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Summer is over. Now you can enjoy the fruits if you take care of canning. The best way to preserve the beneficial properties of the melon will be its drying. But it is not possible to completely turn the melon into a dry, fragile slice. Because of the high sugar content, the melon slice is always elastic and woven into a braid for better wrapping wrapped in a protective film. Dried melon, the photo of which on the page, retained its valuable properties, even vitamins.
Preparing melons for storage
The peculiarity of the melon is that it can not be kept fresh even for a short period of time. But we know from the biblical times about the benefits of dried melon. Not all varieties are suitable for preparation of dried slices. To do this, use some varieties, characterized by a firm flesh and aroma. Examples of such varieties are melons:
- Collective farmer.
- Torpedo.
- Pineapple.
- Gulyabi.
For harvesting for future use, select only intact fruits of medium size. Their preparation consists in drying in a general form for two days. After that, the damaged fruits are discarded, the rest are thoroughly washed and cut into slices. The crust and the green subcortical layer are removed.
How to dry a melon at home
If the harvest is at home in the open air, naturally, then slices of melon are cut along, but at the end leave a jumper so that you can hang two slices on wires stretched in a ventilated room or rope. The thickness of the strips is 2-4 cm. Drying in the open air lasts about two weeks, with the slices turning every day to evaporate the moisture evenly. The decrease in weight, relative to the original, occurs about 10 times.
After that, the elastic strips can be braided into braids, wrapped with a film, so that the product does not pull moisture, leave it for storage. Another way to store melted melon are glass jars, in which the slices are installed vertically and closed tightly. Since the melting of a melon at home in the air for a long time, and can prevent foul weather, more often for drying use special devices, ovens, drying cabinets.
How to dry a melon with a tool
To dry melon slices, like cut apples, eggplants, carrots and other fruits, you can in the oven or on the electric dryer. In any case, thin strips are cut to dry faster. Slices should not be thicker than, cm. When exposed to warm air in the oven, the temperature should not be higher than 75, preferably if there is a fan in the cabinet. Drying is carried out in two stages. The first 7 hours are dried at elevated temperature. After a break in a few hours, dry at 60. The total drying time is about 24 hours, including a break to equalize the moisture inside the strips.
However, it is much more convenient to dry a melon on an electric dryer like other juicy products. At the same time, no more than three grids are used to dry faster. The drier is set at a temperature of 55, then 45 degrees and periodically inverted. The process is conducted during the day.
The electric dryer is a housing with internally installed pans with perforations, through which the air discharged through the openings of the lid is pumped through the installed fan. The air is heated and fed from below or distributed on the trays on the side.
The device is low-noise, takes up little space and the energy costs depend on the performance of the device. For a household, you need to choose a medium-sized dryer.
Consumer properties of dried melon
The dried product has all the same properties as the fresh melon, only in a higher concentration. The main energy component of the product is carbohydrates. Therefore, a dried slice is not recommended to eat those who lose weight and diabetics. Like a fresh melon, a dried slice can not be consumed with milk, alcohol or honey. Sweet delicacy can be eaten with warm tea, but in small quantities, as 100 grams of the product contain 341 kcal, of which 329 are quickly assimilated sugar. Carbohydrates are mono- and disaccharides.
In the dried product, the whole spectrum of B, PP, E, and A vitamins was preserved. A large amount of vitamin C is contained. Mineral substances are present in all varieties, making this product useful for everyone who benefits from fresh melon.
Tips for cooking and storing melon
If you bought an unsuccessful melon on the market, do not rush to throw it away. Cut into thin slices and slightly podvyatte on the porous surface of the product. Then hang the lobes to dry in the air. Two hours a day she should be under the sun. When the plates become sluggish, twist them into a tourniquet or weave a braid, dry it in the air for three days. Keep in linen bags or in food film.
If you cut the strips into small fragments and roll them into balls, you will get a convenient form for use. And if a sticky surface is sprinkled with sesame or poppy, the delicacy will become even more attractive. You can roll a melon into a roll with a nut filling and cut into small pieces.
In an age of abundance, it is not surprising to have candy at the festive table. But delicacies, prepared from dried melon and served for dessert, will give hospitality to the hosts a special charm.
