Honeydew is a sweet fruit that you will fall in love with. It belongs to the melon category and typically available worldwide. This fruit has a white-yellow skin tone while the sweet flesh inside is light green.
Usually, between the summer and the middle of fall, the honeydew melon season begins. You will see honeydew everywhere in local markets. If you have grown honeydew in your backyard, the harvesting period can be your most favorite time of the year.
So, how are you going to preserve your honeydew harvest? I know you have lots of them!
Keep reading. This article explains to you how to preserve your favorite honeydew melon. Let us begin.
Can You Freeze Honeydew?
Yes, you can freeze honeydew for up to 10 to 12 months. They will last more than that but for the best quality, it is recommended to use them before a period of a maximum of 12 months.
Freezing is one of the best options to preserve honeydew as they are less mushy after thawing. In addition to freezing, you can keep them well at room temperature for 2 to 4 days and a little longer in the refrigerator.
How to Freeze Honeydew
Freezing honeydew can be done in two ways. Either with syrup or without syrup. First, let us see how to do freeze honeydew without syrup.
Step 1: Choose a Honeydew
Be wise when you choose a honeydew fruit to freeze. The over ripped ones are not suitable to freeze. Therefore, make sure you choose normally ripen honeydew. Gently wash the fruit and let it dry. You can faster the drying process by towel drying it.
Step 2: Slice the Fruit
Take a sharp knife and cut the honeydew into halves. Then, slice the halves into stripes. After cutting them into strips, you can decide the size you want the pieces to be. After deciding continue cutting them into smaller pieces as you wish. As a tip, I would say to avoid cutting too thick cubes because you may want to bend them a little.
Step 3: Flash Freezing
You may already know how to do flash freezing. Just to remember the process I would say to prepare a tray with parchment paper. Then, place the honeydew slices on the tray by keeping a distance. It helps to reduce the clumping up together.
Keep the tray in the freezer for around 01 to 02 hours or even more. When you notice that the slices are frozen take the tray out of the freezer.
Step 4: Storage and Freezing
Now your honeydew slices are ready for the final freezing. But before that, you need to put your slices into separate freezer bags. I would say to put the slices into three, four bags depending on the quantity. Whenever you need them back, you can decide how many bags you need to take out of the freezer. If you put all of the slices in one bag, of course, it is a wastage.
Make sure you use airtight bags and there are no air bubbles inside them. If you wish to track what you have stored and how long ago you did that, do not forget to label the dates.
So, this is the first method of freezing honeydew fruit. Now, let us see how to freeze honeydew in syrup. Here is how you do it.
Freezing Honeydew in Syrup
You will need a pan for this method. First, take the pan and place it on the stove at medium heat. Add sugar and stir until little sugar cubes dissolve completely. Leave the syrup on the kitchen counter and come back when it is cooled.
Meanwhile, choose a ripe honeydew and wash it well. Cut it into small slices as I explained in the earlier step. After cutting them into smaller pieces put them into the freezer bag. Are we ready to seal it now? No! Not yet. Make sure you pour cooled sugar syrup into the freezer bag. Let the pieces dip in the syrup.
After honeydew pieces are immersed in the syrup, cover the bag and seal it. Also, do not forget the date it was packed. It will help you to decide when to consume them.
How to Defrost Honeydew
Defrosting honeydew requires fewer steps. Just take the freezer bag out of the freezer and leave it in the refrigerator to defrost slowly. But, do not let your honeydew slices thaw completely. Many of us prefer to eat frozen or half-frozen honeydew and so are you. Also, complete thawing may cause a too soft texture. Therefore, avoid fully defrosting your honeydew slices.
How Long Can You Freeze Honeydew?
Properly stored, honeydew will last for about 10 to 12 months in the freezer. The honeydew will last for much longer if the fruit is kept at a constant temperature of 0 °F.
Unfortunately, this is not possible for most home freezers since they will be constantly opened and closed to put and remove foods.
After about 12 months, honeydew will still be safe to eat, but you may not enjoy it very much.
Can You Refreeze Honeydew?
Like most frozen food, it’s possible to refreeze honeydew. However, you should only freeze the fruit again if it hasn’t completely thawed yet. This means the honeydew was taken out of the freezer for no longer than 20 minutes.
If it’s past that time, it’s best to not refreeze it. Once the thawing process starts, the quality of it will deteriorate even further. After it’s frozen and thawed for the second time, the fruit will become soggy and most of the flavors will be lost.
How to Identify If Honeydew is Spoiled
You can identify if the honeydew is spoiled by looking at the color and the texture. If it has turned dark yellowish, it is a sign that the fruit is spoiled. You will feel an unpleasant smell and the peel may flabby.
If you find out any of these appearance changes in your honeydew, it is not recommended to consume. Eating spoiled food items will always cause unhealthy conditions. Therefore, throwing the fruit away is the only available option for spoiled fruits.
Final Thoughts
The honeydew is a favorite fruit of many of us. Knowing that you can preserve honeydew is such good news, I know! Honeydew is a good source of potassium and folate. It also contains essential nutrients like vitamin B6 and fiber.
You will be surprised to hear that this sweet fruit helps to boost the immunity system, promote proper digestion, and even helps to reduce blood pressure. So, no one wants to throw the extra fruits away now. Make sure you follow up the freezing steps thoroughly to consume your honeydews at the best quality.
I hope this article solved all your questions about freezing honeydew. Let us know your comments. We would love to hear.