Unfortunately, the watermelon season is short, and you can enjoy fresh, fragrant and extremely tasty berries only for several months. However, in order to please themselves in the winter, culinary experts advise making watermelon preparations. How to properly prepare pickled berries, and where it is better to preserve - further in the article.
Ingredient preparation
Watermelon is used in the culinary field not only as a dessert - it can act as a raw material for the preparation of various snacks used in winter. However, before boiling and pickling the juicy fruits of the described gourds, you should choose the right raw material, because it is precisely on its quality that the taste properties of the workpieces will depend.
When choosing a watermelon, it is recommended to adhere to some nuances:
- the berry must be fresh, with a high juice content, without damage, symptoms of rot or parasites;
- for salting choose an intact, slightly unripe berry of medium size, weighing up to 2 kg. If the watermelon is too large and overripe, then the workpiece will turn out friable and jelly-like;
- the stripes on the surface of the watermelon should be bright, the tail should be dry, a clear sound should be heard while tapping the fetus;
- for salting, it is better to select a berry with pink rather than red pulp. Those that have a sugar and crumbly middle are also not suitable;
- Thin-skinned watermelon is considered ideal for pickling.
Did you know? The largest watermelon, which later fell into the Guinness Book of Records, was grown by American farmers Bright in 2005. Its weight was 122 kg.
Juicy berries are suitable for cooking a wide variety of homemade spins. They can be:
- marinate;
- grease;
- canning;
- soak;
- make jam and jams.
As a preservative for winter preparations from watermelons use vinegar, lemon or citric acid, aspirin. Such snacks have an amazing, slightly unconventional taste, which is in no way inferior to the taste properties of cucumbers or tomatoes.
Step-by-step recipes for pickles of pickled watermelon for the winter
To prepare blanks for the winter, two methods are used: with sterilization and without. The latter takes less time, while being the simplest and easiest. As for the choice of recipe, here everything will depend on individual preferences. The palatability of appetizers will be determined by the type of constituent marinades.
A simple recipe in jars without sterilization
3 cans of 1 liter each 60 minutes
granulated sugar (per 1 liter of water)
40 g
Nutritional value per 100 g:
Rinse watermelon, peel, cut into large pieces.
In a saucepan, put the sliced pieces to the top, pour boiling water so that the liquid completely covers the raw materials.
Set the container aside for 10-15 minutes, so that the water completely saturates the pulp.
Strain the liquid through a sieve, pour into a measuring container.
Add spices to the water, based on 1 liter: sugar, salt. Boil.
Fill the jars without ramming with watermelon slices all the way to the neck. Fill the containers with salty-sweet marinade, soak for 10-15 minutes, pour back into the pan.
Boil the pouring, add vinegar, pour into banks.
Cover the containers with metal lids, roll up.
Rinse watermelon, peel, cut into large pieces.
In a saucepan, put the sliced pieces to the top, pour boiling water so that the liquid completely covers the raw materials.
Set the container aside for 10-15 minutes, so that the water completely saturates the pulp.
Strain the liquid through a sieve, pour into a measuring container.
Add spices to the water, based on 1 liter: sugar, salt. Boil.
Fill the jars without ramming with watermelon slices all the way to the neck. Fill the containers with salty-sweet marinade, soak for 10-15 minutes, pour back into the pan.
Boil the pouring, add vinegar, pour into banks.
Cover the containers with metal lids, roll up.A similar recipe for pickling watermelon is considered a classic. It allows you to prepare a delicious, delicious dish, characterized by a pleasant sweetness and aroma.Important! Glass containers used for the preparation of preforms must first be sterilized in any convenient way.
Video recipe
With mustard
1 can for 1 liter45 minutes
powder mustard
2 tsp
black peas
5-6 pcs.
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Rinse the berry, cut the peel, cut into large pieces.
- Put watermelon pieces in a jar, pour them with sugar.
- Dry mustard, a little salt and peas are evenly added to the container.
- Pour watermelon raw with boiling water.
- After 7-10 minutes, when the mustard vapor evaporates, roll up the jar with a lid.
Salty watermelons with mustard have a very interesting, piquant taste and are served as a side dish for any main dishes.Important! If the crust on the berry is thin, it is allowed not to peel it.
With garlic
1 can for 3 l40 minutes
Nutritional value per 100 g:
- Rinse the berry thoroughly, peel it, cut into arbitrary pieces.
- Place chopped pulp in a jar in layers, alternating with garlic.
- Pour the raw materials with boiling water to the very top, cover with a lid and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- In a pan where the marinade is cooked, drain the liquid from the can, add salt, honey, vinegar to it.
- Pour the marinade over the jar.
- Sterilize the workpiece for 15–20 minutes.
The dish is very tender, the flesh has a sweet and sour taste with a slight spiciness. Such a pickled watermelon can be used as a separate snack, or as a good addition to other dishes.Important! For the preparation of pickled berries, experts recommend using ordinary stone, rather than iodized salt.
Storage Features
After rolling up the cans with the watermelon billet, they should be turned upside down, placed in a warm place at room temperature, covered with a towel or blanket and wait until completely cooled. Cooled containers are located in a dry, cool, well-protected room from direct sunlight and heat sources, in a refrigerator or basement.
Pickled preparations are recommended for use during the winter season. Berries that were prepared without the use of preservatives are stored in the refrigerator. The shelf life of such snacks is not more than one month, subject to all of the above conditions.
Did you know? The birthplace of watermelon is the Kalahari Desert, located in South Africa. Even today, you can meet representatives of the wild species - small berries, the size of an orange, weighing up to 200 g.
Watermelon is an extremely tasty and, most importantly, healthy berry, which adults and children relish with equal pleasure. To even please yourself and your loved ones with a fragrant delicacy even in winter, you can cook pickled watermelons that can be stored until spring. At the same time, even those who have never been involved in such events before can make watermelon preservation. It is enough to carefully study the recipe with the photo and follow its clear algorithm.
