In the countries of the former USSR, one of the common types of preparing snacks is pickling watermelons in a barrel. Each family has its own special recipes for pickling them: apples and cabbage are added to watermelons for pickling, and a variety of spices and herbs are used. The container can be either wooden or plastic. The salted fruit will decorate not only an everyday meal, but also a festive feast.
Pickled and salted watermelons are prepared exclusively without the use of vinegar.The fermentation process involves the lactic acid bacteria contained in watermelons, while pickling requires the use of vinegar.
Both pickled and pickled berries have their own taste benefits, but watermelons prepared by pickling in barrels are the most beneficial for the stomach. They retain substances beneficial to the body. The disadvantage of this method is the need for a cellar or utility room where you can install a barrel of pickles.
Tips for pickling
Watermelons can be salted in slices or whole fruits. The taste of prepared snacks can be sour, sweet, salty. Mustard, sugar or other seasonings are added as spices.
For pickling, it is better to use pink berries. Overripe specimens, which when cooked become viscous and unpleasant to the taste, are not suitable. Preference should be given to fruits without damage, with a thin crust and dense pulp.
It is best to pickle watermelons in barrels for the winter in early autumn. At this time, the air temperature is lower than in the summer, which is necessary for the fermentation process.
Whole pickled watermelons in a barrel
Vegetables about 15 cm in diameter are suitable for this fermentation. They are placed whole in a barrel thoroughly washed and scalded with boiling water. The fermentation process can be speeded up if each fruit is pierced with a fork or knitting needle several times.
Then the barrel is filled with ready-made brine to a level higher than the berries are located. The brine is prepared from purified or well water, with the addition of ingredients per 10 liters - 500 g of salt and the same amount of sugar. The taste with such proportions turns out to be delicate, with sweet, salty and sour notes.If household members prefer a richer taste, it is recommended to increase the amount of salt, up to 800 g, and reduce granulated sugar to 400 g.
So that the fruits do not float, but are immersed in brine, oppression is placed on top. For this purpose, a wooden lid is used. For a couple of days, the barrels are placed in a room with an average temperature, and then tightly closed and placed in a cool place, for example, in a cellar. After about 20 days, you can treat yourself to ready-made pickles.
Barrel watermelons with sauerkraut
A layer of chopped cabbage (about 10 cm) is placed in a barrel prepared in the above manner, a layer of berries is placed on top, and then shredded cabbage is added again. This fills the entire barrel. Cabbage must first be salted, 60 g per 1 kg of berries. Watermelons are layered with apples or unripe tomatoes.
You need to place shredded cabbage between each fruit so that the watermelons do not touch each other. The brine is prepared in the usual way (0.5 kg of salt and 0.5 kg of sugar per 10 liters of liquid). Sourdough procedure: 2 days at a temperature of -20 - 22 degrees, and then in cellar conditions. It is optimal to finish eating salted watermelons before mid-winter.
It is necessary to check the contents of the barrel from time to time. If mold has formed on the surface of the brine, it should be removed immediately and freshly prepared brine should be added.
Pickled watermelons in watermelon juice
After disinfection with boiling water, salted slices are placed at the bottom in a layer of about 10 cm, and then whole fruits, in a properly prepared wooden barrel. Each new layer is sprinkled with chopped pulp.
After filling the barrel, squeezed watermelon juice is added in this way. For 50 kg of whole fruits you will need approximately 25 kg of chopped slices.After a week of infusion at normal temperature, the barrel is lowered into the basement for storage. The pickling is ready for use a little earlier than a month later.
Watermelons pickled in a barrel with spices
To add a piquant taste to pickled berries, use:
- horseradish roots;
- coriander;
- ginger root;
- garlic cloves;
- allspice;
- celery;
- chilli pepper.
These spices are evenly distributed throughout the container during the process of filling with fruits before salting such watermelons in a barrel, and the recipe for preparing the brine is similar to the previous methods.
Pickling in ceramic barrels
Since salting watermelons in a barrel is not the best option for all families, you can ferment the berries in small ceramic barrels. Dense watermelons are cut into small slices lengthwise. The washed container is poured with boiling water and dried. Greens, hot peppers, garlic and other spices are placed on the bottom. Then sweet fruits are placed. Garlic and branches of table greens are placed on top. After filling the container, add salt and black peppercorns.
Recipe pickling watermelons stipulates that the water used must be from a spring or well. It is boiled, cooled to a lukewarm state and poured over watermelons in a barrel. Be sure to place a weight on top so that the contents of the barrel do not float up. After the fermentation process begins, the container is transferred to a cold room. If the liquid has been absorbed by the watermelons, then add the brine to the required level.
If the volume of the barrel is too large, you can use a glass jar. Otherwise, the fermentation process is similar to the previous recipes.
The optimal temperature for storing watermelons for a long time is considered to be +3 degrees. As gourmets agree, salting in wooden barrels is the most ideal option.
Pickling watermelon with hot pepper and herbs
For every 5 kg of sweet fruits you will need:
- 1 hot pepper;
- medium head of garlic;
- 1 tsp. peppercorns;
- a bunch of greens (parsley and/or dill).
The barrel filled with layers of small watermelon slices is filled with prepared brine. This amount of watermelon will require 3 liters of liquid. To this volume add 170 g of salt and granulated sugar. It is recommended to use purified water, without chlorine impurities. Spices are laid out evenly as the container is filled.
Be sure to place a weight on top so that all the ingredients are in the brine. Some people use a well-washed and boiled natural stone, mounted on a wooden or ceramic circle, as a load. After the brine has fermented, the barrel is lowered into the basement and the pickled berries are left there for storage.
Recipe for pickled watermelons with mustard powder
Before as pickle watermelons, you need to stock up on a wooden or plastic barrel of 100 liters.
For this volume you will need:
- 20 pcs. small fruits;
- half a pack of powdered mustard;
- sugar - 400 g;
- purified water or water from a well - 10 l.
Select fruits without visible damage to the skin. It is advisable to select their size approximately the same, weighing 2 - 3 kg. Rinse under running water and let it drain or dry with a towel.
Cut off the stem of each berry and pierce the sides with a wooden skewer in several places, which will allow the brine to penetrate inside the fruit faster and reduce the fermentation time.
Salt the water in the bucket and add sugar according to the recipe, mustard seed powder. Wait until all the crystals dissolve.Pour the prepared brine over the fruits placed in the barrel. After 3 weeks, the snack will be ready.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!