How to prepare delicious and healthy watermelons in your own juice for the winter

August is the month of vacations, the sea and, of course, watermelons. During their ripening period, everyone strives to enjoy this sweet berry. But the season passes quickly, the watermelons are running out, but you still want to eat them again and again. Then numerous proven recipes for salting, pickling and canning will come to your aid. Thanks to them, you can enjoy watermelon even in winter.

Selection and preparation of watermelon

First of all decide on the preparation method and what you want to get in the end.

For winter preservation, choose late varieties. The early ones, which appear on markets and store shelves in July and early August, contain large amounts of nitrates. It is better not to make canned products from these watermelons - as a rule, cans with such products explode. The exception, of course, is berries grown in your own garden.

It is more convenient to use watermelons with a thin rind: it will not take up much space in the jar and will allow more pulp to get into the workpiece.

Both red ripe and pink berries are suitable for pickling. If you want crispy watermelons, choose slightly underripe fruit. Overripe ones are used mainly for sweet preserves in jars; they are used to make juices, syrups and toppings for desserts and baked goods.

Important! Remove the seeds from the watermelon - this way it will better retain its taste throughout the winter.

To pickle whole fruits, choose small berries, with a diameter of no more than 15 cm.

Read also:

How to tell if a watermelon has gone bad

How to make jam from watermelon pulp

The benefits of watermelon juice and how to prepare it

Best Recipes

Preparing watermelon in its own juice can be used as a sweet dessert or as a sweet and sour dessert. and even a savory salty snack.

Salted watermelon in a jar

It sounds strange, but The sweet and juicy berry makes a delicious salty snack, which will complement even the festive table.

Ingredients (for four 1 liter jars):

• watermelon – 1 pc.;
• salt – 4 tbsp. spoons;
• sugar – 4 tbsp. spoons;
• vinegar 9% – 4 tbsp. spoons;
• cloves – 8 pcs.;
• small apples (ranetki) - optional.

Preparation:

1. Trim off the rinds and pulp.
2. Sterilize glass jars.
3. Cut the watermelon rinds into 4-5 cm pieces and place them in jars. It is good to fill the voids with ranetki or small apples. Place a couple of cloves in each jar.
4. Boil water, add salt and sugar to it. Just pour a tablespoon of vinegar into the jar, then pour the boiling brine.
5. Wait until the air comes out (you can help this by moving the jar a little on the table).
6. Add brine and seal the jars with lids.
7. After a day, when the pieces have cooled, put them in the refrigerator. Serve the appetizer cold.

Spicy lightly salted watermelon

Lightly salted watermelon is prepared easily and quickly. You can serve this preparation on the table just a few days after pickling and surprise everyone with a savory dish made from sweet berries.

Ingredients:

• watermelon;
• dry mustard;
• salt;
• sugar.

Preparation:

1. Prepare a jar for pickling.
2. Cut the watermelon into circles and divide them into four parts. Be sure to remove the crust so that the spices are distributed evenly over the entire area of ​​the piece.
3. Prepare three plates: pour dry mustard into one, salt into the second, sugar into the third.
4. Rub each piece on all sides first with mustard, then salt, and then sugar.
5. Place the grated pieces tightly into the jar and close with a nylon lid.

This preparation should be kept at room temperature for two days.. After the specified time has passed, put the jars in the refrigerator. On the third day, lightly salted berries can be served. But for greater piquancy, soak the preparations in the marinade for seven days.

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With honey

If you bought a large but unripe watermelon, do not despair. This recipe will help you save unripe berries and treat yourself to a delicious dessert.

Ingredients:

• watermelon – 10 kg;
• water – 9 l;
• honey – 10 tbsp. spoon;
• sugar – 5 tbsp. spoon;
• salt – 5 tbsp. spoon;
• vinegar 9% – 300 ml.

Preparation:

1. Prepare the fruits by washing them thoroughly.
2. Wash and sterilize the jars in any way you are accustomed to.
3. Cut the watermelons into slices about 5-7 cm long, peel them and fill the jars to the top.
4. Pour boiling water over the jars filled with watermelon slices and leave for 10 minutes.
5. Make the brine. Add sugar, salt, honey to boiling water and, just before pouring into jars, vinegar.
6. Drain the water from the jars and fill the watermelon with the prepared brine.
7. Roll up the lids of the jars and turn them upside down. Wrap them in a blanket and leave them like this until they cool completely, then store them in the basement or pantry.

Preparation in own juice in a barrel

To preserve as many useful substances as possible, pickle watermelons in their own juice in a barrel. With this method of salting, heat treatment and the addition of vinegar are not required, therefore, during fermentation, natural lactic acid bacteria are formed, which have a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora.

Ingredients:

• whole watermelon – 10 kg;
• watermelon pulp – 5 kg;
• salt – 2 tbsp. spoons.

Preparation:

1. Prepare 5 kg of watermelon mass. Peel off the crust and grind with a blender.
2. Pour salt into the resulting mass and mix well.
3. Wash whole fruits - they should not be large.
4. Next, the process of assembling the workpiece begins. Place the first layer of berries in the barrel and cover it with the salted watermelon mixture. Thus, transfer all the fruits to the edges; the top layer should be the watermelon mass.
5. Cover the barrel with a lid or linen cloth. Leave in a cool place for a week.

In a week, the preparation in the barrel will be ready. If mold appears during fermentation, remove it.

Terms and conditions of storage

Watermelon preparations should be stored in a dark and cool place.. This could be a storage room or basement. Remember that berries prepared for the winter in different ways are stored for different amounts of time.

Canned watermelons can be stored in jars for a year, preserving nutrients. It is not advisable to store blanks in barrels for more than 5-6 months.

How and with what to serve

Canned watermelon can be used as a separate dish or as an addition to the main dishes.. The crispy salted berry complements the taste of fried meat and baked fish, poultry or potatoes. A tasty snack can also be made from various grilled vegetables with the addition of canned watermelon.

Sweet watermelon preparations will serve as an excellent decoration and complement any dessert with their unusual taste. They go well with cocktails and mousses.

Conclusion

The watermelon season does not last long, so in order to extend the summer, housewives have learned to make preparations from this large berry. Despite the fact that the salting process is quite labor-intensive, you will not regret the time spent.

Watermelon, canned in its own juice in jars or barrels, will allow your household and guests to enjoy the fresh and juicy taste on long winter evenings.