Do picked watermelons ripen at home?
What a pleasure it is to enjoy the juicy cool pulp of a watermelon on a hot summer day! A couple of ripe slices will saturate the body with moisture twice as much as a glass of water.
How to choose the right watermelon and can it ripen at home if it sits? You will learn the answers to these questions, as well as what to do with unripe fruits, from the article.
Do watermelons ripen when picked?
Sometimes, due to the cold and rainy summer, gardeners have doubts: will the melons in the beds have time to ripen?
Often gardeners pick fruits unripe in the hope that they will sit and ripen at home. This assumption is based on the fact that some vegetables (tomatoes, zucchini, melons) will ripen during storage.
However watermelon acquires sweetness and aroma only in the garden under the sun's rays. Even for long-term storage, fruits are stored when they are fully ripe.
Will the cut fruit ripen?
Did the cut fruit turn out to be green? What should I do to make the watermelon ripen?
Answer: nothing. The pulp will no longer become red and sweet. But the situation can be corrected by putting the berry to work.
How to use unripe fruits
You cannot eat unripe berries without heat treatment.. Jam and candied fruits are made from this watermelon. Salty food lovers also don’t worry about where to place the poorly chosen fruit. Here are several universal watermelon recipes for all occasions.
It can be useful:
How to understand that a watermelon has gone bad and what to do if this happens
Unripe watermelon jam
For 400 g pulp You will need 0.5 cups of water, 800 g of sugar, one lemon.
Preparation:
- Wash the watermelon and lemon thoroughly.
- Peel the berries and remove seeds, cut into pieces 2-3 cm in size.
- Place the mixture in a saucepan, add a quarter glass of water and 250 g of sugar, cook over low heat, stirring, until the pieces soften (about 45 minutes).
- Meanwhile, peel the lemon and squeeze out the juice. Grate the zest on a fine grater.
- Prepare syrup from lemon juice, remaining water and 150 g of sugar.
- Pour the zest into a saucepan, pour in the hot syrup, simmer over low heat for another 30-40 minutes. At the same time, gradually add the remaining sugar (400 g) until the syrup thickens.
For winter storage Such jam should be boiled not for 40 minutes, but an hour or an hour and a half, and rolled into sterilized jars.
Candied fruit
Ingredients: one medium-sized watermelon, 0.5-0.8 liters of water, 100-150 g of sugar.
Preparation:
- Wash the fruit and cut into medium-sized slices.
- Clean the pieces from the pulp and the white stripe that is located near the crust.
- Cut the crusts into slices.
- Prepare the syrup: pour a layer of sugar about 1 cm thick into a frying pan, moisten it with water and melt, stirring constantly.
- Boil slices of watermelon rind in clean water for 15-20 minutes.
- After this, transfer the peels into syrup and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes.
- Remove, dry the candied fruits in the oven at 50ºC, and boil again in syrup for 5-10 minutes. Repeat the procedure twice.
After final drying You can try candied fruits.
Salted watermelon in a jar
Take 2 kg of berries 1 liter of water, 70 ml 9% vinegar, 3 tbsp. l. sugar, 1.5 tbsp. l. salt.
Bring water to a boil, add sugar and salt, add vinegar, rinse the watermelon thoroughly, cut into small pieces. Place in a three-liter jar and fill with hot brine.
Sterilize jars covered for 20 minutes. Then roll up, wrap and leave in a warm place with the lid down. Place the cooled jars in a cellar or cool pantry.
How to determine ripeness
Knowing the simple signs of melon ripeness, you can easily choose a sweet and aromatic watermelon.
Determining ripeness in the garden
It is easier to choose a ripe watermelon in your own garden, because the gardener knows exactly when the crop was planted, and in particular, what is the average growing season for his variety. The following signs will help you recognize a ripe berry::
- a dry tail means that the fruit has stopped feeding and “disconnected” from the melon, which means it is ripe;
- a deep yellow or orange spot on the side lying on the ground;
- shiny crust with a clear pattern and without a waxy coating;
- The peel is difficult to scratch with a fingernail, because the ripe berry does not absorb moisture and the shell hardens.
Read also:
How to prepare delicious and healthy watermelons in your own juice
Before the purchase
To preserve your health and the well-being of your loved ones when buying a watermelon do not neglect these rules:
- Buy berries only during the ripening season, in late August - early September. Otherwise, there is a risk of nitrate poisoning.
- Buy only in places authorized and equipped for melon trade, avoiding counters on the roadsides.
- Do not hesitate to ask sellers for permission to trade and product certificates.
- It is strictly forbidden to buy fruits with mechanical damage.Through cracks and cuts, pathogenic microbes easily penetrate into the pulp, which can cause food poisoning.
If the outlet meets all the requirements, we can safely proceed to choosing a treat.
Just like in the garden, you should focus on the dry tail and the bright yellow spot on the side. A ripe watermelon has clear, contrasting stripes. The crust is shiny and smooth. It cannot be pierced with a fingernail.
The sweet berry springs and resonates when tapped. You need to put the fruit on one palm and lightly pat it with the other. In this case, a resonance should be felt in the hand on which the watermelon lies. When you tap a ripe watermelon, you hear a clear and ringing sound. If you put the fruit to your ear and squeeze it hard with your hands, the ripe peel will bend slightly and crack.
On a note. Berries with a wide and flat circle at the tip are “girls”. They are sweeter and have fewer seeds.
Storing watermelon
Information about storage methods and features grown or purchased watermelons are shown in the table:
| Storage method | Peculiarities | Deadlines |
| Fridge | It is better to store on the bottom shelf.
The peel should not have cracks, dents, or signs of damage. The cut fruits are placed cut side down in a suitable container and covered with film. The slices are placed in a deep bowl and covered with film so that it does not come into contact with the pulp. |
Whole:
Cut: 1-2 days. |
| Freezer | Freezing a watermelon entirely is impractical - when defrosted, the fruit loses its appearance and structure.
Use peeled and seeded slices. The pulp does not tolerate thawing well and loses some of its sugar and structure. Suitable for making juices and cocktails. |
No more than 12 months. |
| Cellar | Suitable for long-term storage of whole berries, at a humidity of 65-85% and a temperature from +3º C to +5º C.
It is advisable to treat the room with antifungal agents. Before storing, check the watermelons: mechanical damage and signs of spoilage are unacceptable. Store separately from other vegetables on shelves; fruits should not touch each other. During storage, periodically inspect and turn over. |
3-4 months. |
| Home conditions | The place should be cool and dark (pantry, glazed balcony protected from direct sunlight, bathroom, mezzanine). | Whole: 4-5 weeks.
Cut: no more than 3 hours at room temperature. |
Bottom line
When choosing a watermelon, give preference to fruits with a dry tail and a bright yellow spot where it touches the ground. Pay attention to the peel. It should be hard, shiny, without a waxy coating, with contrasting stripes. When tapped, a ripe berry produces a clear, ringing sound. When pressed, the peel bends and cracks.
The remaining juicy slices are stored in the refrigerator for no more than two days, and at room temperature for several hours. A whole berry retains its taste and aroma from one and a half to four months, depending on storage conditions and variety.
Remember that unripe watermelons do not ripen at home. If the berry turns out to be green, do not rush to throw it away. An unripe watermelon can always be used: make jam, prepare candied fruits, or pickle it in a jar.