Usually, most people choose to eat fruits after meals to relieve the feeling of fullness. Fruits are sweet, fragrant, with a unique flavor, and rich in nutrients.Honeydew melonHoneydew melon is one of the most popular fruits.Honeydew melons are usually quite large, and if a family is small, there may be leftovers. So, how should honeydew melons be stored?

How to store honeydew melons

To meet the needs of different people, we will mainly talk about the storage of large quantities of honeydew melons and the storage of honeydew melons for family consumption. How should honeydew melons be stored?

1. Storage of large quantities of honeydew melons.Honeydew melons are best stored in the place of origin, and should not be transported over long distances before being sold, and can only be stored for a short time before being sold.When moving honeydew melons, handle them gently and avoid damaging the skin.Damaged melons are easily spoiled and cannot be stored.The storage temperature of honeydew melons varies depending on the variety and maturity.Generally, late-maturing varieties should be stored at 3-5°C, early and mid-maturing varieties at 5-8°C, and mature varieties can be stored at lower temperatures.Relative humidity should be around 8%, and the gas atmosphere can inhibit post-ripening. Generally, 3-5% oxygen and 1.0-1.5% carbon dioxide can delay post-ripening under appropriate temperature conditions.

2. Methods for storing cut honeydew melons.Honeydew melons have many cracks on their surface, which are easily contaminated by bacteria, and bacteria may exist inside the skin. Once cut, these bacteria will enter the flesh.The best way is to wash the honeydew melon before cutting it. When you cannot finish eating the honeydew melon, you should store it in the refrigerator in a plastic bag because bacteria can easily grow at room temperature.

How to eat honeydew melon

Most people eat honeydew melon directly after cutting it.In fact, honeydew melon can also be made into juice, dried fruit, and candied fruit.Let's learn about different ways to eat honeydew melon together.

1. Fresh eating.

After buying honeydew melons, wash them, cut them into appropriate-sized pieces, and eat them directly.Sweet and crisp.

2. Making honeydew melon juice.

Wash and peel the honeydew melon, cut it into small pieces, and put it in a blender. Add cold water and, optionally, lemon juice or other water.Blend for about 1 minute.Pour the finished juice into a glass and drink.3. Making candied honeydew melon.The main steps for making candied honeydew melon are:1. Selection of fresh honeydew melons: select honeydew melons with green skin, thick flesh, red flesh, and a maturity of 70%.

2. Peeling, removing seeds, and cutting into strips: wash the honeydew melon.

3. Soaking in 2% sodium bisulfite solution: soak the honeydew melon strips in 2% sodium bisulfite solution for 10 minutes, then take them out and dry them on a rack or hang them in a rope. After the moisture drops below 18%, you can store them in a bamboo basket for later use (do not use metal products, as this can make the flesh brown).

4. Rehydration: soak the dried honeydew melon strips in water for about 4 hours to restore their fresh state, then process them.

5. Cooking with sugar: boil the honeydew melon strips in 16-18°C sugar syrup for 15 minutes, then gradually add white sugar until the sugar concentration reaches 24-26°C. Cook for another 30 minutes, then take it out and soak it in 24°C cold sugar syrup for 12 hours (the end point of sugar cooking is when the honeydew melon strips become semi-transparent).

6. Baking: take out the rehydrated honeydew melon strips and drain the sugar water, then spread them on a bamboo tray and bake at a temperature of 65-68°C for about 12 hours. After 8 hours, turn the tray once.

7. Packaging: after baking, the honeydew melon should have a moisture content of less than 10%. Take it out of the bamboo tray while it's still hot, then sort and pack it in plastic bags or boxes.

Nutritional value of honeydew melonsPeople in Xinjiang love to eat honeydew melons, believing that eating honeydew melons can cure diseases and prolong life. So, honeydew melons are not just sweet, they also have rich nutritional value.Let's learn about the nutritional value of honeydew melons together!

1. Analysis shows that honeydew melons contain 4.6%-15.8% sugar, 2.6%-6.7% fiber, and various acids, fruit acids, vitamins A, B, and C, niacin, and calcium, phosphorus, and iron.

The iron content is twice or three times that of chicken, and 17 times that of milk.

Iron plays a very important role in the body's blood formation and development.

2. The vitamin content in honeydew melon flesh is also outstanding.The vitamin content in honeydew melon flesh is 4 to 7 times that of watermelon, 6 times that of apples, and 1.3 times that of peaches.

These components are beneficial to the heart, liver, and intestinal system, promoting endocrine and hematopoietic functions, and improving digestion.3. Honeydew melons contain a lot of potassium, which is very beneficial to the body. Potassium can protect the body, maintain normal heart rate and blood pressure, effectively prevent coronary heart disease, and also prevent muscle spasms, allowing the body to recover quickly from injury.4. Honeydew melons are rich in sugar, so diabetics should eat them with caution.Honeydew melons are cold in nature and should not be eaten too much, as it can cause diarrhea.How to choose honeydew melonsThere are so many varieties of honeydew melons, how can we choose the best ones?Let's learn how to choose good honeydew melons.When choosing, pay attention to the following:1. Look at the appearance: Honeydew melons are usually oval or oval-shaped.Mature honeydew melons have a bright yellow color, with green and net-like patterns, yellow, or blue-purple.Choose yellow honeydew melons, as they are slightly sweeter than light-colored ones.

To know if the honeydew melon is fresh, just look at the stem.If the stem is still green, it means it's just been picked.2. Feel the skin and weight: Feel the skin, and if it's firm and crisp, it's a good sign.If it's too hard, it's not ripe enough. If it's too soft, it's overripe.The weight of the fruit is the amount of sugar and water inside.Honeydew melons are heavier when they're ripe, so they're usually sweeter.3. Smell and taste: Smell the honeydew melon, it should have a sweet and fragrant aroma.

If it's not fragrant or has a faint aroma, it's not ripe enough.

Choose ripe honeydew melons.If the taste is sweet and rich, and there is no foreign odor, the flesh is crisp, it is a fresh honeydew melon.

Honeydew Melon: Benefits and Uses

Besides being cooling and refreshing, honeydew melon also has the benefits of clearing heat and relieving cough.Research shows that honeydew melon also has the benefits of beauty and sun protection. Let's learn about it together.

1. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that melons are generally cold in nature and have the benefits of quenching hunger, relieving constipation, nourishing qi, and clearing heat in the lungs and relieving cough. They are suitable for patients with kidney disease, stomach problems, cough, asthma, anemia, and constipation.

2. Honeydew melon is rich in antioxidants, which can effectively enhance the cell's ability to resist damage and reduce the formation of skin melanin.Furthermore, eating half a honeydew melon each day can supplement water-soluble Vitamin C and B vitamins, ensuring that the body can maintain normal metabolism.

3. Honeydew melon is very high in potassium, which is very beneficial to the body. Potassium can protect the body and maintain normal heart rate and blood pressure, effectively preventing coronary heart disease. Potassium can also prevent muscle spasms and help the body recover quickly from injury.

4. Honeydew melon is high in sugar, so diabetics should avoid eating it.Honeydew melon is cool in nature and should not be eaten in excess to avoid diarrhea.

How to Choose Honeydew Melon

With so many varieties of honeydew melon, how do we choose the best ones?Let's learn how to choose high-quality honeydew melons.When choosing, pay attention to the following:

1. Look at the appearance and color: Honeydew melons are generally oval or oval-shaped.Ripe honeydew melons have a bright color, commonly green with a net pattern, golden yellow, or bluish-green.You can choose those with darker yellow, which are slightly sweeter than those with lighter yellow.To know if a honeydew melon is fresh, just look at the stem.If the stem has vines, if the vines are still green, then it is recently picked.

2. Feel the melon: Weigh the melon. If the melon feels firm and solid, it is at a good ripeness.If it's too hard, it's not ripe enough. If it's too soft, it's overripe.The weight of the fruit is equal to the sweetness and moisture inside.If the honeydew melon is too heavy, it is likely unripe.If it's too light, it lacks moisture.When choosing, you can weigh the melons. Honeydew melons that are slightly heavier are usually sweeter.

3. Smell and taste the melon: Use your nose to smell the melon. Ripe honeydew melons usually have a sweet, melon-like aroma.Unripe honeydew melons have a very faint or no smell.Choose those that are at a good ripeness.If the melon has no smell or a weak smell, it is not ripe enough, so you can eat it after letting it rest for a while.If the melon tastes sweet and refreshing, with no odor, and the flesh is crisp, it is a fresh melon.