My favorite way to preserve berries is to freeze them whole. I grow my own boysenberries in the back yard and last year had a bountiful crop.

This works well for me, because I use no pesticides on them. Hence, I don't need to be careful about the residue remaining on them - a simple quick wash after picking is sufficient. Other berries can be done similarly - but if commercial, probably need careful washing. This may alter the quality of raspberries or other soft fruits.

They are then placed on a flat tray and frozen quickly. I might add that my particular fridge does quick work of freezing which works well. After they become "marbles" I put them into a baggie and that goes into a larger freezer storage bag - pint or quart size. These are the best tasting berries - and when eaten soon after defrosting are as good as fresh.

As for melon - that's one I would dry in my dehydrator, same for pineapple, strawberry, but watermelon probably would be OK - tho have not tried it - perhaps bigger pieces cut to make up for the loss of water once dried.

I also preserve my boysens in a simple syrup and do a BWB, but this is not as popular as the freezer technique.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

What about dehydrating? I had way too much watermelon last summer and dried it into strips. It was very sweet and chewy and a much better texture than freezing.

Agree that freezing is the best option but you can do watermelon jelly and preserves too.

Dave

I agree that freezing is the best way for the berries and this is what I normally do but, I would like some canned to have the ability to keep extra on the shelf due to limited freezer space.

Drying watermelon is very interesting and I would like to give it a try. How do you do something like this? I have never dehydrated things before...well except for things that I probably should not have.

Dave how do I do watermelon preserves? This sounds interesting as well.

Kim

Yuu can freeze melon and grapes. The cantaloupe chunks should be dipped in ascorbic acid to help reduce oxidation. Any big watery cell fruit like watermelon will turn to mush once frozen. I suppose you could puree watermelon and then freeze as a 'slush' or sorbet. A dehyrdator would be used to dry these. They are found on the internet. A few things that get dried also need ascorbic or other dip to reduce discoloration and oxidation. I had a lot of seedless watermelons last summer and gave a few away to friends. They keep quite well if unopened. Some of mine were not cut open for over a month after picking.

I have tried canning watermelon. One word describes the results. Yuck. All I can say about frozen watermelon is that it is better than no watermelon but not much better. The only berries I have canned are blueberries. They are good for cobblers and pies or with ice cream.
Go here for how to can blueberries. Pretty much how I do mine.
http://www.pickyourown.org/blueberries_canning.htm

I can pickled watermelon rind. Wrapped in bacon and browned by grilling or broiling, it makes a great appitizer.

We freeze smoothies whenever we get a good deal on lots of fruit. Whatever fruit we get, we try to mix several different things together with some yogurt to make the smoothies and we freeze them in those 8 oz freezer jam jars. They make great "ice" packs in lunches and you get to have a fruit smoothie on the way home.

We have used watermelon in the smoothies.

If you are not keen on making jellies then I would suggest blending the melon up in the blender and then freezing in containers.

Melons cannot be safely canned. It needs to be frozen. It is too high in ph to be canned.
It is not an acidic fruit.

Even if melon WERE acidic enough to can, heating almost totally destroys the flavor. I tried making watermelon jelly once -- as soon as the juice is heated, the flavor changes. The end product tastes like zucchini or grass, more or less -- yuck.

The only successful watermelon preserved product I made was a raw freezer jam -- that was pretty good, actually.

Actually, I think frozen watermelon and regular melons are pretty good. I believe that the frozen fruit mixes and frozen fruit balls sold in grocery stores contain canteloup, honeydew, and sometimes watermelon (can't vouch for this, don't buy these products as I grow my own, but I've seen them in stores and at parties a few times).

Dried melon is also very good. Yield is low, of course, especially with watermelon, but it is tasty.

I really enjoy frozen watermelon, blended with a little lemon, a bit of crushed ice (adds extra body to the beverage), and rum.

Man that is so good! Add a dash of simple syrup if you like things extra sweet.

If I could actually grow a decent crop of watermelons, I would cut up the extra and freeze for tropical drinks in the winter.

Growing watermelons may need seed starting indoors about 2 months before planting outside in Z5. There are a few watermelon types that do have short maturity times. I was happy with a seedless type last year, and also started the seeds indoors in April.

Looks like my freezer space will go to the watermelon. I think I would still like to try a berry or grape puree much like applesauce. Kim

One other thought on melon - especially those commercial - picked too soon-varieties - I sometimes cut them up, mix with other fruits - fresh banana, some of my summer canned fruits in simple syrup - then pour over some rum or brandy. This is not "canning" per se, but helps make those unripe store fruits taste better.

This is a good "concoction to serve on pumpkin waffles with yogurt or sour cream (which is probably my most favorite breakfast).

This summer, I found juices are received better than jams, so making juice of melons, cranberries, other fruits - has worked well. The remaining pulp is incorporated into breads - like zuccini or banana bread recipes.

Works well here.

Bejay