How to freeze watermelon for the winter and is it possible at home in the freezer

Watermelon is a large sweet berry that many people like. Unfortunately, the period when you can enjoy it heartily is short, while it is very pleasant to eat a piece of juicy watermelon pulp on a chilly autumn evening or cook a delicious 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 watermelon for the winter will be very useful and useful to housewives.

Is it possible to freeze 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 made up of water to a large extent, when frozen, it destroys the delicate fibers of the pulp. 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, 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 quite 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 the striped berry - sugar simply freezes out 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.

Freezing Features

It should be remembered that when frozen, the product expands greatly and quickly absorbs odors. That is why the pieces of pulp should be laid loosely and stored in tightly closed packages.

Before storage, the pulp should be completely peeled and rid of the seeds. Glass containers are not used to store the pulp; under the influence of expanding moisture and low temperatures, such containers may burst.

How to choose the right product

For freezing use the pulp of ripe fruits. Determine the ripeness of the stalk (it must be dry). 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 crackling is heard, the coincidence of all selection criteria is an almost complete guarantee of purchasing a fully ripe and tasty watermelon.

Preparing the refrigerator

Since watermelon perfectly absorbs odors, like most fruits and vegetables, before laying for long-term freezing, the freezer should be disconnected from the mains and washed thoroughly (you can use laundry soap, dishwashing liquid). Rinse shelves and storage containers, the inside of the freezer and the freezer door. After that, it needs to be dried and aired.

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.

Whole 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 pantry or basement with a constant temperature of no higher than +10 ° C and no lower than +2 ° C, you can keep the watermelon fresh and juicy by simply storing it and occasionally turning it over. In this case, the fruits should be stored so that they do not touch each other and are separated from other products intended for storage.

Frozen watermelon pulp slices

Preparing frozen watermelon cubes is easy, they can be used on their own or as a base used in other watermelon storage options for the winter. Work steps:

The selected fruit is thoroughly washed and dried.
Watermelon is peeled of green skin and seeds, the flesh 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.
The baking sheet is placed 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 frozen watermelon cubes, the surface of the baking sheet or board is pre-covered with cling film. Often, tight-fitting plastic containers are used for storage.
The chosen 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 fruit pieces prepared in this way. By the way, a frozen piece of watermelon is an excellent skin tonic, many women use it with pleasure to preserve and maintain their own beauty.

With sugar

In this case, the watermelon pulp is prepared, as in the previous recipe, and sprinkled with sugar before freezing at the rate of 200 grams of granulated sugar per 1 kilogram of watermelon pulp. Pieces of watermelon are quickly frozen, and then laid out in storage containers. Judging by the reviews and personal experience, the pulp preserved in this way remains tastier.

Freezing watermelon juice

Many housewives prefer to store frozen watermelon juice or watermelon puree for the winter. It is great for making jelly, added to fruit smoothies or cocktails.To make puree, the pulp is sprinkled with sugar to taste and whipped in a blender. Then pour into ice molds.

After completely frozen, the cubes of watermelon puree are laid out in storage containers.

When preparing juice, the pulp is pierced with a blender without adding sugar, then squeezed through several layers of gauze. Ready juice is poured into molds for freezing, and after that the frozen juice is placed in a storage container.

Cube in syrup

Sweet-toothed prefer to freeze watermelon pulp in sugar syrup. To do this, the diced pulp of watermelon is frozen, after freezing, the cubes are placed in storage containers and poured with cold sugar syrup. Given that the liquid expands when frozen, you should leave free space in the container, at least 15% of the container volume.

Freezing 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, and other juices that are not too acidic are suitable.

Storing and defrosting watermelon

For storage, it is necessary to select portioned containers, since watermelon pulp cannot be defrosted and re-frozen. Do not use microwave for defrosting. The product is defrosted slowly, first on the refrigerator shelf and then at room temperature. After thawing, the product must be used within 2 days.

Fast freezing fruit vegetables and berries is becoming increasingly popular. This simple, effortless method of long-term storage allows you to get a significant part of the useful substances and vitamins contained in the generous gifts of summer in winter.