Salted watermelon (for storage in a cellar or refrigerator)

Category: Blanks

Ingredients
Watermelon (slices)	3.5 kg
Brine: for 1 liter of water - 2 tbsp. tablespoons of coarse salt	2.5 - 3 l
Currant leaf, bay leaf, dry dill (umbrellas and stems)	optional
Garlic (cloves)	5-6 pcs
Black peppercorns, hot red	optional
Mustard powder	for storage

Cooking method

Many have never tasted salted (pickled, pickled) watermelons, which is why you don't often find lovers of this delicacy. Try it at least once - take, for example, half of an unsuccessful, slightly sweet watermelon and give it a chance to surprise you - and suddenly you will like this bright and fresh taste too!
Salting a watermelon is as easy as using your usual vegetables. Maybe someone uses the same method. Similarly, I salt both cucumbers and autumn cream tomatoes. All you need is a regular pickle. For every liter of water, you need to take 2 tbsp. tablespoons without a slide of coarse salt. I don't add sugar. Boil the brine and leave to cool to room temperature.
For half an average watermelon, 2.5-3 liters of brine is enough.
Cut the watermelon into semicircular slices 1.5-2 cm thick, cut each into 3-4 pieces with triangles. Remove a thin layer of the upper dark green skin from each triangle. We do not take out the bones.
At the bottom of a spacious (7-8 l) pan (preferably enameled) we put the usual set of spices for pickling: dry currant leaves, umbrellas / stalks of dry dill, bay leaf, black peppercorns, a piece of red hot pepper (if you like it sharper) and cut into slices garlic - 5-6 cloves. We lay compactly watermelon slices - best of all in a circle, tops towards the center.
Fill in the cooled brine. We put an inverted plate on top, put a small weight on it (you can have 1 - 1.5 liter jar of water) so that the slices are completely covered with brine and do not float. Leave for fermentation for 2-3 days. As soon as the process begins to decline (3 days are usually enough for me), we pour the brine into a clean, dry dish (you can strain it), discard the bones that have fallen into the brine. We lay out the watermelon slices in cans convenient for storage, fill them with the same brine, add 0.5-1 teaspoons of mustard powder to the top of the jar (this helps to protect the pickles from mold) and close them with clean plastic lids. We put it in the refrigerator or cellar.
Excellent storage throughout the winter.

Note

The watermelon should not be overripe and crumbly, the flesh of this can be fermented already in the process of salting; slightly unripe and crunchy are better for this purpose. Thick-skinned watermelons come out well - a dense white layer holds its shape well and some people like the taste more than red pulp.
*** If an active white film appears at the stage of fermentation, it is better to remove it from the surface with a spoon / paper towel and sprinkle half a teaspoon of dry mustard over the top.
Oh, this tantalizing aroma, it is impossible to resist while putting it in the cans !!