Many people love watermelons and this is not surprising. After all, they are quite juicy and have good taste. Interest in this berry is not lost even in winter, so some housewives prepare canned watermelons to decorate their table even in winter.
Not everyone knows that watermelon can be preserved. There are many different ways to prepare watermelon stock and they are all different from each other.However, it is recommended that you read only the most popular recipes to understand how to pickle watermelons.
What you need for preservation
Before preparing pickled watermelons in jars for the winter, you should familiarize yourself with what you will need for this. You need to prepare in advance:
- Juicy and ripe melon berries. For harvesting for the winter, it is recommended to use the sweetest varieties.
- Glass jars. It is recommended to marinate watermelons in liter jars. Before pickling watermelons, containers must be thoroughly washed with soap, rinsed and sterilized.
- Lids and seaming machine for sealing canned food.
Sterilization of jars and lids
It is recommended to pickle watermelons in jars that have been sterilized in advance. There are several ways to sterilize containers for preserving watermelons.
Using a microwave oven
Some housewives use microwave-sterilized containers to prepare watermelons for the winter. To do this, the jars are filled one third with water and placed in the oven for 5-10 minutes. In this case, the microwave power should be 700 watts.
Steam
Quite often, winter twist is rolled into jars that have previously been steamed. This sterilization method is very simple. To prepare the containers, place a small saucepan of water on a gas stove and bring to a boil. Cover the surface of the pan with a sieve and place the jar on it.
On average, the process lasts 10 minutes. However, if the preservation is stored in 3 liter containers, then it is better to increase the processing time to 20 minutes.
Oven application
Many people, before storing a watermelon in a jar for the winter, sterilize it in the oven. This method is very popular because it can save a lot of time.For processing, several jars are placed in the oven, heated to 120-150 degrees. The process lasts about 15 minutes, after which watermelons can be preserved in them.
Lids processing
Lastly, the lids are prepared. First you need to wash them with a soda or soap solution, after which each seaming lid is lowered into boiling water. After a few minutes it can be taken out and dried.
It is very important that rust-free lids are used during sterilization, as its presence can ruin the preservation.
Classic recipe
This recipe for pickled watermelons in jars for the winter is the most popular among most housewives. With its help, you can prepare a rather tasty roll, which will be distinguished by its sweetness and pleasant aroma. To prepare the dish you will need the following ingredients:
- two fresh watermelons;
- three sprigs of parsley;
- 40 ml vinegar;
- 90 g sugar;
- head of garlic;
- 40 g salt;
- several leaves of currants and cherries.
Creating canned watermelon for the winter begins with preparing the jars. They should be steamed and rinsed with cool water in advance. This is done in order to get rid of all harmful microorganisms. Then you should start cutting watermelons. Small pieces are made from them, which should be immediately placed in containers. You also need to put spices and other ingredients there. After this, everything is filled with a liter of hot water and infused for 30 minutes. This time will be enough for the marinade to cool.
If you preserve in liter jars, they will cool down several times faster.
When everything has cooled completely, the liquid will have to be drained.To simplify this process, it is recommended to use a nylon cover with holes. Then fill all the jars with hot water again and marinate all the ingredients again. After this, the syrup is drained, boiled and poured again. The preservation is infused for several minutes, after which it can be rolled up.
Rolled containers are stored in a warm room for several days. After this they are transferred to the cellar.
Sealing into three-liter jars
There is a recipe for watermelon for the winter specifically for three-liter containers. It is slightly different from the classic recipe discussed earlier. To preserve watermelons in such jars you will need the following ingredients:
- sweet watermelon;
- 80 g sugar;
- liter of water;
- 30 g salt;
- 70 ml vinegar.
Preparing pickled watermelons for the winter begins with preparing the fruits. They must be washed well in advance and any remaining soil removed from their surface. Then the watermelon skins are peeled off and the pulp is cut into several small pieces. To make watermelons pickled in jars tasty for the winter, you should completely remove the seeds from the pulp. After this, all the chopped pieces are distributed into jars.
Then you should start creating a delicious marinade. To do this, add several liters of water to a bowl or pan, into which you need to pour sugar and salt. The mixture is stirred for several minutes, after which you can add some spices to it. The liquid is boiled until the spices are completely dissolved.
The container is filled with the prepared liqueur and wrapped tightly for a few minutes. After this, all the liquid is drained, boiled a second time and again added to the jars. Before wrapping the snack, place the container in a bowl of hot water for half an hour.
To preserve such preservation, it is better to use dark and cool rooms. People who stored the twist at room temperature complained that the canned watermelon spoiled quickly.
Rolling into liter containers
This preservation method is used if it is necessary to prepare a snack before winter. Instant marinated watermelon is prepared using the following ingredients:
- one watermelon;
- three leaves of horseradish;
- two inflorescences of dill;
- 50 g citric acid;
- 65 g salt;
- 80 g sugar;
- two bay leaves.
If desired, this recipe can be supplemented with melon, which will make the snack sweeter and more aromatic.
First, the melon berries should be thoroughly washed and cut. In this case, you need to make pieces that would fit into a liter container without any problems. Then the peel is removed from each piece, after which they can be placed on the bottom of the containers along with bay leaves.
To prepare the marinade, add a spoonful of salt and sugar to a liter of water. After this, the liquid is boiled for half an hour and poured into prepared jars. You need to add a little citric acid to each container. For a liter container, only 40-50 g will be enough. After this, we tighten the container and transfer all the canned watermelons in jars for the winter to the cellar for further storage.
With tomatoes
The best recipes for canned watermelon are distinguished by the use of unusual ingredients. For example, some people prepare this twist with pickled tomatoes. For this you will need:
- kilogram of tomatoes;
- 100 g mustard;
- watermelon;
- head of garlic;
- three bay leaves;
- 30 g salt;
- 60 g sugar.
Tomatoes with melon berries are rinsed in warm water and cut into large pieces.Then the garlic is peeled and also cut into several pieces. After this, you should begin preparing the container. Each jar is thoroughly washed and sterilized.
The ingredients are laid out in several layers in prepared containers, after which they are filled with boiled water. After 20 minutes, all the liquid is poured into the pan and boiled again. While boiling, add a little salt and dill to the marinade. Garlic, vinegar and mustard are added to the jars. Then you can pour the boiled marinade over everything and close the lids.
The next day, the entire preparation is transferred to a cool room, where it will be stored until the beginning of spring.
Conclusion
Even someone who has never done it before can prepare canned watermelon. To do this, just study this or that recipe with a photo and strictly follow what is written in it.
