Watermelon juice for the winter at home: a simple recipe with photos and videos

Watermelon is a juicy berry that helps to quench your thirst in the hot summer heat. Fans of this dessert do not have time to enjoy its taste for a season of one and a half to two months. Fans of this berry came up with s alting it for the winter. Not everyone likes the taste, because it is completely different from a cool fresh piece of watermelon. Therefore, through trial and error, we came up with the preparation of watermelon juice for the winter at home.

Subtleties of cooking

Preservation of this berry has some secrets. You should be careful when choosing the watermelon itself, as the result of the work depends on it. In no case should he be lethargic or immature.

Which watermelon to choose for harvesting:

• size not exceeding 7 kg;
• dry ponytail;
• with a light spot on the side;
• clearly patterned;
• no damage;
• having a dull sound when tapped.

Banks must first be sterilized over steam, in an oven or microwave, filling with water by a third of the volume. Pour boiling water over metal lids.

In fact, this preservation is very capricious, and if you make even one mistake, it can deteriorate, or the jar may explode. Therefore, you should be extremely careful and try to follow all the recommendations.

Preparing watermelon

The first thing to do with the berry is to rinse it thoroughly with hot and cold water.If dirt remains on it, it will affect the quality of the finished product and its preservation. Then the watermelon should be peeled and green peel (the latter can be used to make candied fruit). Then it is cut into small pieces, pulling out all the black and light bones.

Next, technology comes to the rescue. It is better to use a juicer, in extreme cases, you can use a meat grinder. Then the whole mass must be filtered through a sieve, on which gauze is covered in two or three layers. The remaining cake can be pressed to the main raw material.

Cooking Methods

There are a lot of options for how to make watermelon juice. It can be pure without additives or with cranberry or apple juice. The difference between the finished product is the purpose of its preparation: for immediate consumption or for the winter.

Easy winter recipe

To prepare a classic recipe, you only need three ingredients:

• 7 kg medium watermelon pulp;
• 1 glass of sugar;
• 1 teaspoon citric acid.

The juice obtained after filtering through gauze should be sent to a large container and put on fire. As it heats up, foam will appear, which it is advisable to constantly remove. When the liquid boils, you need to reduce the heat and add sugar with citric acid.

Next, stirring with a wooden spatula until the sugar is completely dissolved, bring to a boil and leave in this state for up to 10 minutes. Then remove from heat and pour into clean sterilized jars, close with lids. From this amount of ingredients, approximately 6 liters of juice are obtained.

Turn the jars over and leave in this form at room temperature for up to two weeks. If the juice remains in the same form, it is advisable to remove it in a dark, cool cellar.

In a blender

The blender makes it easier for many housewives to work in the kitchen. Therefore, with such a technique, you can combine watermelon with other berries and fruits.

In a blender, you can make not only juices, but also fruit smoothies and mixes. To do this, add the following ingredients to the blender bowl:

• diced watermelon pulp;
• a little honey or powdered sugar;
• ice or water;
• pulp of other fruits.

This recipe is only suitable for those who are going to drink juice right away. If you still need to cook it for the winter, a blender will do an excellent job of chopping watermelon. You can use both the immersion blender and its bowl.

In the juicer

Housewives who have a juicer among their equipment and want to make watermelon juice at home can be called lucky, because this unit will perfectly cope with this kind of preparation.

The advantage of this technique is that the juice from it comes out pasteurized, so no additional manipulations are required. It is enough just to place it in sterilized jars for further storage.

For cooking in a juicer, you need to pour 3 liters of water into the lower tank, and put all the pulp of the watermelon into the upper one. As for sugar, it's just a matter of taste. In a juicer, the juice comes out very concentrated, so you may not need extra sweetness.

No sterilization

If you want to drink fresh watermelon juice, there are also several options for making it. The first and very beautiful form of serving is in the watermelon itself in the form of a small barrel. This is a great option for parties, as juices from other fruits and berries or even alcohol can be added to the liquid. For this method, of course, it is better to choose a large seedless berry.

The bottom, on which the watermelon will stand, needs to be cut off a little so that there is still a green peel. The top of the barrel should be cut off (the part where the dry tail was), and all the pulp should be pulled out of the watermelon with a regular spoon. It must be beaten and filtered through a sieve. Then, at the bottom of the barrel, it is worth drilling a small hole, with a diameter of not more than 1 cm, and insert a faucet into it (sold in any hardware stores). Pour all the liquid into the barrel and a great drink for the party is ready.

Without sterilization, watermelon juice can be stored for only a few days, because due to the contact of the berry with a knife and other materials, various microbes can multiply in the juice.

How to store juice

Watermelon juice keeps better in dry, well ventilated, dark and cold rooms. The best option is a cellar. If this is not possible, then the pantry or any other dark place in the apartment.

It can be stored for a long time, but since it is a rather finicky preservation, it is better to use it before winter.

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