Salting watermelons is a simple and effective method of preserving tasty and healthy berries for the winter. Experienced culinary experts agree that salting watermelon whole in barrels makes it possible to fully preserve all its useful qualities and taste. How to pickle berries for the winter, and which containers are best used later in the article.
Selection and preparation of ingredients
Soaked watermelon has an unusual, unconventional taste, spicy aroma, and is able to become an original snack on the festive table.
But before tackling salting, it is necessary to select good raw materials, because the quality of the future harvest will depend on it in many respects.
To make a tasty snack, when choosing it is worth paying attention to such aspects:
- watermelon should be slightly unripe, with a smooth, not damaged skin, without cracks, rot, signs of diseases or pests;
- overripe specimens are not suitable for salting, since during the preparation process they become viscous, loose, unpleasant consistency;
- small fruits recommended, with a diameter up to 15 cm, with pink, not red pulp;
- thin-skinned watermelons for pickling are best.
Important! The process of watering watermelons is optimal to begin in September, when it will be easy to achieve comfortable temperature indicators for fermentation.
Whole watermelons: home recipes
Soaking watermelons as a whole allows you to enjoy a pleasant taste and aroma throughout the winter period. There are many different ways to wet these fruits, so it’s worthwhile to dwell on the most successful, simple and fast.
Sand Layer Recipe
barrel for 10-15 l30 minutes
watermelons weighing up to 2 kg
6 items
washed river sand
of necessity
- Rinse the berries thoroughly. Pour boiling water over the barrel.
- At the bottom of the tank, fill in the washed sand with a layer of 5 cm.
- Put fruit on the sand, cover it with sand. Thus, lay out all the berries to the top of the container, with the last layer of sand to be.
- Prepare the marinade: completely dissolve the salt in cold water.
- Pour the berries with a brine, cover them with a lid and place oppression on top.
- Transfer the barrel to a dry, dark place, protected from sunlight, for one month.
- According to this recipe, watermelons are very crispy, juicy and extremely fragrant. Thanks to the sandy layer, they do not deform, being uniformly saturated with salt marinade.
The recipe for soaking watermelons with apples
10 l bucket 30 minutes
watermelon raw
10 medium sized pieces
currant leaves and cherries
10 pieces each
rye straw
of necessity
- Rinse fruits, pierce symmetrically in several areas.
- Wash apples thoroughly.
- Pour boiling water over the salting container, dry it.
- At the bottom of the tank, line a small layer of straw, place berries on top of it. Fold the watermelons in layers, shifting with straw, and lay the voids with apples.
- On the last top layer lay currant and cherry leaves.
- Prepare the brine: completely dissolve the rock salt in water.
- Pour berries over the cover, cover the container with clean gauze, cover on top and oppression.
- Place the bucket with the workpiece in a dry and dark place. Watermelons are ready for use in 2-3 weeks.
Important! In a wooden barrel, the process of berry soaking takes a little longer - about two months, but the product is much tastier, juicier and healthier.
Cold salting
barrel for 10-15 l30 minutes
- Rinse the berries, pierce symmetrically in several places with a wooden skewer or a toothpick.
- Fold the fruits in prepared containers.
- Make a brine out of water and salt. Water should be very cold, ideal from a well.
- Marinade completely cover the fruits.
- Place a wooden board on top of the container and lay the yoke on top of it.
- Place salted containers for 24 hours in a warm, dry place, and then take them out to a cool room.
- After 20-30 days, watermelons are ready for consumption.
Did you know? Japanese scientists have found a way to grow watermelons not of a traditional round shape, but square. They not only have a truly unique appearance, but are also very convenient in warehousing and storage.
Sauerkraut with cabbage
barrel for 10-15 l30 minutes
- Rinse watermelons, puncture in several places.
- Rinse salting containers, scald with boiling water, and dry.
- Lay watermelons at the bottom.
- Pre-salt shredded cabbage: 1 kg of vegetable 60 g of salt.
- Transfer watermelons to salted cabbage.
- Make a marinade: completely dissolve sugar and salt in water.
- In this recipe, the marinade for pouring raw materials has a sweet-salty taste, as a result of which the berries acquire a delicate, sweetish taste with sour notes. If it is necessary to get a more saturated taste, then the amount of salt can be increased to 800 g per 10 l, and granulated sugar can be reduced to 400 g.
- Pour the products with a brine, place the container in a warm place with temperature indicators + 20 ... + 22 ° С.
- Transfer fermented containers to a cool, dry and dark place. You can use the product until the middle of the winter season.
Important! The blanks made according to the described recipes do not contain vinegar, which makes them a safe and affordable treat for diet and baby food.
Sour watermelon in watermelon juice
10 liter barrel for 20 minutes
- Grind the watermelon pulp to a state of gruel, add salt.
- Rinse the container, pour over boiling water. Put a layer of whole berries on the bottom, top with salty mashed potatoes. Thus fill the entire container to the brim.
- Cover the raw materials with linen cloth or gauze, install a board and oppression on top.
- Place the keg in a cool, dark room.
- During the fermentation of berries (this will take 20-30 days), the workpiece should be regularly checked for mold on the surface and cleaned. Also, if necessary, add salt solution. With this method of salting, the product can be stored for 6 months.
Did you know? Watermelon seeds are widely used in various contests and festivals. So, in the United States is a contest on spitting seeds. The world record for the length of spitting was set by the American Jason Shanot in 1995. He managed to spit watermelon seed at 24 m.
Sour watermelon with spices
capacity for 10-13 l30 minutes
watermelon raw
6-8 pieces with a diameter of about 15 cm
- Rinse berries, pierce in several places.
- Rinse the marinating containers, scald with boiling water.
- Rinse greens, chop coarsely. Chop the garlic.
- Lay out berries and spices in layers.
- Prepare brine: dissolve salt in water.
- Pour the container with salt solution, cover with a lid and pressure on top.
- Place the workpiece in a room with a temperature of 0 ... + 3 ° C for 30 days.
Types of barrels, their features
To make the watermelons really tasty and fragrant, it is better to use a wooden bowl for their pickling, for example, a barrel, which allows you to fully preserve the taste of the fruits and their beneficial properties.
Before laying raw materials, the barrel must be carefully prepared:
- rinse thoroughly with cold water, without the use of chemicals;
- scald the inner surface with boiling water;
- cover the container with a towel and place in a dry, warm room.
Important! Watermelon is a universal fruit that goes well with any spices. Ginger, various types of peppers, coriander, any greens, etc. can be added to it.
If there is no wooden barrel at hand, then you can use a plastic tank or bucket to wet the berries. However, you should be prepared that the taste of the fruit will be worse than when salted in a wooden container.
Plastic is an artificial material that is capable of containing harmful substances. In addition, watermelons very quickly absorb extraneous odors and can acquire a slight “plastic aroma”.
In the absence of wooden barrels for salting, you can use ceramic containers. Ceramic containers are characterized by strength and ease of use, do not impair the taste of the products.
For salting raw materials, it is also allowed to use containers made of high-quality stainless steel. Unlike iron, they are durable, practical, not oxidized, which makes it possible to preserve all the taste properties of the products.
The only disadvantage of stainless packaging is its high cost.
A small amount of watermelon raw can be soaked in 3 liter glass jars.
Features of storage of blanks
So that soaked or salted watermelons can stand throughout the winter season, they should be carefully monitored. If mold is present on the brine surface, it must be removed; marinade, if necessary, top up.
To preserve the taste of the product and its beneficial properties, the workpiece should be stored in a cool place.in which there is no access to direct sunlight or heat sources.
When storing wet berries in a warm room, it is recommended to eat them for a week - otherwise the product will turn sour and deteriorate.Did you know? From the point of view of botany, the fruits of watermelon are called "pepo" - an epigenetic berry, which is characterized by the presence of a dense peel and fleshy inner content. That is why watermelons are berries, not fruits, as many mistakenly believe.
The most optimal conditions for storing blanks are:
- temperature indicators of air 0 ... + 3 ° С;
- relative humidity of 80–95%;
- dry, dark, well-ventilated room, protected from direct sunlight.
Under such conditions, blanks are able to maintain their taste and beneficial properties throughout the winter season. Of course, the barrel method is considered the best method of fermentation and storage of products.Soaked watermelons are a simple, light, unusual snack that can surprise and delight you with its extreme taste and piquant aroma. The technology of urination is quite simple, however, it consists of important nuances that must be taken into account during the preparation process.
Adhering to the basic rules, even an inexperienced chef will be able to get a delicious winter harvest from a sweet summer berry.
