Many types of fruit with a limited shelf life can only be preserved for longer by freezing or preserving them. However, for melons, freezing is only a satisfactory storage option under certain conditions.

Whole pieces of melon do not freeze well

It is due to the special cell structure and the high water content of mostly over 90 percent that whole frozen melon pieces become relatively mushy when thawed and thus only offer a rather suboptimal taste experience. Although green asparagus has a similarly high water content as melons, it tolerates deep-freezing much better than the melon due to the differently structured cell walls. In addition, the freezing or pickling of melons should never be delayed until a point where eating them fresh is no longer appealing. Most types of melons can only be stored in the refrigerator for a few days after the first cut without any loss of quality. If you cannot use the leftovers fresh in the foreseeable future, you should process ripe melons into storable dishes in good time.

Prepare melons for freezing

To prevent a mushy consistency after thawing, melons can be freed from the seeds and pureed before freezing. After defrosting, the resulting mass can still be used for smoothies or other fruit desserts. You can also use ripe watermelons and honeydew melons to make a refreshing summer snack for people and dogs. For this you need:

  • slightly ripe melon without seeds and skin
  • an ice cube mold
  • a blender or blender
  • a freezer compartment or chest freezer

Crush the pulp and fill it into the ice cube mold to get low-calorie ice cream for humans and animals within a few hours.

Alternatives to freezing

Even if melons in this country are often mistakenly perceived as fruit rather than vegetables: In many countries around the world, the actually sweet fruit is also eaten savory like a vegetable. To do this, pieces of the pulp are pickled in vinegar, after which the jars, filled to the lid, can be kept for several months and their contents eaten as a side vegetable.

tips and tricks

If time is short, pieces of melon can also be frozen whole and pureed after thawing. However, storing already pureed melons in the freezer takes a little more space than irregularly shaped pieces of fruit.

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The garden journal freshness ABC

How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?

The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:

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Vegetable garden