How to deliciously freeze a watermelon for the winter at home and is it possible
Watermelon is a large sweet berry that many people enjoy. Unfortunately, the period when you can enjoy it from the heart is short, while it is very pleasant to eat a piece of juicy watermelon pulp on a chilly autumn evening or prepare an appetizing watermelon dessert for the New Year's feast. Today there is a simple and effective way to please yourself by keeping the taste and aroma of the past summer in the refrigerator for a long time. A few useful tips on how to freeze a watermelon for the winter will be very useful and useful for housewives.
Is it possible to freeze a watermelon for the winter
Of course, you can freeze a watermelon, but in order not to be disappointed with the result, you need to know some of the subtleties of the process. Since watermelon is largely composed of water, it destroys the delicate fibers of the pulp when frozen. After defrosting, such a berry loses its taste and original shape, turning either into tasteless water or into an unsightly jelly. Therefore, frozen watermelon is not used as an independent dish, but it is great for making cocktails, smoothies, and decorating cold desserts.
That is why you can find both positive and negative reviews about its freezing. If everything is done correctly, then it will be possible not only to surprise guests and family by offering an unexpected treat, but also to preserve the beneficial properties of a large striped berry.
Store watermelon in the refrigerator for no more than 12 months.
Important: long-term storage significantly impairs the taste of striped berries - sugar simply freezes under the influence of low temperatures
It is best to eat it no later than 2 months after freezing. Although there are data on the use of the product after 8 and even 12 months of storage.
Features of freezing
It should be remembered that when frozen, the product expands strongly and quickly absorbs foreign odors. That is why the pieces of pulp should be laid loosely and stored in a tightly closed container.
Before storing, the pulp should be completely peeled and removed from the seeds. Glass containers are not used to store the pulp; under the influence of expanding moisture and low temperatures, such containers can burst.
How to choose the right product
For freezing, use the pulp of ripe fruits. Ripeness is determined by the stalk (it must be dry). The watermelon should be whole, without cracks, dents, with a shiny, dense skin.When tapped, a ripe fruit makes a dull sound, if such a berry is slightly squeezed, a slight crack is heard, the coincidence of all selection criteria is an almost complete guarantee of acquiring a fully ripe and tasty watermelon.
Preparing the refrigerator
Since watermelon absorbs odors very well, like most fruits and vegetables, the freezer should be unplugged and washed thoroughly before setting it for long-term freezing (you can use laundry soap, dishwashing liquid). Rinse the shelves and storage containers, the inside of the freezer and the freezer door. After that, it must be dried and ventilated.
Then prepare the required number of freezer bags or plastic containers with tight-fitting lids.
Ways to freeze watermelon at home
There are different recipes for freezing watermelon pulp. The selection includes the most delicious of them.
Entirely in the freezer
This storage method is not suitable for watermelon. Under the influence of cold, the pulp inside the watermelon turns into an unappetizing gelatinous mass. It is not suitable for making dessert; the taste and appearance of such a product can greatly spoil the mood.
If the house has a cold storage room or basement with a constant temperature not higher than + 10 ° С and not lower than + 2 ° С, you can keep the watermelon fresh and juicy by simply putting it in storage and turning it over from time to time. In this case, the fruits should be stored so that they do not come into contact with each other and are separated from other products intended for storage.
Frozen watermelon pulp in pieces
It is not difficult to prepare frozen watermelon cubes, they can be used on their own or as a base used in other ways of preserving watermelon for the winter. Stages of work:
- The selected fruit is thoroughly washed and wiped dry.
- The watermelon is peeled from the green skin and seeds, the pulp is cut into small pieces, which are laid out on a clean baking sheet or cutting board so that they lie separately from each other.
- Place the baking sheet in the freezer; after complete freezing, the pieces are carefully removed and put into freezer bags, from which, after filling, the air is carefully removed and tightly tied or sealed using a special machine.
- To make it easier to remove the frozen watermelon cubes, the surface of the baking sheet or board is pre-covered with cling film. Tight-closing plastic containers are often used for storage.
- The selected storage container should not be tightly filled with pieces of watermelon pulp as it expands when frozen.
Fruit juice, sugar syrup can be added to pieces of fruit prepared in this way. By the way, a frozen piece of watermelon is an excellent tonic for the skin, many women are happy to use it to preserve and maintain their own beauty.
With sugar
In this case, the watermelon pulp is prepared, as in the previous recipe, and before freezing, it is sprinkled with sugar at the rate of 200 grams of granulated sugar per 1 kilogram of watermelon pulp. The pieces of watermelon are quickly frozen, and then laid out in storage containers. From reviews and personal experience, the pulp preserved in this way remains tastier.
Freezing watermelon juice
Many housewives prefer to keep frozen watermelon juice or watermelon puree for the winter. It is great for making jelly, added to fruit smoothies or cocktails. To make mashed potatoes, sprinkle the pulp with sugar to taste and beat in a blender. Then it is poured into ice molds.
After completely freezing, the cubes of puree watermelon are laid out in storage containers.
When preparing the juice, the pulp is punched with a blender without adding sugar, then squeezed through several layers of gauze. The finished juice is poured into freezing molds, and after that the frozen juice is placed in a container for storage.
Diced in syrup
Those with a sweet tooth prefer to freeze watermelon pulp in sugar syrup. To do this, the watermelon pulp, cut into cubes, is frozen, after freezing, the cubes are placed in storage containers and poured with cold sugar syrup. Considering that the liquid expands during freezing, you should leave free space in the container, at least 15% of the container volume.
Freezing the pulp in fruit juice
Prepared frozen pieces of watermelon are placed in storage containers and poured over with fruit juice. For this purpose, orange, pineapple, other, not too acidic, juices are suitable.
Storing and defrosting watermelon
For storage, it is necessary to select portioned containers, since the watermelon pulp cannot be defrosted and re-frozen. Do not use microwave for defrosting. The product thaws slowly, first on the refrigerator shelf and then at room temperature. After thawing, the product must be used within 2 days.
Quick freezing of fruits, vegetables and berries is becoming more and more popular. This simple way of long-term storage does not require effort, it allows you to get intact a significant part of the nutrients and vitamins contained in the generous gifts of summer in winter.
