The Solely Methodology To Retailer Total Watermelon, Consistent with Farmers

Rising up on a farm, I was lucky to have entry to just-picked fruits and veggies on the height of ripeness. And though I appreciated munching on sweet and tender carrots throughout the early summer season season and extra juicy Photo voltaic Gold cherry tomatoes in July, nothing ever topped a chilled slice of watermelon (usually adopted by a seed-spitting contest) on a scorching, humid late summer season season day.

No longer on the farm, I nonetheless make the journey to the farmer’s market when the season rolls spherical to hunt out the best watermelon. I seek for one which’s heavy for its dimension nonetheless not too heavy to lug once more to my condominium. As quickly because it’s home and chilled, I do my best to not eat it multi operate sitting, savoring the fruit one wedge at a time.

The ultimate slice is never as sweet and delicious as the first one, which has me questioning: Am I conserving my watermelon earlier its prime? Hoping to get basically probably the most out of melon season this 12 months, I checked in with my mom and father, who’re every farmers, Lee and Ingrid Abraham, along with Julie Stefanski, MEd, RDN, LDN, FAND, and Spokesperson for the Academy of Weight loss program and Dietetics, to find methods to carry my fruit as current and delicious as doable.

Must You Refrigerate Your Watermelon?

“Greens and fruit that develop properly in scorching local weather often don’t want to be refrigerated,” Ingrid instructed me, citing totally different summer season season crops like tomatoes. The similar is true of watermelon, which she immediate storing at room temperature in a cool spot out of the photo voltaic. Stefanski agreed, together with that when saved throughout the fridge, “the flavour, texture, and some of the nutritive value will begin to deteriorate.”

She outlined that watermelons comprise lycopene, a carotenoid (aka a pigment produced by crops) that will help fight cell hurt in our our our bodies. A look at evaluating watermelons held at 70°F, 55°F, and 41°F found that the fruits saved at room temperature contained the perfect ranges of lycopene.

How Prolonged Can You Protect a Total Watermelon Sooner than Lowering It Up?

If saved in a cool dry spot away from direct daylight, Lee instructed me a whole watermelon ought to carry for one weekand can ultimate two to some weeks if refrigerated (though it’s not advisable).

What he did advocate was consuming it ASAP on account of the nearer it is to its harvest date, the upper it will type. In case you’re a chilled watermelon lover, don’t fret; there’s no damage in refrigerating it for a couple of hours to get it good and chilly.

What’s the Biggest Methodology To Retailer Reduce-Up Watermelon?

Ingrid’s tip: benefit from nature’s wrapper, the rind! Lowering slices off of a watermelon as needed helps preserve its pure moisture barrier and retains the fruit inside fresher for longer.

In case you do go for cubes, retailer them in an airtight container throughout the fridge, the place Stefanski says they should preserve their freshness for 3 to 4 days. She stroke a chord in my memory that like all current produce, in case your watermelon “has seen mildew, a slimy texture, or tastes ‘fizzy’ when consuming, then it is best in order so as to add it to your compost bin.”

Though the above solutions apply to every kind of melons, Stefanski well-known that storage would possibly differ counting on rind thickness, ripeness, and storage circumstances. On a regular basis look at your fruit and supplies it a sniff to confirm for any off odors.