Amazing melon berry - juicy, sweet, fresh. Many are looking forward to the summer season, because it will be possible to enjoy a melon. Someone is even trying to grow this southern fruit in their plots. But the summer is fleeting, and you want to feel the unique melon taste in the winter. In this case, save a variety of blanks, which include the preparation of wine from melon at home.
The benefits of melon
The homeland of the southern berry, which everyone mistakenly considers a fruit, is Central and East Asia, and from there it was brought to Russia. It would seem - gourd, consists of almost one water. Nevertheless, there are a lot of vitamins and minerals beneficial to the human body in a melon. Vitamins C and PP, pectin, iron, fiber, potassium, beta-carotene and so on - all this is present in the berry in large quantities, making it largely irreplaceable for a huge number of people.
It is useful for people with kidney diseases, low immunity, anemia, it can lower blood pressure and cholesterol, has a diuretic effect, cleanses the body, and has a positive effect on the nervous system. Melon is also recommended for those suffering from diabetes - it is considered an excellent dessert because it contains a minimum amount of sugar. In general, whatever one may say, just a wonderful berry!
How to choose a melon
Like any other product, you need to be able to choose a melon, if, of course, you want to enjoy an amazing taste, and not be poisoned by poor-quality goods. The first thing you need to pay attention to is the absence of spots and cracks on the melon skin. The skin of the fetus must be perfectly clean, otherwise there is a risk of buying a berry infected with the bacteria salmonella and botulism. You can’t buy sliced fruits or even cut them in your presence - who guarantees a clean knife in the hands of the seller? Of course, he just needs to sell the goods.
The next item is the smell. If the melon is good, ripe, it smells like melon. Therefore, buying a fruit, you must definitely sniff it. And if it smells of greenery or nothing at all, it is better to put the fruit aside - it has not yet ripened.
It is important to pay attention to the sound that will result if you hit the melon with your palm. A ripe melon sounds muffled, and it also slightly bends the skin if you lightly press it.
And, finally, the most important thing - buying melons is best in proven places, large stores, but in no case on the shelves by the road - because all exhaust from cars and road dust are deposited on products, which means that they will end up in your body .
Features of making wine from melon at home
Frozen, dried, dried melon, melon jam, compotes - whatever they make from this berry! But melon wine is less often approached, although the southern fruit is simply created for this drink - it will give it a wonderful aroma and pleasant taste. In order to make the wine as tasty as possible, you only need to know and observe some certain tricks.
- The fruits for wine from the melon must be taken the most juicy and ripe, and most importantly, the most fragrant, then the drink will have a stronger smell.
- From the melon dessert wines will come out fine, but not dry.
- You can insist a drink both on wine yeast and on raisins.
- If you mix melon juice with yellow raspberry juice, the wine will turn out to be of higher quality.
- Soaking wine from melon is recommended for at least one year.
- The jars in which the wine will be prepared must be pre-washed and sterilized, as well as checked for cracks, chips or any other damage.
- Before making wine, you need to prepare the melon: remove the skin, peel the seeds and cut the flesh into cubes. After chopping the pulp, it is recommended to compress it as quickly as possible.
Recipes
Melon wine can be prepared in different ways at home. There are tons of recipes. The simplest assumes the presence of 200 grams of yeast and three to four kilograms of sugar.
After cutting the melon into cubes, squeeze the juice from it in any accessible and convenient way. The juice must be filtered and drained into a container prepared in advance. Dissolve yeast in water, and then pour them into melon juice. Add sugar there, mix thoroughly the whole mass. Wear a rubber glove over the neck of the container and leave to roam at room temperature in a dark place. The end of fermentation will be indicated by a change in the color of the drink - it will become lighter. The finished wine is filtered, bottled, sugar is added as necessary.
Raspberry Recipe
Recipes of wine from melons with raspberries suggest the use of yellow raspberries, as mentioned above. Eight to ten kilograms of melon raspberry pulp will require two to three kilograms (of course, the proportions can be varied). You will also need 300 grams of raisins and four to five kilograms of sugar.
In squeezed melon juice, add raspberries (pre-knead it). Lightly heat the water and dissolve sugar in it, pour this mixture into the melon-raspberry mass. Add raisins, mix well. Put a water lock on the throat of the container (you can use an ordinary rubber glove without forgetting to make a hole in one of your fingers). Stand in a dark and warm room for at least a month. After fermentation, pour into containers and leave "reach" for at least another six months.
Lemon Recipe
For this recipe you will need all the same as in the first version (yeast can be replaced with raisins if desired) plus citric acid (20 grams). Squeeze juice out of the melon, pour into a fermentation tank, add sugar, yeast (or raisins) and citric acid dissolved in water. Stir, close with a water seal, leave to wander for a month. Then strain, pour into bottles, put "ripen" in a dark place.
How to store wine
Most often, they recommend storing wine in the cellar. But what if there is no cellar? In fact, an apartment is also perfect as a wine storage facility, only you need to remember some nuances.
- The wine should be at a temperature of 10 to 15 degrees above zero, otherwise it will quickly age, that is, it will lose its taste and aroma. There should not be any temperature drops.
- Humidity should be maintained at around 70 percent, otherwise mold will form on the wine.
- The place for storing wine should be such that bright sunlight does not penetrate there.
- It is advisable to keep the drink horizontal, at least as experienced winemakers advise.
- Wine bottles should be at rest. If necessary, you can fix them.
- An open drink should not stand for more than three days.
Thus, as in the preparation of wine from melon, and in its storage there is nothing particularly complicated. A little persistence and diligence, and a wonderful drink from the summer southern fruit can please you even on cold winter evenings.