and fermented. You can find several step-by-step recipes and methods for storing such preparations in this article.

In addition, sweets are made from watermelon pulp: “watermelon honey” (bekmez) and some varieties of candied fruits.

As you can see, there are many storage options. We hope that among our recommendations you will find a suitable way for yourself on how to preserve juicy fruit for a long period.

Video on the topic

In this video, an experienced gardener talks about his experience storing watermelons:

He has considerable experience in gardening - from sowing seeds and seedlings to harvesting and storing the crop. Each sowing season begins with the search for new ways of growing, because cucumbers can be collected not only from the garden, but also, for example, from... a barrel and even grown on a windowsill in winter. She considers caring for plants one of the best ways to relieve stress.

Found a mistake? Select the text with the mouse and click:

Ctrl + Enter

Do you know that:

It is believed that some vegetables and fruits (cucumbers, stem celery, all varieties of cabbage, peppers, apples) have “negative calorie content,” that is, more calories are consumed during digestion than they contain. In fact, only 10-20% of the calories received from food are consumed in the digestive process.

Convenient Android applications have been developed to help gardeners and gardeners. First of all, these are sowing (lunar, flower, etc.) calendars, thematic magazines, and collections of useful tips. With their help, you can choose a day favorable for planting each type of plant, determine the timing of their ripening and harvest on time.

The homeland of pepper is America, but the main breeding work on developing sweet varieties was carried out, in particular, by Ferenc Horvath (Hungary) in the 20s. XX century in Europe, mainly in the Balkans. Pepper came to Russia from Bulgaria, which is why it received its usual name - “Bulgarian”.

Natural toxins are found in many plants; Those grown in gardens and vegetable gardens are no exception. Thus, the seeds of apples, apricots, and peaches contain hydrocyanic acid, and the tops and peels of unripe nightshades (potatoes, eggplants, tomatoes) contain solanine. But do not be afraid: their number is too small.

In Australia, scientists have begun experiments in cloning several varieties of grapes grown in cold regions. Climate warming, which is predicted for the next 50 years, will lead to their disappearance. Australian varieties have excellent characteristics for winemaking and are not susceptible to diseases common in Europe and America.

Compost is rotted organic remains of various origins. How to do it? They put everything in a heap, hole or large box: kitchen scraps, tops of garden crops, weeds cut before flowering, thin twigs. All this is layered with phosphate rock, sometimes straw, earth or peat. (Some summer residents add special composting accelerators.) Cover with film. During the process of overheating, the pile is periodically turned or pierced to bring in fresh air. Typically, compost “ripens” for 2 years, but with modern additives it can be ready in one summer season.

Oklahoma farmer Carl Burns developed an unusual variety of multi-colored corn called Rainbow Corn. The grains on each cob are of different colors and shades: brown, pink, purple, blue, green, etc. This result was achieved through many years of selecting the most colored ordinary varieties and crossing them.

In little Denmark, any piece of land is a very expensive pleasure. Therefore, local gardeners have adapted to growing fresh vegetables in buckets, large bags, and foam boxes filled with a special earthen mixture. Such agrotechnical methods make it possible to obtain a harvest even at home.

From varietal tomatoes you can get “your own” seeds for sowing next year (if you really like the variety). But it is useless to do this with hybrids: you will get seeds, but they will carry the hereditary material not of the plant from which they were taken, but of its numerous “ancestors”.

During the harvest season, every housewife is concerned, first of all, with how to preserve the fruits for as long as possible. Today we will talk about how to store watermelons in the cellar so that the fragrant, sweet pulp will delight you for many more months, and perhaps even last until the New Year. If you are lucky and have a cool, dark place where you can put ripe berries, then you should definitely take advantage of it and surprise your guests in the middle of winter.

What should you pay attention to if you have the idea of ​​storing watermelons in the cellar?

• Fruit selection

This is the most important point, because not all varieties of this berry are able to tolerate long-term storage even in ideal conditions.

• Storage conditions

Just as not every watermelon lasts until the New Year, not every cellar is suitable for placing melons in it. Let's look at each point in detail.

How to choose the right watermelon for storage

It is recommended to consider “Astrakhan Striped” and “Popovka” as “lying” varieties. “Astrakhansky Marble”, “Bykovsky 15” and “Melitopolsky 143” will be slightly less durable.

In addition to the variety, attention should be paid to the fruits themselves.

Terms of purchase

We do not buy watermelons for storage in early or mid-August.

The best time to purchase is the end of September. It is then that the fruits will be the sweetest and ripest, without the risk of increased nitrate content in them.

Appearance and integrity

If the selected variety should have stripes, look at their outlines: bright, with a noticeable border, indicate the good quality and naturalness of the product.

Otherwise (the stripes are blurred), the watermelon was most likely subjected to accelerated growth (the risk of buying a watermelon with nitrates).

Fruits lying directly on the ground are also not worth buying - microcracks in the peel will reduce the shelf life, and a watermelon with them can begin to rot in just a few weeks.

We choose fruits with a smooth rind without dents or damage.

Size and place of purchase

It is best to purchase medium-sized berries from the entire batch, since too large ones may be overripe.

• Be sure to pay attention to the condition of the halo under the tail - it should be keratinized, not fresh green. This indicates good ripeness of the watermelon.
• It is better not to buy melons in the supermarket - as a rule, they supply unripe fruits, and these will not have sufficient sweetness in the future.
• If watermelons have grown in your own garden bed, then we remove them for storage approximately 4-5 days before the planned harvest.

You can read about more detailed nuances of choosing a striped berry in our article “.” But even if the variety is chosen correctly, storage cannot be guaranteed without other, equally important conditions.

Place

Before planting or even buying melons, let’s decide on a place, because watermelons cannot be stored in the same room as potatoes or other vegetables.

It is best to make a separate lockable compartment for them.

Preparation

The main condition is careful handling. Regardless of where our watermelons come from, they must be transported to the storage location and handled as carefully as possible to prevent dents or cracks.

In addition, under no circumstances should we stack the fruits in several layers, especially during transportation. We also do not transport them or keep them on a hard surface before sending them to the cellar. A soft rag bedding will protect the peel.

Next, wash the watermelons thoroughly and not just wipe them with a towel, but let them dry completely. Ideally, they should be covered with straw or dry grass at night to “exfoliate”, that is, maximum dehydration of the peel.

Storage method

The cellar should be equipped with hooks or shelves, since both methods of storing watermelons are considered optimal.

Hanging watermelon

In the first case, we put each berry in a separate net and hang it on a hook.

Watermelons in the sand

In the second, we fill the shelves with sand, cover them with straw or rags and lay out clean, dry watermelons. As we remember, there should not be a hard surface that will injure the fetus.

Under no circumstances should we place watermelons side to side. There must be a distance of at least 5-10 cm between them. If one of the fruits begins to rot, this will help mold and mildew not spread to healthy berries.

We do not touch the berries hanging in the net at all.

Storing watermelons in the cellar: temperature and humidity

Cool, humid air 5-8 degrees above 0 and 75% - 80% humidity is considered optimal. Moderate cold will ensure long-term storage and protect watermelons as much as possible from the appearance of pests and fungi, and humidity will allow the berries to remain juicy.

If the cellar turns out to be too dry, we risk getting not juicy pulp in November, but a limp substance, since the watermelon will evaporate too much moisture.

How long can watermelons be stored in the cellar? Obviously, if all the above recommendations are followed, they can definitely stay there until the New Year.

Well, for those who consider all of the above to be insufficient, we will describe several more effective, but more complex and labor-intensive ways to store melons in the cellar.

1. Fill wooden boxes 1/3 with dry straw or clean sand.
2. We put watermelons in them.
3. Fill the remaining space with substrate.

Despite the fact that it will not be possible to check the condition of the crop once again, you can store watermelons in this way for at least a month. The main thing is to comply with the isolation condition - there should be either straw or sand between the berries.

You can also use wood ash or moss for these purposes:

• the ash must be of natural origin and preferably from deciduous trees,
• We collect moss from the forest and dry it in the sun before using it.

Storing watermelons in clay

An excellent adsorbent and disinfectant, clay will preserve the freshness of fruits for a long time.

1. Apply a thick layer of liquid clay to the watermelons.
2. Let the clay dry completely.
3. Then we lower the processed watermelons into the cellar.
4. We lay them out separately and take them out as needed.

Now you know how to store watermelons in the cellar so that they last as long as possible and even in deep winter delight your family with their summer juiciness.