Pickled melon for the winter or what can be made from unripe fruits
Everyone knows that the most delicious melon is the one that is well ripe and has a juicy sweet pulp. However, it often happens that the fruits purchased on the market are not entirely of high quality, with watery and unsweetened pulp. You should not rush to throw them away, because even from such melons you can successfully prepare a wonderful dessert. It is enough to know some of the nuances of pickling in order to turn unappetizing fruits into a culinary masterpiece.
It is advisable to put melons of the same variety in one jar, since each variety has its own pulp structure. Melons with hard pulp should not be mixed with oily varieties so as not to spoil the appearance and taste of the workpiece.
Fruit preparation
Selected and sorted unripe fruits must be cut into two halves and seeds selected. Using a spoon, carefully scrub the insides of the melon so that no fibers remain, to which the seeds are attached.
Next, you should peel the fruit. To do this, cut the melon into wedges and cut the rind with each knife. Cut the peeled slices into large pieces (about 3 cm) and place tightly in prepared jars, filling them to the top.
In each can of melon, put:
- a few peas of allspice;
- 1 clove each.
Cooking the marinade
For two cans of 1.5 liters (filled with melons) you will need:
- 1.5 liters of water;
- 500 g sugar;
- 150 g vinegar (9%).
Pour sugar into water and put on fire. Warm up the marinade until all the sugar has melted; you do not need to boil it.
As soon as the sugar crystals dissolve, add vinegar to the brine and immediately pour it into the melon jars.
Sterilizing the workpiece
Jars filled with marinade melon set in a wide saucepan, spreading an old towel on the bottom, and pour warm water into it so that it reaches the hangers of the jars. Cover each jar with a lid and sterilize.
The sterilization time depends on the volume of the can:
- for containers with a volume of 1 liter - 15 minutes;
- for containers with a volume of 1.5 liters - 20 minutes;
- for containers with a volume of 2 liters - 25 minutes.
During sterilization, cover the pot with jars on top with a second pot or cauldron. This way the cans will steam better.
After the specified time has elapsed, roll up the cans, turn them upside down, wrap them up and leave until they cool completely. Pickled melon can be eaten as a separate dessert. It is also good as a pie filling.