The largest watermelon berry is, perhaps, the most delicious. The competition of watermelon is unless the ripe aromatic melon. Now is the right time to pamper yourself and your loved ones with melon or watermelon and at the same time get better.
Fragrant melon, juicy watermelon are popular and beloved treats that not only perfectly quench thirst, but also have a beneficial effect on the body. It's not for nothing that nutritionists call melons and gourds, they are just a storehouse of vitamins and other nutrients. It happens, we are mistaken in choosing and buying a green and tasteless fruit, which is also unsafe for health. Unfortunately, the risk of "running into" a low-quality product is quite high. Therefore it is very important to know where, how and when you can buy melons to enjoy all their advantages without harm to health.
Wait for the season! No matter how much you want to taste juicy slices of summer gifts, it's better to wait for the season. Growing naturally melons and watermelons ripen only in early August. Therefore, all the melons that you see on the shelves before this time, either brought from abroad, or fed with mineral fertilizers. The place reserved for sale must be fenced and reliably protected from the sun and rain. In addition, a pallet is needed so that the fruits do not touch the ground. The seller must have a marketing authorization and an expert opinion of the inspection services. Do you want to be sure that the fruit is of good quality and not nippigovan nitrates? Do not buy watermelons and melons on the roadside. After all, it is at unauthorized retail outlets that a rejected and dangerous goods are often sold. In addition, in the largest berries - watermelon - quickly accumulate heavy metals, which are contained in automobile exhaust gases.
Melon problems. Wrongly selected watermelons and melons can be not only not useful, but also very dangerous. And primarily because of the high content of nitrates (especially in the case of early berries). The cause may be incorrect watering, lack of sun during cultivation or the addition of fertilizers to the soil in order to accelerate the process of ripening of the fetus. Serious health problems can cause not only nitrates. The combination of melons and gourds with other products is also an important factor that must be taken into account when planning a diet. Watermelon, for example, gets along very well with almost all the culinary products, but the melon is very whimsical. She does not tolerate the neighborhood in the stomach with another food, it can not be washed down even with water. Therefore, it is safer to eat melon as an independent dish, and after a few hours after eating. Do not buy damaged or cracked fruit. They can easily become the cause of various infections. After all, sweet flesh is an ideal nutrient medium for the instantaneous reproduction of microorganisms in soil residues and dust on the skin.
Girls are more delicious! When buying a large watermelon or melon do not rely on the seller's advice. You can choose the most juicy and sweet gifts of the summer - you just need to remember some rules:
- When buying a watermelon, do not reach for the biggest one. From the whole party it is best to choose a medium-sized fruit. However, it should not be very heavy.
- Picking up the watermelon that attracted you to the largest berries, consider it from all sides. On the "right" watermelon there should be no damage and cracks. It is also not desirable to buy cut or cut fruits (even if they are wrapped in cellophane). Especially if you're not going to eat them immediately after the purchase.
- The tail on the top of the ripe fruit should be dry, but not faded. And the speck on the side, on which the watermelon lay on the field, is not white, but yellow-orange. It is desirable that the crust of watermelon be the most contrast. True, this feature does not always indicate the ripeness of the striped giant - it all depends on the variety.
- Slap the watermelon with your palm. If it is ripe, the sound will be deaf. Do you hear a small crack when squeezing watermelon with your hands? That's what we need. Be sure: this fruit has received a lot of light and heat.
- As you know, watermelon is a bisexual berry. Experts say that "girls" are more delicious than "boys": they have fewer seeds and more sugar. "Paul" watermelon is easy to distinguish: the "girls" circle with the opposite side of the tail is wider.
- Choosing an oriental beauty melon, remember that a ripe and tasty melon should make a pleasant fragrant aroma, reminiscent of the smell of honey. Fruit without a smell is better to put aside. A well-ripened melon usually has a thick stem. Press on the crust from the side opposite from the stem. If it croaks, the melon promises to be simply excellent. Good choice and a pleasant appetite!
Rinse thoroughly! Tasting vitamin dainties, stick to simple rules.
- Before cutting a watermelon (or melon), thoroughly wash it under running warm water to wash away all the dirt that has accumulated during transportation and storage.
- Keep the cut fruit in the refrigerator for no more than a day. Insects and microbes do not benefit watermelons and melons. If you doubt the freshness of the fetus, it is better to throw it away than to expose yourself and your loved ones to the risk of food poisoning.
- Remember that in different parts of the plant nitrates accumulate unevenly, so try not to eat the flesh until the peel: there are four times more nitrates!
- Loving your favorite product, observe the measure! Give up an extra piece - do not overload your stomach.
Tasty and useful recipes. All year round our kidneys work for the good of the body - it's time to support them. Pamper vital organs with dishes from watermelons and melons!
Cocktail "Aphrodite" : You need half a watermelon, 200 ml of red dry wine, juice of one lime, 10 cubes of ice, 1 tbsp. l. sugar, a sprig of mint. Take out the pulp of the watermelon with a spoon, remove the seeds, put it in the blender. Add wine and lime juice to the blender, add sugar and ice. Whisk all the ingredients, pour the cocktail into chilled glasses, decorate with mint sprigs.
Shrimp with sauce : 400 g of royal prawns, 3 tbsp. l. yogurt, 200 g melon, 100 grams of cheese, 1 apple, lemon juice, salt, pepper. Shrimp the broth in salted water. Cut the cheese into plates. Melon melons and apples cut into thin slices. Prepare a dressing from yogurt, lemon juice and pepper. Put the cheese in salad bowl, slices of melon and apple. Pour the dressing, lay out the shrimp.
Stuffed melon : You need 1 melon, 1 red apple, 250 g of white grapes without pits, 100 g of dark grapes, 2 kiwi, 2 tablespoons. l. honey, lemon juice, almond shavings. Melon cut in half, take out the flesh from it, chop it with a knife. Cut the apple slices. Prepare a dressing of lemon juice and honey. Kiwi is cleaned, cut into slices or cubes. Put fruit together, add refueling, mix. Stuff a melon. Sprinkle it with almond shavings.
Variegated salad : 250 g melon pulp, 50 g watercress, 2 cucumber, 100 g cheese, 6 thin slices of ham, 2 tbsp. l. canned corn, 2 tbsp. l. vegetable oil. Melon and pear cut into cubes, cucumber slices, cheese strips. Cut the salad on the branches. Mix all the ingredients of the salad, stir. Refill with oil.
Summer cheesecake . For the test: 60 g of butter, sugar powder to taste, 1.5 cups of flour, egg white, vegetable oil. For the filling: 200 g of pulp of watermelon, 100 g of melon pulp, 100 g of canned pineapple (diced), 50 g of raspberry, 50 g of currant, 50 g of powdered sugar.
Knead dough: butter with powdered sugar beat in a magnificent foam, add flour and beaten egg white. Pull the dough out with your hands. Form a cheesecake from the dough, bake on a greased baking sheet until cooked at a temperature of 180 ° C. Berries are scalded with boiling water, rub through a sieve. Add the powdered sugar, whisk in a blender. Watermelon and melon cut into pieces or with a teaspoon of balls, laid out on cheesecakes. The fields are berry sauce. Put in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.