Dried melon in watermelon juice Uzbek cuisine. Dried melon benefits and harms. Dried melon at home. Preparation of melon for storage. You need to store melon in a glass jar or in a bag

Home | cooking | canning | How to dry melon for the winter

How to dry or dry a melon:

At home (if there is no special drying), an oven or air grill is used for this purpose. In the photo, the “collective farmer” melon went into drying. This variety has firmer and less watery flesh. It can be completely dried and left dried. There are melons that are more watery than watermelon. Of these varieties, it is better to prepare melon marshmallow.
	photo 1. Remove the skin from the melon. How to dry melons Remove only the topmost hard yellow layer. Cut into thin strips. The thinner, the faster the melon will dry. Arrange in a single layer on the air grill or oven racks.
At what temperature and how much to dry: In an air grill: in 2 doses of 20 minutes at 65 C and maximum fan power (if there is an adjustment). In the oven: 3-4 doses at 50-60 C for 20-30 minutes.
	photo 2. Twist the strips into rolls - so it is more convenient to store and eat them. Dried for the winter or dried melon should be stored in closed containers, but periodically ventilate and check if fruit moths have started there (how does it get there!?). The calorie content of dried melon is quite high - depending on the variety, up to 500 kcal. But if there are no restrictions on the use of sugar, including fructose, a small portion of dried melon can be a wonderful snack.
August 8, 2014.

Dried melon - a delicacy for adults and children

Dried melon

To make baked melon you will need:

- melon weighing about 1.5 kg;

- orange;

- sugar (to taste);

- lemon juice (tablespoon);

- cinnamon;

1. First of all, the melon must be pitted and peeled. Then cut into slices about 1-1.5 cm thick and put in a layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon, lay out another layer of slices, pour over with lemon juice again, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

2. Orange should be cut into rings and put in a mold on top of the melon slices.

3. Put the form with melon and orange in the oven and bake at the maximum temperature for about an hour and a half (until the oranges are sure to darken - they can be thrown away after cooking).

It is better to choose unripe or firmer melons for baking - juicy melons give too much liquid when baking.

dried melon- This is an elegant and unusual delicacy that will appeal to both the adult and the younger generation. There are enough different varieties of this amazing fruit, which vary in taste, color, size, but all of them contain useful microcomponents that give strength, health and beauty.

To make the most delicious dried melon at home, it is advisable to use only the best fruits. In order to choose a good product correctly, we advise you to read a few recommendations. A ripe melon always gives off a sweet and fresh aroma. Also, in a ripe melon, the crust should be slightly soft, but if it is hard and elastic, this means that the fruit is not yet fully ripe. And lastly, the tail must be dry.

There are several ways to dry fruits and berries, for example, this can be done in the oven or the old method - under the sun. In this step by step photo recipe, we have prepared instructions for cooking dried melon in an electric dryer, which describes each step in detail.

Dried melon is good for health, primarily due to the content of trace elements and amino acids.

How to make dried melon at home

It is the melon pulp that perfectly serves to strengthen hair and capillaries. Also her beneficial features apply to people who have cardiovascular diseases. In addition, the benefits of dried melon also lies in the content folic acid, which is simply necessary for pregnant women.

Dried melon can be used to make a healthy and tasty compote, and for a variety of taste and aroma, add a few pieces to tea.

After preparing a wonderful dried melon, you must follow the rules for its storage. She needs to breathe, which means that in a tightly closed container, she will certainly become moldy. Properly store dried melon in paper bags or in a glass jar, but use paper instead of a lid.

So, let's start preparing an exquisite and tasty delicacy called "Dried Melon".

How nice it is to get a jar of dried melon pieces in the middle of winter and treat yourself to a natural delicacy in bad weather.

Dried melon is perhaps more popular than fresh melon. And this is justified: it is more convenient to eat, the product is saturated with aroma, dried melon is served as a dessert and used for a light snack, dried melon is also used to decorate culinary creations.

The ripest fruits that lay in the sun itself are selected, such melons will be the most delicious. Choose sweet varieties of melon.

Plucked fruits are not cooked immediately, they are ripened. To do this, melons are laid out in the sunniest place of the site for a week, insulating from the ground, for example, with boards or plywood. Melons should be smooth, without flaws, dark and soft spots, with a pronounced aroma.

The fruit is then washed and cut into thin slices. With a sharp knife, the skin is removed from each slice along with the greenish flesh.

The slices are dried with a paper towel and proceed to drying.

How to dry melons quickly

In the southern regions, melon slices are dried whole, only by removing the peel, for this special devices are used. They try to hang melons so that they are under a canopy, but well ventilated, then all the nutrients in their pulp will be preserved. Blanks must be covered with gauze.

In the northern regions, you can also cook dried melon, but in slightly different ways. A melon grown in the garden or bought at the market or in a store is suitable. When buying, melons are carefully chosen, they make sure that the stalk is dry and a bright aroma is felt.

Bought melons are kept in the sun for about a week, fruits from the garden after harvest are also laid out for warming in ultraviolet rays.

Before drying, melon fruits are also thoroughly washed and dried, then cut in half and the middle is pulled out.

Each half is cut into thin slices, peeled, only white flesh should remain, without a green tone.

The resulting melon slices are cut into transverse fragments and laid out on a paper towel, also dried on top. In this form, the melon is left for several hours so that the excess juice is absorbed into the paper.

Then the melon is laid out on the sections of the electric dryer, trying to place the pieces at some distance from each other and in one layer. The melon is dried in several steps, taking a break for a day.

In the oven, the melon is also dried with a break. Lay out on a tray, set the temperature in the oven to 60 degrees and leave for five hours, then turn off the oven and open the door for a day.

Before continuing the drying, the melon is tasted. It happens that the fruit is not sweet enough.

If during the preparation of dried melon it turned out that the fruit does not contain the proper sweetness, sugar syrup is prepared and the workpieces are sprinkled with it or the melon is sprinkled with powder. This operation is done immediately before drying, otherwise the slices will get wet.

On the second drying run in the oven, the temperature is increased by 15 degrees and a break is taken every couple of hours. Then the melon will turn out to be dried-up.

A well-cooked dried melon retains its aroma, its color is only a couple of tones darker than that of a fresh one, and most importantly, it stretches slightly, the dried melon should not break.

How to use and store dried melon

If sugar syrup was used to increase sugar content in the preparation of dried melons, such blanks are stored only in glass containers. In other cases, perforated zip bags or paper packaging are suitable for storing fruit preparations.

Dried melons are used to make delicious fragrant compotes, bake fruit pies. After steaming, melon pieces take on a fresh look and can serve as the basis for fruit salads, they are also added to milkshakes.

Dried melon is given to children for a snack at school, such a delicacy saturates the body with vitamins and supports the immune system. It is also used to maintain strength during colds, dried melon is also good as a daily vitamin supplement.

How to cook real dried grapes, read

At the moment when there is an irresistible desire to eat something tasty, dried melon comes in handy.

It will surely attract not only its taste, but also the content of vitamins A, P, PP, B1, B2, E, carotene, folic acid, ascorbic acid, minerals, as well as easily digestible sugars. Pieces of dried melon have:

Tonic action;

Cholagogue and diuretic quality;

Restorative and anti-inflammatory effects on the body.

Dried melon pieces have been scientifically proven to boost immunity and are extremely beneficial for gout, and finally, melon improves mood.

Dried melon: recipe

sun melon recipe

The pulp of such a melon should be dense, Central Asian varieties are ideal.

Before drying, we put the melon on the racks for a couple of days. This is the pre-curing stage.

After that, we cut the melon in half, remove the seeds along with the middle and cut it into strips longitudinally, the thickness of which is no more than three centimeters. We clean off the crust, green pulp - too, after which we put it on a tray (you can also put it on a baking sheet).

If melon strips are dried in a suspended state, then they must be placed on hangers in pairs, fastened at one end. Each pair of strips should be covered with gauze so that flying wasps do not damage the delicacy.

After three days, the strips are turned over. This turning helps to ensure that the moisture evaporates evenly.

After 12 days, the drying of the strips can be considered complete, now such a product should be stored in small boxes, the bottom of which is pre-lined with parchment paper.

You can braid bundles from goodies, this contributes better storage. In order for the melon slices to stick together well, they can be sprinkled during the weaving process.

Such bundles are best wrapped in a white cloth before being placed in a box.

Dried melon in the oven

Another way to prepare a melon is to dry its slices prepared as described above in the oven at a temperature not exceeding 75 degrees Celsius.

The slices are turned over at regular intervals, keeping them until fully cooked.

The undoubted advantage of melon prepared in this way is that it retains its beneficial properties for a long time, you just need to make sure that the strips do not get wet during storage.

When moistened from the outside, the melon begins to rot and is no longer ready for consumption.

Dried melon will make an original dish for the table.

To do this, you need to fold the pigtails into a “herringbone” on a dish and sprinkle powdered sugar, which will symbolize snow. For a birthday, you can make a kind of cake out of pigtails, gradually winding them on top of each other.

This option is suitable not only for those who are tired of the endless curd-protein masses, but also for vegetarians. In any variant of use, such a melon is extremely tasty.

One of the most delicious options for harvesting sweets for future use can be dried melon - an excellent treat for a cup of tea or a healthy snack that any sweet tooth can take with them.

Dried melon in the oven - recipe

The most affordable way to dry vegetables is to cook them in the oven. The cooking process does not require you special efforts, but it will take a lot of time to dry a juicy melon.

Before you make your own dried melon, prepare a baking sheet. Line a baking dish with parchment paper and grease well. Peel the melons from seeds and skin, and then divide into cubes of equal size with a side of no more than 3 cm: the smaller the pieces, the more readily they will dry. Spread the melon on a baking sheet and leave to dry first at 120 degrees for about 15 minutes, and then dry the pieces, reducing the heat to 80 degrees, for another one and a half to two hours.

If you do not know how to store dried melon, then there are no differences from storing other dried fruits. It is enough to choose a dry place and place a melon in it in a paper bag or in a glass jar.

How are dried melons made in an electric dryer?

With an electric dryer, the cooking process is even easier. Due to the ability to set a low temperature for a long time, melons can dry evenly, without burning and with a minimum of interference from outside.

After peeling the melon, cut it in half, remove the seeds and cut the fruit into thin slices. Lay each of the slices on the dryer tray, making sure that they do not touch each other. Leave the melon trays to dry at 60 degrees for 10-12 hours.

Dried melons at home

If you're harvesting fruit in the summer, you can take advantage of the seasonal heat and cook dried melons in the sun. Divide the peeled melons into slices and place on cheesecloth.

Melon blanks for the winter, delicious recipes - you will lick your fingers

Cover the pieces with a gauze cut on top and leave under the scorching sun until it sets. At night, keep the pieces warm and dry, and when the sun comes out, continue drying again. In fairly dry and sunny weather, pieces of dried melon should be ready in about three days.

Dried melons can be braided or put in paper or plastic bags with a lock just like that. Ready-made dried fruits can be eaten on their own or used to prepare compotes and make sweets.

Home | cooking | canning | How to dry melon for the winter

How to dry or dry a melon:

At home (if there is no special drying), an oven or air grill is used for this purpose. In the photo, the “collective farmer” melon went into drying. This variety has firmer and less watery flesh. It can be completely dried and left dried. There are melons that are more watery than watermelon. Of these varieties, it is better to prepare melon marshmallow.
	photo 1. Remove the skin from the melon. Remove only the topmost hard yellow layer. Cut into thin strips. The thinner, the faster the melon will dry. Arrange in a single layer on the air grill or oven racks.
At what temperature and how much to dry: In an air grill: in 2 doses of 20 minutes at 65 C and maximum fan power (if there is an adjustment). In the oven: 3-4 doses at 50-60 C for 20-30 minutes.
	photo 2. Twist the strips into rolls - so it is more convenient to store and eat them. Dried for the winter or dried melon should be stored in closed containers, but periodically ventilate and check if fruit moths have started there (how does it get there!?). The calorie content of dried melon is quite high - depending on the variety, up to 500 kcal. But if there are no restrictions on the use of sugar, including fructose, a small portion of dried melon can be a wonderful snack.
August 8, 2014.

I love pickle season. All fruits are ripe, sweet, vegetables only from the garden. Everything is fresh, tasty, just from the summer sun. I like to make preparations for the winter and "for now". For example, candied melons. For tea, the most is - not cloying, useful, stored for quite a long time.

It’s not very good with melons in our region, they don’t grow properly - the climate is not the same, but there are plenty of imported ones. But imported ones, despite the fact that it is already almost the middle of September, do not always turn out to be ripe and sweet.

dried melon

We bought a big and beautiful one, according to the seller - "honey", but it turned out to be tasteless and unripe ... If you are so "lucky" - do not rush to get upset and throw it away. It is this melon that is needed for the manufacture of candied fruits. Cooking them is very simple, however, for a long time - from 3 days to 2 weeks. It all depends on the size of the pieces.

I will use the most fast way drying melons, and I will drink tea with candied fruit on the 3rd day.

1. First of all, you need to cut the skin from the melon and remove the seeds.

3. I take out the grates from the oven and wrap them in foil. I spread slices of melon on them in even rows. They should not lie in a heap, and they do not need to be pressed tightly against each other either. At the same time, the oven is heated to 200 degrees. We put the grates with melon in the oven, reduce the heat a little, leave to languish for 15 minutes.

4. After 15 minutes, turn off and open the oven, do not remove the melon, but leave it there until it cools completely.

5. The cooled pieces are still quite soft, we transfer them carefully to the board, which should now be placed in a well-ventilated place. You can cover with gauze so that insects do not stick to them. Next, dry the melon for three days, periodically turning the pieces over.

6. On the 3-4th day, we transfer our candied fruits into bowls or into fabric bags - the finished product is easily removed from the board without sticking to it. If the pieces have to be peeled off, then they need to be dried a little more. And my candied fruits are ready.

Happy tea!

Cooking time: PT00H15M15 min.

Approximate cost per serving: 20 rubles.

Is this a good recipe?

Reading 9 min. Views 219 Published on 06.10.2019

It often seems to novice harvesters that it is impossible to dry juicy vegetables or fruits, but this is a delusion. We have collected 4 for you the best way how to dry a melon in an electric dryer, in the air, in an oven and a microwave, which even beginners can handle.

Properly dry a melon: the choice of raw materials and its preparation

Fragrant, tasty and juicy dried melons are loved by adults and children, looking forward to their fruiting season. Most often, gourds are grown in the southern regions, from where vegetables are brought to anywhere in our country. bear fruit in open ground they start from about mid-July, and remove them from the beds until the end of September. You can buy for drying seasonal melons and grown in greenhouses all year round. The main thing is that the content of pesticides, nitrates and nitrites in them does not exceed the norm.

Melon belongs to the gourd family and belongs to the genus of cucumbers. Its homeland is considered to be Central and Asia Minor. This is an annual, which can be recognized by long shoots creeping along the ground with dense large round leaves. The water content in melons reaches 95-98%, so it is not easy to dry them.

Selection of raw materials for drying

Fruits (pumpkins) may have different shape from oblong cylindrical to pear-shaped or spherical, ribbed. The peel is smooth green or yellow, and may be covered with a network of spots or cracks. Melon flesh is most often milky white, slightly translucent when ripe, and may be greenish or yellowish.

Varieties

Do you have an electric dryer?

YesNot

There is a large number of different varieties which are suitable for drying to varying degrees. In order for drying to be stored for a long time, it is better to choose the following varieties that have a bright aroma and all the necessary qualities.

• Persian.
• Collective farmer.
• Pineapple.
• Walk.
• Ditma.
• Torpedo.

Their flesh is dense, with a relatively small percentage of water content. Therefore, after drying, they do not turn into dry crusts, but have a pleasant viscous texture. These varieties have an increased sugar content, and drying from them will be tastier.

Selection rules

It is better to choose strong, slightly unripe or ripe fruits, in no case overripe. If the pulp is already loose, then they definitely will not go into drying. It is also better not to dry green melons, their taste will be weak and tart, and the pieces will be hard.

All melons should be firm, without extraneous spots, blotches, if this is not a feature of the variety. Pay attention that there are no signs of rot or bruises that are difficult to see until you cut the fruit.

Raw material preparation

When figuring out how to cook dried melon, remember that each fruit must be pre-dried for outdoors in general form. To do this, spread the selected pumpkins in the shade in a dry, warm and well-ventilated place for 48 hours. You can turn the melons from side to side once or twice a day, making sure that rot does not appear. Damaged fruit must be discarded.

slicing

Depending on the type of drying that will be used, the fruits will need to be cut, because they are not dried entirely. First, the melon is divided lengthwise into two parts, and then cut into thin slices, slices, straws or cubes. The entire crust and the subcortical layer, which usually has a greenish tint, are completely cut off.

If natural air drying is meant, then double slices can be made, fastened to the edge. So it will be convenient to hang them on a thread. The optimal thickness of cubes or strips should be 2-4 centimeters, depending on the type of cutting. Shrinkage is very significant: out of 10 kilograms of fresh melons, only 1 kilogram of dried melons will come out.

Candied fruit

You can prepare melon cubes for preparing such a delicacy in two different ways.

1. For 1 kilogram of melon pulp, you need to take 1 kilogram of sugar and 3 tablespoons of lemon juice. Put the cubes in a deep bowl, cover with sugar on top and leave for 2-3 hours until they release the juice. Add lemon juice, mix, place the container on the stove, let it boil and cook over low heat for 2-4 minutes. Remove candied fruits, cool and leave for 8-10 hours. Repeat manipulations 3-5 times until the pieces become transparent. The melon is thrown into a colander, allowing the syrup to drain, and then sent to dry.
2. For 1 kilogram of melon, 1.2 kilograms of sugar and 2 glasses of water are taken. Pour water into a deep saucepan or bowl, let it boil, add sugar, stir until it completely dissolves. Pieces of melon are thrown into boiling syrup, boiled for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to "rest" for 10-12 hours. The procedure is repeated 3-4 times until the slices become transparent.

Both ways to dry a melon for candied fruit are quite laborious, but there is nothing complicated about them, so you can choose any.

There are many methods on how to dry a melon with your own hands. They differ in equipment and temperature. We have collected the best of them, from which you can choose the one you like the most.

Outdoors

Drying time A: 6-14 days.

The method is considered natural, although juicy fruits it won't be easy to dry. Drying time directly depends on many external factors: the initial moisture content of the vegetable, environment, air temperature (not less than 18-20°C) and the quality of its circulation, precipitation.

On the paper

• Line suitable surfaces (large sieves, baking trays or oven racks, trays) with paper or a thin, clean cloth such as gauze.
• Arrange the melon slices so that they do not touch each other.
• Install pallets away from sunlight. It is recommended to put them on a balcony, under a canopy, in a barn or attic, opening all the vents and dormer windows.
• Cover the dryer with one layer of gauze to keep out insects and dust. A stick can be placed vertically in the middle of each pallet to make an impromptu "tent", so the air circulation will be better.
• Every day or better twice a day, change the substrate, which will absorb excess moisture from the vegetables, and turn them from side to side.

On a string

• AT convenient location pull threads, ropes, wire or nail planks.
• Hang the double melon slices so that they are not touching. Single ones can simply be strung on a thread using a large (gypsy) needle.
• Inspect the dryer every day to discard rotten pieces.

To speed up the process as much as possible, you can make large wooden boxes with a mesh bottom, in which it is convenient to lay out the drying. They are attached over hob in the kitchen so that warm air rises through them when cooking.

Readiness is checked by touch and taste. If you need to get dried melon slices, then the pulp should remain flexible, viscous, and may be sticky from the sugars that have come out. If you want a more shelf-stable drying, then you need to wait until the pieces become more dense.

In an electric dryer or dehydrator

Drying time: 5-7 hours.

This method is much faster than the previous one, and the product from the dryer is of better quality. So you can dry melon slices without pre-boiling in syrup or pre-cooked candied fruits.

• Arrange the melon slices on the racks so that they do not touch.
• Set the temperature to 65-72°C or the "Vegetables" mode.
• Change the grates every hour or two so the melon dries evenly.

Household and professional evaporate a lot of moisture, so it is better to put them in well-ventilated areas. Experienced dryers prefer to take them out to the balcony, to the barn or under a canopy. Drying a melon in an electric dryer at home is not difficult, the main thing is to make sure that it does not dry out.

In the oven

Drying time: 3-5 hours.

If there is no special equipment, you can dry the melon in the oven. The main thing is not to let it bake, so you can only close the door tightly if there is a “Convection” mode. Then ventilation will be forced using the built-in fan. Otherwise, it is better to leave a gap for electric ovens of 5-7 centimeters, and for gas ones - 14-20.

• Line baking sheets with baking parchment.
• Lay the slices at a distance of 1-3 millimeters from each other.
• Set the temperature to 75-80°C.
• Turn off the oven every hour and let it cool completely. At the same time, turn the vegetable slices over, and swap the baking sheets.
• Repeat drying cycles as many times as needed until done.

Candied fruits and ordinary pieces of melon from the oven are especially fragrant and tasty. The main thing is to make sure that they do not burn. You can focus on the color of drying: if it gets very dark on one side, then it's time to turn it over.

Drying time: 15-20 minutes.

This is the most emergency way to dry a melon. Many do not recommend using it, since the device allegedly “spoils” products by breaking molecular bonds. Microwave food has not been scientifically proven to be harmful. The melon must be cut into thin layers so that it has time to dry throughout its thickness.

• Cover the dish with a napkin.
• Arrange the slices so that they do not touch each other.
• Cover with another towel.
• Scroll for 3-5 minutes on the "Defrost" mode.
• Open the stove to release excess moisture.
• Turn over the slices.
• Turn on the power of 80-100W, scroll for another 2-3 minutes.

Repeat heating and turning as many times as needed until done.

Dried melon strips can be rolled up or braided as they dry so that they take up less space. They will lie at least 6-8 months. Candied fruits are optimally poured into glass jars with tight lids. At room temperature they can be stored without loss of properties for 8-10 months. A well-dried melon can lie for 12-15 months. The main thing is to choose a suitable container for storage.

• Glass jars.
• Paper bags.
• Linen bags.
• Wooden boxes.
• Carton boxes.

Make sure that candied fruits or dried melon pieces do not develop mold, which usually happens with excessive moisture. The room where the drying is located should be dry and cool, well ventilated. Sprinkle the pieces once or several times a month to ventilate them.

Sweet slices of dried melon or candied fruits are especially loved by children. They are suitable as a snack on their own and as a help for losing weight. A delicacy is widely used in cooking.

• Cakes.
• Buns.
• Pies.
• Jams.