Melon

Melon is loved by many today. In August, together with watermelon, it is a favorite treat for children and adults. This aromatic berry is not only pleasant to taste, but also has many useful properties.

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What does melon belong to?

If we talk about biology, then melon belongs to the Pumpkin family, a species of the Cucumber genus, is a melon crop and a false berry.

This plant loves warmth and light, is resistant to soil salinity and droughts, but it does not tolerate increased air humidity very well. One plant is capable of "reproducing" from two to eight fruits, each weighing 1.5 - 10 kg. Melon usually ripens in two to six months.

Melon traces its "ancestry" back to Africa and the East Indies. These countries are widely considered to be the birthplace of melon. Mentions of melon can be found since ancient times in the early chronicles and texts of Ancient Egypt, on the Arabian Peninsula. In Central and Western Asia in the Middle Ages, melon enjoyed extraordinary popularity: when before the Ramadan holiday during the fast, the Holy Book of Muslims allows the consumption of food of plant origin only. Our people learned about melon in the 12th-13th centuries.

Today, melon is cultivated in almost every warm country in the world.

Melon is often eaten raw, sliced and the skin and seeds removed. It is not recommended to combine raw melon with other foods, as this can lead to digestive problems.

Signs of a ripe, tasty melon:

• the presence of a specific, incomparable aroma;
• a dull, rather than ringing, sound when hitting a melon with the palm of the hand;
• At the opposite pole from the stem of the fruit, you need to touch the rind. If the melon is unripe, this rind will be hard, but if you press on the rind of a ripe fruit, it will give in and spring.

Chemical composition of melon

The type of melon determines its chemical composition. The pulp of the fruit contains 16-18% sugar, and sometimes up to 20%. Melon is also characterized by the presence of carotene, vitamins B1, B2, PP, A, C, B9, P, provitamin A, folic acid and iron in large quantities (which is mainly what causes such a healing effect of this product), pectin substances, fats, mineral salts, as well as a special enzyme that prevents damage to body tissues. For example, the iron content in melon is 17 times greater than in dairy products.

Melon pulp and seeds contain 30% oil of sufficient fat content, which can be used in cooking. Digestion processes with the participation of melon are much better, folic acid contained in melon promotes hematopoiesis. Atherosclerosis, anemia, cardiovascular diseases - this is not a complete list of diseases that melon successfully helps to fight. Melon helps to increase hemoglobin and immunity, as well as enhance the effect of antibiotics and reduce their toxicity.

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Useful properties of melon

Since ancient times, melon has been widely used as a remedy. Melon pulp was used by ancient Russian herbalists to eliminate stomach diseases, various mental disorders (depressive states), tuberculosis, rheumatism, scurvy, gout, and melon was also an anti-inflammatory, antitussive and anthelmintic. Melon seeds are boiled in milk and the resulting decoction was and is used in folk medicine to combat urinary retention, bladder stones, melon juice eliminates constipation and hemorrhoids. Diseases of the kidneys, liver and genitourinary system - against them, as an effective diuretic and mild laxative, melon seeds infused in water help.

Quenching thirst and calming the nervous system are also among the beneficial properties of melon. When a person suffers from anemia, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, kidney and liver diseases, nutritionists often recommend melon as a therapeutic food. In these cases, melon has a therapeutic effect due to the high content of vitamins B9 and C, in addition, melon contains iron and potassium salts.

Melon ripeness is directly related to its healing properties. If a person has a stomach ulcer or acute gastritis, it is important to pay attention to the ripeness of the fruit when eating it; melon that is not ripe enough is not recommended for such people. You should not eat this product on an empty stomach either - it is better to eat it so that you eat something else before and after it: this way, it will mix with other products in the stomach, and it will be better absorbed by the body.

Traditional medicine uses melon for consumption by emaciated patients: those who have suffered from liver disease, various operations. In addition, melon has the ability to eliminate such ailments that people try not to talk about. For example, a decoction of melon seeds has long helped in the treatment of gonorrhea, and decoctions of the peel and roots were used to cleanse the stomach.

Nowadays, nutritionists advise their patients to improve digestion processes with the help of melon juice or its pulp. It also copes well with helminths, especially in children.

Melon pulp can be used as a base for nourishing and toning skin masks. In addition, the core of the melon together with the seeds is a good remedy for fighting teenage acne. Melon also has wonderful rejuvenating properties. In the East they say: "Melon makes hair shiny, eyes young, lips fresh, desires strong, opportunities feasible, men desirable, and women beautiful."

Nutritional value of melon

Melon is a very healthy product. 100 grams of melon contain 0.6 grams of protein, 0.3 grams of fat and 7.4 grams of carbohydrates, as well as 35 kcal.

If we describe the composition of melon in detail, then 100 grams of melon contains:

• Water – 88.5 g
• Proteins – 0.6 g
• Carbohydrates – 10.3 g (also mono- and disaccharides – 9 g)
• Dietary fiber (cellulose) – 0.6 g
• Pectins – 0.4 g
• Organic acids – 0.12 g
• Ash – 0.5 g

Vitamins:

• Vitamin A (beta-carotene) – 0.4 mg
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) – 0.04 mg
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) – 0.04 mg
• Niacin (vitamin B3 or vitamin PP) – 0.4 mg
• Folic acid (vitamin B9) – 6 mcg
• Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) - 20 mg
• Vitamin E (tocopherol) – 0.1 mg

Macronutrients:

• Potassium - 118 mg
• Calcium - 16 mg
• Magnesium - 13 mg
• Sodium - 32 mg
• Phosphorus - 12 mg

Microelements:

• Iron – 1 mg
• Iodine - 2 mcg
• Cobalt - 2 mcg
• Manganese – 35 mcg
• Copper – 47 mcg
• Fluorine - 20 mcg
• Zinc – 90 mcg

How many calories are in a melon?

100 grams of melon contains 35 kcal:

• of which 2 kcal from proteins
• of which 3 kcal from fats
• of which 30 kcal come from carbohydrates

Types of Melon

There are quite a few varieties and types of melons, which differ somewhat in their taste and health benefits. Here are the most famous of them.

Cantaloupe melon

The peculiarity of this variety is the striped skin. The length of the fruit is 15-20 cm, the pulp is orange. Melon of this variety can be transported, but it will not withstand long storage.

Interestingly, this melon variety was brought to Europe as an exquisite dessert for the head of the Catholic Church. The Pope appreciated the delicacy, and melons began to be grown on his estate in Cantaluppi, which is where the name of this variety actually comes from. Today, cantaloupes are widespread both in Europe and America.

Silver melon, or Armenian cucumber

The fruit of this variety reaches one kilogram in weight, and its length can be up to 50 cm. It is now mainly grown in Armenia and China.

Pineapple melon

The fruits of the pineapple melon have a round-flattened shape and an unusual and bright color. The external feature of this variety is its peculiar "warts" (the melon looks like a crookneck), as well as strong ribbing (the fruit resembles a squash) - sometimes it is even difficult to understand by its appearance that it is a melon. The taste of this melon is unusual, similar to a tropical fruit. The pulp is reddish or transparent, oily, melting. Such a melon can be stored and transported.

Kalahari Melon

This melon is a biological ancestor of watermelon. The size of the Kalahari melon fruit is small, like a tennis ball, its weight is 200 grams, the pulp is yellowish. Kalahari melon oil has nourishing, protective, softening, regenerating, soothing properties, gives the skin elasticity, and the face a fresh color, hair - shine and flexibility. Kalahari melon oil is used in cosmetology and massage.

Muskmelon

The muskmelon's homeland is North Africa and the Mediterranean countries. The rind is mastoid, thickened, white, yellow, green, bluish-gray. The flesh is soft yellow, orange or red, its taste is sweet and aromatic.

Muskmelons are low in calories (31 kcal) and contain a lot of vitamin C. They also contain a lot of vitamin A, potassium and manganese.

Honeydew Melon

They are common in Morocco, and their habitat is also the Mediterranean countries. Honey melons belong to the category of smooth melons. They are elongated, round and oval. There are no grooves. The colors of the fruits range from ochre to greenish. The pulp of the honey melon is yellow-white, green or yellow-red.

Honeydew melon is distinguished by its aroma and sweetness.

Contraindications to taking melon

Melon is not very good for the stomach if eaten on an empty stomach. Nursing mothers should beware of melon and its derivatives: the mother's consumption of melon can cause severe dyspeptic symptoms in the baby. Melon is contraindicated for patients with peptic ulcer disease, diabetes, intestinal disorders (for example, dysentery).

Patients with stomach ulcers and acute gastritis need to ensure that the fruits are well ripened.

After eating melon, you should not drink sour milk, yogurt, kefir, or cold water. In this case, an upset stomach is almost guaranteed. You should also be careful when combining alcoholic beverages and melon.

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What goes well with melon?

Melon pulp is often added to all kinds of fruit salads, fruit cakes, pastries, etc. – in combination with peaches, pineapples, bananas, watermelons, pears, apricots, grapes and many other fruits and berries, melon demonstrates excellent taste qualities.

Compatibility of watermelons and melons

There is an opinion that watermelon and melon cannot be eaten together. It is impossible to say that this is definitely the case. The fact is that the body's reaction here depends on individual characteristics. But in general, melon does not go well with other products. Therefore, if you have problems with your stomach, digestion, then eating melon with watermelon is not recommended.

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Melon dishes

If you are no longer interested in eating melon in its pure form, you should experiment with various dishes made from it. Melon “looks” great in various jams, confitures, marmalades, candied fruits. Many people are crazy about melon ice cream and sorbet.

However, melon is good not only in sweet dishes. Virtuoso housewives use it in various snacks and aperitifs, prepare melon soups, melon kebabs, melon salads, melon sauces, which are used to season various meat and other dishes, the melon fruit with the core removed is used as a cavity for baking, for example, chicken thighs and much, much more.

Traditionally in the Mediterranean, melon is served with ham, which makes for a rather unusual and interesting combination.

Various drinks are prepared from melon – alcoholic and non-alcoholic, cocktails, smoothies.

Melon jam

Melon jam is an unusual and tasty delicacy that will especially appeal to fans of melons.

Ingredients:

• one kilogram of melon;
• five glasses of sugar;
• two glasses of water;
• two teaspoons of lemon juice;
• a pinch of saffron.

The melon is cut, its seeds and rind are removed, and the pulp is cut into small cubes.

In the case of a ripe and soft melon, cold salted water will help preserve the color of the melon; in the case of a hard melon, you need to boil it, slightly salting the water so that the melon becomes soft.

The pieces of melon are poured with hot sugar syrup, and left for about eight hours. The syrup is drained, brought to a boil, poured in again, and left for another eight hours. The procedure is repeated four times. The last time, the entire container is put on the fire, two spoons of lemon juice are added, saffron is sprinkled, and then boiled. The state of readiness is checked by testing the "drop".

Melon and banana jam

Ingredients for melon and banana jam:

• peeled bananas, half a kilogram;
• eight hundred grams of melon pulp;
• eight hundred grams of sugar;
• two lemons;
• alcohol (vodka or cognac).

The melon pulp is cut into small pieces, an enamel saucepan is used for cooking, into which the resulting mass is placed. The melon is sprinkled with sugar, covered with a cloth or towel and left overnight. Then the juice of one lemon is added, the whole mass is mixed and cooked over low heat for half an hour.

Wash the lemon thoroughly, cut into thin rings, without removing the peel. Do the same with the peeled bananas. Both are added to the melon mixture, medium heat is needed for cooking. It is kept until the fruit becomes puree. Then the heat is increased and the whole mixture is cooked until it thickens.

When jam is rolled into jars, a circle soaked in cognac or vodka is placed on top; this could be, for example, filter paper.

Melon and apple jam

Not only sweet melons are suitable for this jam, but also watery, bruised, and even not very tasty ones. And as a result, you get a fragrant, sweet and tender jam. Apples complement this jam with notes of piquancy.

Ingredients:

• one kilogram of peeled melon;
• apples in the amount of three hundred to five hundred grams, hard and juicy;
• up to half a kilo of sugar (as you like);
• half to one tablespoon lemon zest.

The rind and seeds of the melon are removed. Then the melon is either cut or ground using a blender (a meat grinder will do).

An enameled dish is used, into which the mass is placed, it is covered with sugar and boiled at minimum heat until the consistency resembles young honey. If foam forms, it is often removed.

Small cubes of apples are added to the container where the melon mass is already being cooked. Everything is brought to a boiling point, after which it is cooked for another five minutes. At the end, grated zest is added.

Melon jam with lemon

Ingredients for melon and lemon jam:

• one kilogram of melon pulp;
• one kilogram of sugar;
• one lemon.

The peeled melon pulp, cut into small pieces, is placed in a container, preferably enameled, covered with sugar and left for eight to ten hours.

The juice that forms over time is collected and boiled. Then the melon is poured with boiling syrup and left again for a long time (eight to ten hours). A similar procedure is repeated two more times.

After pouring boiling water over the lemon, it is cut into two parts and the juice is squeezed out, which is added to the jam and cooked over low heat.

Unusual Melon Jam with White Wine

Ingredients for melon jam with white wine.

• one kilogram of melon pulp;
• six hundred grams of sugar;
• one lemon;
• one hundred milliliters of dry white wine.

Melon cut into small pieces is placed in a container and covered with sugar, wine and lemon juice are poured into the mass. The jam is brought to a boil, after which the heat is reduced. The jam is cooked over low heat for an hour, making sure that it does not burn.

Melon compote

Melon makes a very tasty compote. To prepare it, you need to take three hundred grams of melon, one hundred and fifty grams of sugar, a little citric acid (the tip of a knife), a tablespoon of wine and two glasses of water. If you want a larger volume of compote, increase the amount of ingredients relative to the proportions.

Cut cubes or small slices of melon pulp are poured with warm sugar syrup, citric acid is added. If desired, the resulting mass can be boiled and cooked for five to ten minutes. But you can do without this. When the drink cools down, wine is added to it.

Candied melon

Candied melon is a very tasty and unusual dessert. To prepare it, you need one kilogram of melon and five glasses of sugar.

The peeled melon pulp is cut into slices several centimeters wide (usually two to four). They are then sprinkled with sugar and left like this for eight to ten hours. The juice that forms during all this is boiled until thick. Then the melon slices are doused with juice, sprinkled with sugar again and dried in the sun for four to six days. An alternative, faster option would be to simmer in the oven at forty degrees for several hours.

When finished, the slices are sprinkled with sugar again. They are stored in a glass container with a closed lid or in a wooden container in a cool place.

Melon Pie

Ingredients for the dough:

• one egg;
• one yolk;
• two hundred grams of flour;
• half a glass of milk;
• fifty grams of sugar;
• one teaspoon of soda;
• one pinch of salt;
• fifty grams of margarine;

For the filling:

• two hundred and fifty grams of melon

For filling:

• one protein
• one hundred grams of sugar.

Beat the egg with the yolk and sugar. Add magarin to the resulting mass, beat in soda, milk, salt and flour.

The dough is laid out in a greased form. On top of it are placed the cut melon pieces or slices. Bake at two hundred degrees for ten to twelve minutes.

To make the filling, beat the egg whites with sugar, then spread it over the prepared pie and bake it for ten minutes at a temperature of one hundred degrees in the oven.

Melon Wine

The peculiarity of making melon wine is that it requires a lot of the sweetest, ripest, juiciest and most aromatic melons, otherwise the wine will be bland and unfit for consumption, and adding sugar will not fix the situation - this is the whole difficulty of melon wine.

Sweet fortified wines can be made from melon, but as practice shows, it is not suitable for table wines.

Melon fruits need to be washed thoroughly, all the peel cut off, and the seeds carefully removed. If all this is done carelessly, the remaining parts can affect the taste of the future drink, making it sharp and unpleasant.

It takes longer to chop the melon, and it is easiest to do this using a blender.

The resulting melon juice is poured into a glass bottle prepared for fermentation. All this is covered with sugar, then the yeast is dissolved in warm water and poured there. To stimulate the fermentation process, ammonia is used, which is added to the bottle in small quantities.

After the fermentation process is complete, the resulting wine is filtered. Then you need to taste the drink and, if necessary, add sugar to it. The wine is ready, after which it can be poured into bottles.

Melon Cocktail

Melon lovers will appreciate the melon cocktail. It can be made both in an alcoholic version and "for children".

The peeled and seeded melon pulp is cut into small slices (pieces, cubes, stars - as you like). It is advisable to clean the pulp from the peel so that it remains in the form of a container, so that you can then pour in the liquid. Place the melon pulp in the fruit shell; if desired, you can add chopped other fruits (for example, lychee, strawberries, green or dark grapes, etc.). Then add lemon juice and mint leaves. If you plan to make the drink alcoholic, it is good to use calvados, rum or whiskey. If desired, you can put whipped cream on top and sprinkle with vanilla sugar.

Melon in chocolate

Ingredients for chocolate melon:

• one melon;
• chocolate bar (two hundred and fifty grams)
• rum.

The peeled and seeded melon pulp is cut into pieces (shape as desired) and placed in the refrigerator for half an hour. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate bar, add rum or cognac if desired.

The melted chocolate is removed from the heat, each slice of melon is dipped into it and placed on a plate or, for example, on baking paper. After this, the melon, dipped in chocolate, is placed in the refrigerator for another half hour, during which the chocolate hardens, after which the delicacy can be served.

Melon during pregnancy

Melon is a delicacy that is loved by both "young and old", it is also incredibly attractive for pregnant women. In addition, melon is extremely useful, it contains many vitamins, microelements, it has various healing properties. But at the same time - melon is a specific fruit, given the specific properties of melon, it should be eaten with some caution, especially when pregnant.

The substances and microelements present in the melon are very useful for the mother and her future baby. Vitamins and mineral salts, the presence of folic and ascorbic acid, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, sodium, silicon, pectin, fiber. For the successful development of the fetus, all these substances are extremely necessary.

For a pregnant woman, some beneficial properties of melon are especially important:

• when eating melon, the “happiness hormone” is produced, which improves mood, smooths out stressful situations, and brings the nervous system into harmony;
• the level of hemoglobin in the blood increases;
• melon cleanses the intestines, helps maintain its microflora, prevents and eliminates the formation of constipation and hemorrhoids during pregnancy;
• helps to very gently remove excess fluid from the body, thereby preventing the formation of edema in expectant mothers;
• thanks to melon, the production of blood cells occurs more intensively and quickly;
• promotes good condition of nails, hair, skin - this is the work of silicon (the only catch is that silicon is contained in the melon pulp near the rind itself, so you need to eat the pulp to the very base. However, the effect on the skin will be noticeable even if you wipe it with melon rinds from the side of the eaten pulp).

It is important to remember that melons may contain nitrates, which are potentially dangerous for the baby, so it is advisable to buy melons from trusted producers when you know at least approximately where and in what conditions it was grown.

In order to avoid problems with eating melon, during pregnancy it is still worth eating melon separately from other products (it is especially important to remember about fermented milk products, cold water), and it is also better to do this in between meals. On an empty stomach, a pregnant woman should not eat melon at all.

Although melon is very useful for the body of a pregnant woman and her future baby, you should not abuse it. Melon during pregnancy will be useful if you eat it in the amount of 200 g (2 pieces of fruit) throughout the day.

Can nursing mothers eat melon?

A nursing mother should refrain from eating melon, as it may cause diarrhea and upset stomach in the baby.

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Melon poisoning

Unfortunately, melon poisoning is quite common. The fact is that when growing this melon crop, nitrates are often used, which, to put it mildly, do not have a very good effect on the human body. In addition, melon itself is a fairly heavy product for the digestive system.

Symptoms of melon poisoning include vomiting and nausea that do not stop for a long time, fever, general weakness, loss of strength and appetite, and sharp, periodic abdominal pain.

To eliminate the problem of melon poisoning, you need to drink a lot of liquid, preferably boiled and maximally purified. To remove nitrates from the body, activated carbon or other sorbents are used. Immediately after poisoning, cleanse the stomach well with a deep enema.

The patient must remain in bed and be sure to call a doctor who will prescribe the most effective treatment methods.

Melon for diabetes

Diabetics need to take certain aspects of melon into consideration.

The main features of melon for diabetics are:

• one bread unit per 100 grams of pulp;
• 100 grams of melon contain 35 kcal;
• 65% of glycemic index;
• 6.2 grams glycemic load;
• potassium content is relatively low;
• It is necessary to take into account the content of disaccharides (fructose, sucrose). The ratio of carbohydrates is 1.2% glucose; 2.4% fructose; 6% sucrose;
• The content of vitamin C is high, there is folic acid, cobalt, which is involved in the formation of blood, promotes the synthesis of enzymes, adrenaline, proteins.

Positive qualities of melon for diabetes

Melon is low in calories, it contains a lot of water and fiber. Diabetics are advised to make their diet more varied with melon, but it is necessary to replace the corresponding amount of other carbohydrate-containing products.

It has low caloric content, contains a large amount of water and fiber. It is recommended to use it for the purpose of diversifying the diet, provided that it replaces the corresponding amount of other products containing carbohydrates.

Negative qualities of melon for diabetes

Melon has a high glycemic index. If you calculate the content of vitamins per unit of product mass, their amount is not very large, so melon cannot act as a full-fledged source of them.

When consuming melon, diabetics should take the following into account:

• Melon has low caloric content and a high glycemic index. Because of this, blood glucose quickly but briefly increases. In type 2 diabetes with obesity, when consuming melon, body weight decreases as a positive result, but the insulin level in the blood fluctuates unfavorably.
• Patients with type 1 diabetes can eat melon as part of a general diet. When the weight is normal (there are no weight deficiencies or excess weight), the diet can be quite soft (no pronounced restrictions are required), low-calorie. It is important to ensure that carbohydrates when consumed correspond to the insulin that is administered, and physical activity is proportionate.
• With diabetes mellitus type 2, patients can include melon in their diet. A safe amount is 100-200 grams per day. Therefore, if diabetes mellitus type 2 is combined with obesity, then it is undesirable to eat melon.
• Melon contains a lot of fiber, so fermentation processes in the intestines proceed better. It is better not to eat melon on an empty stomach. In addition, combining it with other food is not recommended.
• If you keep a food diary, it's worth paying attention to how many carbohydrates you consumed along with the melon.

Allergy to melon

Food allergy to melon is quite common these days. If after eating this sweet aromatic fruit a person experiences symptoms such as itching, reddening of the skin and mucous membranes, urticaria, asthma attacks, rhinitis, headache, dizziness, nausea, then most likely we are dealing with an allergy to melon. Of course, a doctor can accurately determine the allergen with the help of diagnostics and tests.

Cantaloupe is associated with ragweed in cross-allergic reactions, so if a person is allergic to this plant, they will most likely be allergic to cantaloupe.

Like other food allergies, melon allergy is treated by eliminating this fruit from the diet and drug therapy. The allergic reaction is eliminated by antihistamine drugs. The second and third generation of these drugs have the best effect: Claritin, Cetrin, Erius, Zyrtec and others like them.

Ceritisin (Zyrtec, Parlazin) is a coated tablet (10 mg), as well as a solution - oral drops (10 mg per ml). Adults and children over six years old take one tablet once a day (20 drops), children 2-6 years old - 5 mg per day or 10 drops, children 1-2 years old - 2.5 mg (5 drops) twice a day. Zyrtec is taken from 6 months at 2.5 mg twice a day. But still, it is necessary to consult an allergist who will be able to establish an accurate diagnosis and prescribe the most effective treatment.

Melon Face Masks

Due to the fact that melon is rich in useful substances, vitamins and microelements, it is widely used in cosmetology.

Recipes for masks for oily skin from melon

Mix two tablespoons of ripe melon pulp with a tablespoon of kefir. Beat the egg white separately and add it to the mixture. Then knead the mixture thoroughly, mix it and apply it to your face for fifteen minutes, then wash it off with cold water.

Mix two tablespoons of melon pulp with a tablespoon of low-fat sour cream, a teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of lemon juice. After mixing thoroughly, apply the mask to the face for fifteen minutes, then wash off with cold water, after which wipe the face with a cube of cosmetic ice.

Recipes for masks for dry skin from melon

Mix two tablespoons of melon juice with a teaspoon of salt, a tablespoon of cooked semolina porridge and an egg yolk, two teaspoons of vegetable oil and a teaspoon of honey. Mix everything thoroughly and apply to the face for fifteen to twenty minutes. Wash off with warm water.

Mix two tablespoons of melon pulp with a tablespoon of medium-fat milk and a tablespoon of dry St. John's wort. Apply the mask to your face for twenty minutes, then wash off with warm water.

Mix two tablespoons of melon pulp with a teaspoon of honey. Add grated processed cheese (a teaspoon) and a teaspoon of boiled water to the mixture. After mixing thoroughly, apply the mask to the face for twenty minutes and wash off with warm water.

Melon for hair

A mask made from melon juice helps well with the problem of dullness and hair loss. To make it, you need to squeeze the juice out of the pulp and rub it into washed and slightly damp hair. If you are worried about baldness, then melon juice is also applied to the scalp. After that, the hair needs to be wrapped in cellophane or polyethylene, and on top - with a towel. Keep for forty minutes and then rinse with cool water. The effect will not take long - after the first such mask, the hair will begin to shine, will be soft and pleasant to the touch. To eliminate the problem of severe hair loss, it is recommended to do such a mask every other day.

How to choose a melon?

Many people wonder how to choose a ripe juicy melon without cutting it. In order not to make a mistake in choosing, it is worth following these recommendations:

1. The melon should be beautiful, it should not have dents, chips, scratches, etc. It is important to smell the melon - a characteristic feature of this fruit is that it should exude aroma. Each variety smells in its own way, it is a whole variation of smells, sweet, pleasant, reminiscent of vanilla, pear. When the melon exudes only the smell of greenery, you can safely put it aside.
2. When you pop the fruit, it should make a dull sound.
3. Each melon has a tail. When the melon is ripe, it is dry and firm, and the place where the stalk is attached to the fruit is dry and smooth. Next, turn the fruit over and look at its nose. If the peel gives in when you press it with your finger, this means that the melon ripened in the melon field. In the same case, when the peel remains in place, this means that it was picked while still green. The only exception is the Afghan variety Zard, the essence of which is to pick the fruit in September, and the melon ripens after it has been picked, in the place of storage.
4. If possible, use your fingernail to pry the skin of the melon: if the skin comes off easily and the flesh underneath is greenish, then you can safely take the melon; it is ripe.