How to properly freeze melon for the winter at home?
You can save memories of the past summer not only in photographs and in the shower, but also in your own refrigerator. And what could be better than a saved piece of summer in the form of a juicy melon from your own garden on the New Year's table.
But is it possible to freeze a melon for the winter? Will its unique taste and aroma be preserved?
Features of freezing melons for the winter
It is at subzero temperatures that fruits and vegetables retain their beneficial substances, aroma and taste in the best way.
- At a temperature of about –6 ° C, the freshness of frozen fruits and vegetables lasts only 1–2 weeks.
- Frost around –12 ° C allows storage up to 4–6 weeks.
- Only temperatures of –18 ° C can preserve the melon for up to 12 months.
The lower the temperature in the chamber, the faster the melon can be frozen for the winter, and the better the result will be.
And so that during the time in the freezer the melon slices do not lose moisture and do not absorb foreign odors, containers or packages with the product must be tightly closed. Storage containers should be small. This will allow you to immediately use the portion for food, and not defrost a large amount of juicy pulp, because after the fruits are warmed up, their consistency will irrevocably change.
Ideal options for storing frozen melons are:
- bags with a plastic fastener that endure freezing temperatures;
- containers with tight-fitting lids.
How to freeze grown on garden bed melon for the winter at home? There are several ways to prepare melons using low temperatures.
Methods for freezing melon pulp
However, before freezing the fruits, you need to choose a sweet melon with the most dense consistency so as not to be disappointed and not to get an almost tasteless liquid gruel as a result of work.
Melons of the cantaloupe variety with orange aromatic pulp and dense, covered with a network of cracks and, as it were, divided into slices, are recognized as the best melons for freezing.
Can a melon be frozen whole or cut in half for the winter? A common mistake is that inexperienced housewives try to keep all or large pieces of melon in the freezer. Not only does the fruit take up a lot of space in the refrigerator, so the melon freezes for a long time and unevenly. As a result, the juicy flesh in the middle of the melon is riddled with ice crystals that destroy cells and tissues, and sometimes the entire fruit.
Better, before freezing the melon for the winter, wash the fruit thoroughly, cut it in half and clean out all the seeds. Then cut the melon into portioned pieces, which will freeze faster and will be better stored.
The shape of such pieces can be arbitrary:
- Someone prefers to send the melon for storage in the form of traditional thin slices.
- For other housewives, it is convenient to use cubes for preparing melon desserts.
- And lovers of noisy parties and unusual ways of serving will appreciate melon balls, which can not only be used for culinary purposes, but also decorate or desserts, fruit salads and cocktails.
The best freezing result for fruits and juicy fruits is achieved by using dry ice, which is poured over the prepared slices. As a result, a hard frozen layer without large ice crystals instantly forms on the surface of the pulp. And even in this case, the consistency of a thawed melon cannot be compared to a fresh slice.Therefore, it is more appropriate to use this pulp for desserts, refreshing popsicles and cocktails.
In the absence of dry ice, small slices will quickly freeze if they are evenly spread out at a distance from each other on a suitable tray and placed in the freezer, it is time the pieces do not harden. In this form, melon slices are packed in containers or bags and placed in storage in a chamber where the temperature does not exceed –18 ° C.
Pre-freezing will prevent the pieces from sticking together, significantly speed up the process and will preserve the quality of the melon.
Are there other ways to freeze melons for the winter?
Sugar syrup or sweet fruit juice can help keep the melon pulp intact. To prepare the syrup, water and sugar are taken in equal shares, the mixture is heated, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the liquid boils.
Melon slices placed in a freezer container are poured with chilled syrup, closed and placed in the freezer. Do the same with juice, which is pre-mixed with sugar. Melon goes well with watermelon, pineapple, orange and peach juice.
If you want to add sweetness to the melon frozen on a tray in a "dry" way, the slices are dipped in powdered sugar and only then laid out on pallets and put in the frost.
If the melon grown on your own plot turned out to be too soft and juicy, you should not give up the idea of freezing it. The peeled slices are crushed in a blender and the resulting puree is laid out in containers for freezing. If there is insufficient sweetness, sugar or honey can be added to the pulp. On the basis of such a product, it is easy to prepare healthy, thirst-quenching ice cream and all kinds of desserts.
Homemade Melon Sorbet
To prepare an original homemade treat for all family members, you will need a sweet ripe melon, which is washed, cut, seeds cleaned and cut into small cubes.
For 6 servings of dessert, take:
- 1 cup of sugar;
- 1 glass of water;
- 4 cups diced melon pulp
- a little lemon or orange juice, to taste.
Cooking method
- Syrup is made from sugar and water, for which, stirring the liquid, bring it to a boil over low heat. Then the syrup is removed from the heat and cooled.
- Melon cubes, chilled syrup and lemon juice are blended in a blender until a smooth, airy puree is obtained.
- The resulting puree is laid out in containers, leaving a couple of centimeters to the edge, and frozen.
- So that large ice inclusions do not form in the sorbet, the thickened mass is stirred again as it freezes.
It is better to keep the finished sorbet at room temperature for several minutes before laying it out on the bowls.
If the treat is being prepared for adults, you can use sweet white or sparkling wines instead of syrup.
And little sweet tooths will love the sorbet with creamy yogurt. In this case, you can sweeten the dessert with the help of powdered sugar, and it will not be superfluous to add pieces of melon or candied watermelon to the freezing mass.