Preparing melon compote for the winter, simple recipes with and without sterilization

Most people search for recipes for making melon compote because of the special aroma and taste characteristics of this fruit. If you know the intricacies of preparing such a drink, you can get a very interesting taste that will remind you of summer throughout the winter. It is also attractive because it fights thirst well and is very beneficial for the body.

Subtleties of preparing compote for the winter

Before you directly prepare compote, you need to know about the following subtleties of this process:

1. For compote, only sweet and ripe fruits are used, but not soft ones.
2. The drink will be stored all winter only if sterilized jars and lids were used for preparation.
3. In all recipes, only the pulp of the fruit goes into the compote.

Selection and preparation of melon

You can only use melons that have no signs of spoilage. It is also advisable that the berry is not soft, as there is a risk that the result will be porridge. First of all, it is better to pay attention to melons up to 1 kilogram and small in size.

If it is not fresh, the drink will not taste good.

For proper preparation, the fruit is washed well, peeled and cut into 2 halves. Afterwards, you should remove all the seeds and cut it into pieces, 2-3 centimeters in size.

How to make melon compote at home

Before closing the compote for the winter, it is worth preparing jars of the required size (preferably 3 liters) and deciding on the recipe. You can add a lot of fruits and spices to this drink, it all depends on the person’s preferences.

A simple recipe for a 3 liter jar

For this compote you will need 1 liter of water, 1 kilogram of melon and 200 grams of sugar. Cooking method:

• thoroughly washing and slicing the melon;
• everything is put into a bowl, covered with sugar and put in the refrigerator for 3.5 hours;
• sterilization of jars;
• then you need to boil water and pour it over the fruit;
• then this container is placed on the stove, where the fruit should be cooked for about 4 minutes;
• Now the compote can be poured into bottles and sealed with sterilized lids. In this condition it can be stored at least until next summer.

Without sterilization

The recipe without sterilization is completely identical to the one described above. The difference is that the jars do not need to be prepared in any way other than a good rinse. It is also worth considering that in this state the compote made will be stored less.

With apple

For this drink, only sweet varieties of apples are used. If you prepare sour fruits, this will negatively affect the taste. During the cooking process, you first need to cut, wash and cut the fruits (apples into slices, melons into cubes). Now you should prepare the syrup and pour it over the apples. They should cook for at least 5 minutes, after which you can add the melon and soak the fruits for another couple of minutes.

With lemon

To prepare this drink, follow these steps:

1. Peel and pit the fruit and cut into cubes.
2. Lemon is cut into rings and placed in a bowl on the stove.
3. Sugar and melon are also placed there.
4. When it has reached a boil, you need to cook the fruit for no more than 1 minute.
5. Afterwards the lemon can be pulled out.
6. Now it is advisable to make blanks of equal weight, put them in jars and fill them with drink.
7. Containers must be closed with sterilized lids.

With gooseberries

In this case, the compote is prepared according to the standard procedure, but before twisting the jars, you can add gooseberries to the compote. Before doing this, it is advisable to rinse it well and select only sweet and unspoiled fruits.

With watermelon

To prepare such a compote for the winter, the watermelon must be prepared in the same way as a melon, namely, remove the seeds and remove the peel. In the process of preparing syrup with sugar, add pieces of these fruits and cook for 20-25 minutes. Afterwards, the liquid can be poured into sterilized jars and closed with the same lids.

With grapes

For this drink you will need the following ingredients:

• sweet grapes;
• lemon juice;
• melon;
• sugar.

First you need to prepare the melon according to the standard procedure and wash the grapes well. Sugar is poured into boiling water and grapes are added directly with tassels. When it floats, add melon. After it also appears on the surface, you can turn off the stove and pour the compote into jars.

With orange

Compote with orange cook in the same way as with lemon. The only thing is that you don’t have to take it out before pouring the drink into cans. The fruit must be without peel.

With peaches

As in all cases, the melon needs to be prepared by peeling the skin and removing every single seed. Next, you can start preparing the syrup. To do this, add sugar and citric acid to the liquid and cook for 10 minutes. Afterwards they should pour the fruits for 5.5 hours. Next, the liquid, along with the peaches and melon, needs to be boiled for another 5 minutes. The compote is ready!

With spices

The process of preparing such a compote is as follows:

1. Making regular sweet syrup.
2. Blanch the melon for 3 minutes.
3. You can put a vanilla pod on top of the boiling water for no more than 2 minutes.
4. Pieces of the fruit are placed in jars and cinnamon, lemon zest and cloves are added.
5. Filling with syrup and twisting the cans.

With plum

To prepare you will need:

• 3 grams of citric acid;
• 1 kilogram of melon;
• 1.4 kilograms of granulated sugar;
• 0.5 kilograms of plums;
• 1.4 liters of clean water.

The pits must be removed from all plums. While preparing the syrup, add plums and cook for no more than 3 minutes.

Then you can add the melon for another 6 minutes. The drink is ready to swirl.

With citric acid

Almost any recipe can include citric acid. It is added before pouring syrup over the melon. The process of preparing the drink itself looks like the standard one described above.

With mint

To make compote with mint, you need to prepare 1-2 branches for each 3-liter jar. They are placed in containers immediately before placing fruit and other ingredients on the bottom. The result is a refreshing drink, especially if consumed cold.

How long and how is compote stored?

After the compote has cooled where the sun's rays do not reach, it can be sent to the pantry or other place where the rest of the preserves are stored. It is recommended to drink the drink until the period exceeds 1 year.