Honeydew melons are best bought when they are fully ripe, as only then do they develop their full sweetness and flavor intensity. However, as with the watermelon, it can only be stored for a certain period of time.

The shelf life of honeydew melon

When ripe, honeydew melons can be kept at room temperature for a maximum of one to two weeks if they have not yet been cut. When cut, you should keep them in the fridge like watermelons and cover the cut side with cling film. The honeydew melon can be stored in this way for up to three days, but once it has been opened it can easily absorb foreign odors from other foods in the refrigerator.

Freeze honeydew melon

As a squash of the genus Cucurbitaceae, the honeydew melon is botanically closely related to cucumbers and other vegetables. Like these, it contains up to 95% water. This makes them only suitable for freezing to a very limited extent, because most fruits with a similarly high water content become very mushy when they are thawed later. Asparagus, for example, has a similar water content, but can be frozen due to its different cell structure. You can still freeze honeydew melon if you want to use the thawed pulp for smoothies or other desserts where the consistency of the pulp isn't that important. Alternatively, you can puree the ripe honeydew melon before freezing, so it takes up less space in the freezer.

Alternatives for freezing honeydew melon

A honeydew melon cannot always be eaten fresh as a whole. If you do not want to freeze the fruit due to the loss of quality that occurs and do not want to process it into smoothies, you can also pickle it. In the case of watermelon, for example, pickling is a popular long-term storage method in Russia. For pickled honeydew melon you need the following ingredients:

  • a mason jar with sealing rubber
  • an appropriate amount of white wine vinegar
  • some sugar
  • a ripe honeydew melon

Simply put the honeydew melon cut into pieces in the glass and, after adding a few tablespoons of sugar, fill it to the brim with white wine vinegar.

tips and tricks

Whether it's frozen or pickled, a honeydew melon doesn't get any better with storage. That's why you should process ripe fruit in good time and not wait until you notice the first signs of quality loss.

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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Category:

Vegetable garden