Winter melon is an ingredient that is very easy to preserve and can even be stored for a year without going bad. The main reason is that winter melon is relatively durable in storage.

Winter melons should be stored promptly after picking, and the storage location should be in a cool, ventilated and dry room. The storage room should be fumigated and disinfected with potassium permanganate and formalin 2 to 3 days before the winter melons enter the room, and a layer of straw mat should be laid on the ground and basket racks.

The direction of placing the melons when entering the house is generally required to be consistent with the state of growing in the field, that is, the melons that were originally grown lying on the ground should be placed flat, and the melons that were originally grown upright under a shed should be placed upright with their stems upward. When stacking on the ground, the melons should not be stacked too high due to their own weight to reduce damage caused by mutual compression.

Winter melons should generally not be turned during storage, but they should be checked frequently and any diseased melons should be removed immediately. The suitable storage temperature for winter melon is 10℃~15℃, and the relative humidity is 80~85. Winter melon contains a lot of water in the early stage of storage and generates a lot of respiratory heat. Ventilation, heat dissipation and moisture removal should be strengthened.

If the room temperature reaches 30°C, you should turn on an exhaust fan or air conditioner to ventilate and cool down. If there is no ventilation or cooling, you can close the windows for shading at noon when the sun is strong, and open the windows in the morning and evening for ventilation. The air in the storage room should always be kept fresh, dry and cool. Using this method, the storage time of winter melon can be extended.