Serving a watermelon to the New Year's table is a very unusual undertaking, which will undoubtedly surprise guests and delight loved ones. However, to keep it juicy and tasty for several months is not an easy task, because without special conditions it will simply begin to rot. For storage, the fruit is suitable without external damage, with a thick peel and a weight of about 4-5 kg.
Keep the watermelon in limbo
One of the easiest ways to store watermelon is hanging in the pantry of the apartment or basement of a private house.
You need to do the following:
- Wrap the watermelon with a fabric made of natural material.
- Put in the string bag.
- Hang on a hook so that the fruit does not come into contact with other objects, including the wall.
Put the watermelon in the straw
Straw takes moisture well and dries quickly, so under it a watermelon will not rot for a long time.
Properly store watermelon like this:
- Prepare a wooden box and cover its bottom with a thick layer of straw.
- Lay the watermelon with the stalk up.
- Cover with straw so that it is completely covered.
If there are several watermelons, then between them you also need to lay a layer of straw, since they should not touch each other.
We store watermelons in the sand or grain until winter
For this method of storage, only a cool, dry room is suitable, in which you need to do the following:
- Put a wooden box and fill it with half-dried sand, which must first be calcined in an oven or oven to kill harmful microorganisms.
- Lay the watermelon with the stalk down.
- Fill it completely with sand, and if there are several fruits, then there should also be a layer of sand between them, as in the case of straw.
In the grain, watermelons are stored much better and longer, but it is not cheap, so it is usually replaced with sand.
Store watermelon in cold water
Also, a watermelon will retain its freshness for a long time if placed in cold water. For this, a barrel standing on the street in cold weather is suitable, as well as an ice hole, but only if it is in the garden, otherwise the fruit can be stolen. The fruit during storage should be covered with cold water to the top, and in the barrel the water must be changed every week so as not to stagnate.
Before immersing in water, you need to inspect the watermelon for damage, since even with a small crack it will quickly begin to rot.
Store watermelon in wood ash
Ash well absorbs moisture, and also prevents the growth of fungus and bacteria, so it is ideal for storing various fruits. If the stove or fireplace is regularly heated in a private house, then the ash will be enough to put the watermelon in it for storage.
The process looks something like the sand case:
- Dry and sift ash.
- Pour it in a thick layer on the bottom of a wooden box.
- Lay the watermelon and cover it with ash.
- Cover the drawer with a lid and store in a cellar or basement.
We store watermelons in clay
Clay does not allow water and air to pass through, therefore it has long been known as a means for long-term storage of fruits.
If you want to store watermelon in clay, you need to do the following:
- Add water to the dried clay piece and knead it, achieving a paste-like mass.
- Coat the watermelon with a layer of clay, leave to dry, and then apply a few more layers. As a result, the thickness of the clay layer should be at least 5 mm.
- Wait for the mixture to completely dry, and then carefully place it on a shelf or in a box.
Store watermelon in wax or paraffin
As in the case of clay, from paraffin or wax, you need to prepare the mixture and cover it with a watermelon.
The actions are as follows:
- Melt paraffin or wax.
- Cover the fruit with several layers of the mixture until the thickness of the "shell" reaches 1 cm.
- After the mass hardens, the watermelon needs to be transferred to a cool place.
Based on the number of effective ways to store watermelon, it is clear that he will be able to please his family not only on a hot summer, but also on a winter evening on New Year's Eve. The main thing is not to be lazy and put the fruit well in storage so that instead of juicy pulp you do not get rotted.
