How to preserve watermelon in the cellar until the New Year - 7 best ways

Watermelon in January is a little New Year's miracle that will lift your spirits and remind you of a sunny summer. But berries with a high juice content, they are easily damaged and sour, susceptible to rot and mold.

The easiest way is to keep them in a basement or cellar, where optimal conditions are created. We'll talk about how to do this correctly below.

Which watermelons are suitable for long-term storage?

Choosing the right fruit is only half the battle. Important characteristics of the berry are variety, degree of ripeness, condition and weight.

The best varieties

For long term storage Late-ripening varieties are suitable. Their ripening period is from 95 to 110 days after emergence. Such fruits go on sale from the end of August, have a strong and thick peel, and ripen better.

The most common varieties:

1. Chill - popular in Russia. Large fruits weighing 15–25 kg ripen in 100–110 days. Light green, with distinct dark stripes, watermelons have the shape of a slightly elongated ellipse. They are stored for up to three months.
2. Icarus - mid-late variety, suitable for long-term storage. Fruits weighing 13–15 kg tolerate transportation well and last up to five months. Watermelons are dark green with faint black stripes.
3. Bush 334 - late-ripening, has relatively small fruits weighing up to 8 kg, light green in color with dark stripes. The peel is durable and can withstand transportation. Shelf life - up to three months.
4. Heroic - despite this name, watermelons weigh no more than 8 kg.The color is light green with dark stripes. The peel is thin, the flesh is dark red. The shelf life of the fruit is up to three months.

How to choose the right fruit

For long-term storage, watermelons are collected by hand on a soft bedding so that they are not injured or soured.

When buying berries, pay attention to a number of signs:

• dry tail, distinct yellow or orange spot;
• the peel is without external damage or holes (small brownish stripes are traces of grass and insects);
• average weight: “giants” of 15–20 kg are damaged under the pressure of their own weight and take up a lot of space;
• the surface is equally hard and dry in all places, without dents or soft spots.

The fruits should be neatly laid out on soft litter. When piled up, they quickly turn sour.

Important! Unripe berries are not suitable: they do not ripen well outside the bush.

In stores, watermelons are often placed in carts or boxes with metal bars. Under the pressure of their own weight, such fruits are quickly damaged. Subtle marks from the mesh will cause rapid spoilage of supplies.

How to keep a watermelon in the cellar until the New Year

The cellar is one of the most suitable places for melons. Thanks to optimal (constant) conditions and humidity levels, the berries here do not spoil for a long time. We'll tell you how best to store fruits in such a room.

Preparation

The underground floor has been prepared since the fall: they check the ventilation system, remove areas of mold and dampness, and destroy parasites.

To do this:

1. Cleaning ventilation pipes: the grille on the holes will close the passage for insects and rodents.
2. Preparing the walls: large cracks are sealed with cement, mold areas are treated with special compounds and painted with lime.
3. Drying the room: in dry weather the basement is left open for several days. Shelves, drawers, and racks are temporarily taken outside.
4. Disinfection with a smoke bomb: this will destroy pockets of mold, rot, and repel rodents and insects. They burn a sulfur bomb at the onset of the first frost, when rodents begin to actively seek warm shelters.

Optimal conditions

The cellar is well suited for storing melons: watermelons require a constant temperature of +2...+4°C and a humidity of 60–80%.

Important! The berries are not laid out on a hard surface: under the pressure of its own weight, the bark is gradually pressed down, and the fermentation process begins. Straw, sand, moss are used as bedding, or fruits are hung in a net.

They leave fruits for the winter not only in the basement, but also in the apartment.

The most suitable places for this:

• pantry;
• bathroom;
• mezzanine or closet;
• glazed balcony or loggia.

Fruits are not placed near heating devices. Choose a dark place with a constant temperature. When stored on the balcony in severe frosts, watermelons are removed into the room.

Nuances

When storing several fruits, they are isolated from each other: if one of them begins to deteriorate or releases juice, the rot will spread to other berries. The condition of the stock is checked periodically - if wet soft spots, cracks, or plaque appear, the watermelons are removed from the storage area.

Sometimes the peel is treated with various compounds to extend the shelf life of the product:

1. Clay — the peel is coated with a liquid solution, allowed to dry, then a second layer is applied. The thickness of the coating is 0.5–1 cm. The processed berries are stored hanging or on a litter.
2. Wax or paraffin - the substance is melted and the surface of the berry is treated with it.Then it is placed on a soft mat or suspended. Wax and paraffin protect vegetables and fruits from rot and mold.

Processing the peel has a significant drawback: the additional peel makes it difficult to control the condition of the fruit.

It is not necessary to keep the berries whole. The diced pulp is placed in the freezer. Instead of bags, use plastic containers to prevent the pieces from being crushed and losing their juice. Such preparations are suitable for making desserts.

Storage methods in the basement

Among the various options for storing watermelons in the basement, choose the most affordable one, taking into account the available materials. Typically straw, sand, grain, moss or ash are used. Depending on the contents of the cellar, you will need shelves, separate drawers and boxes.

On the racks

Shelves must be dry and free of mold. Any soft material is laid out on them: straw, rags, crumpled paper. Watermelons are placed separately from each other at a short distance.

Important! Periodically check the condition of the fruits and turn them over.

In limbo

It is convenient to keep berries in string bags and mesh bags for vegetables. The fruits are coated with clay, wax or wrapped in fabric with a natural composition (cotton or wool). Hang them so that they do not touch the walls or shelves.

Good to know. An old pillowcase used as a bag is suitable for wrapping.

In sand and ash

Sand is one of the most accessible materials. It is taken clean and dry, without insects and grass residues. To clean, sift.

A 5–10 cm layer of sand is poured onto the bottom of the box. A watermelon is placed in the middle and completely covered. Wood ash is used instead of sand. It has antiseptic properties and protects well from mold and pests.

In the straw

Dry straw is placed in a box or on shelves. A watermelon is placed on the litter and covered with dry grass on all sides. Periodically, the hay is turned and the fruit is turned over.

In liquid clay

To store the berries, liquid clay is diluted in a barrel or bucket. The watermelon is placed so that it is completely submerged. The container is closed so that the fruit does not float.

In the moss

If there is a forest nearby, moss is dug out from it. It absorbs moisture well, protecting the fruit from spoilage. The material is collected in dry weather and then thoroughly dried in the sun. The watermelon is completely covered with moss and stored in a box or hanging.

Maximum shelf life

Watermelon variety determines how long it will be stored. Late-ripening varieties are suitable for consumption for an average of three months. They buy berries at the end of the season: September – early October.

Attention! When calculating the period, it is important to remember that the fruit has already been lying around for some time after harvesting from producers and sellers.

Reviews

Many people share their experience of successfully preserving the fruit until winter.

Svetlana: «Watermelon is the highlight of my New Year's table. I usually buy fruit for the winter at the end of September. The main thing is to choose a whole and strong one. I coat it with alabaster mixture. I dilute the solution to the consistency of sour cream. After drying, the surface should be smooth, without cracks. I hang the processed berries in a net in the basement.”

Sergey: “I always saved watermelon for my son’s birthday in January. This has become our home tradition, and now that the child has grown up, he still comes to us for a treat. We don’t live in a private house, so we leave the watermelon on the mezzanine in a box with crumpled paper. Sometimes I coat it with wax. To do this, I melt 10 regular candles in a bowl. I hold the fruit suspended, dip it a little and turn it on each side.The wax sets immediately, especially if the berry has been in the refrigerator.”

Conclusion

Half the success in long-term storage of watermelon depends on the quality of the fruit itself. It is chosen in medium size, without damage. A dry tail and a small light spot indicate maturity.

They buy berries in September - October, keep them in a ventilated cellar, on soft bedding, separately from each other or hanging. It is important to regularly check the condition of the berries and turn them over. The average shelf life of watermelons is up to three months.