Watermelon Heaven

“At Probota, Just a Step Away from Watermelon Heaven”

If you pass through Probota, you’ll immediately notice that every few houses have spaces set up for selling produce, typically filled with watermelons, cantaloupes, and various vegetables. This village, located just under 30 kilometers from Iasi, has gained a reputation for watermelon production; over 200 hectares are cultivated here annually. In fact, Probota even hosts a Watermelon Festival, during which you can participate in outdoor activities, including a competition where participants of all ages compete to see who can eat the most watermelon. Each year, the previous record is surpassed.

Because not all watermelons make it to the festival or are enjoyed when fresh, they have another chance to shine: as pickles. This traditional preservation method allows watermelons to be enjoyed during winter alongside select dishes.

Our journey in Probota began at the church, where we met many housewives from the village who competed to reveal their personal watermelon pickle recipes. After the church service, in the October sunlight, in the churchyard, everyone argued about why their pickling method was the best. After this meeting, the saying became even clearer to us: as many households, so many customs! However, there are a few basic ingredients: water, watermelons, salt, dill, cherry twigs, and celery. From here, creativity takes over; each family adds other ingredients based on personal preferences and taste, such as apples, quinces, carrots, hot peppers, bell peppers, horseradish, and corn.

In the past, before being pickled, watermelons were soaked in lime water for 2-3 hours to harden the rind, then they were pierced with a knitting needle to allow the brine to penetrate. The recipe was very simple and contained few spices, and the pickling process was very traditional: every 2-3 days, the entire batch was taken out of the vat, raised, and aired.

Today, things are a bit different, say the pickle-making masters Cristian Movilescu and his reliable assistant Robert Zamisnicu, both local vegetable producers who claim that watermelons are great, but the pickle has even more points.

As soon as we arrive at the plot where the watermelons were grown, our hosts share the recipe they follow: first, select the watermelons, which must be firm, crisp, and almost ripe. Then, prepare the barrel. Start by adding dried dill seeds, celery leaves, place a hose in the middle for easy brining, and then add the watermelons one by one, as orderly as possible, to fit as many as possible into the barrel. Among them, place the fruits and vegetables grown in the Prut Valley: apples, quinces, carrot slices, celery chunks, bell peppers, and hot peppers. Water and salt are crucial, so they use coarse pickle salt, about 1 kg per 30 liters of water.

Finally, before placing the lid, add a few cherry twigs and the rest of the spices: mustard seeds. The job isn’t finished yet. For the first two weeks, the hose is blown into 4-5 times a day to brine the pickles. After two weeks, it is sealed tightly. The pickles are ready in about 30-40 days from the moment they are placed in the barrel.

Interestingly, this family has a tradition of inscribing two beautiful watermelons: one with “Christ Has Risen” written on it, placed halfway down the barrel, and the other with “Happy New Year 202X” written on it, placed higher up for easy access for the New Year’s Eve feast.

During the winter, pickled watermelons, cold, with their red flesh and crispy rind, add flavor to family meals. Alongside bean dishes with sausages, roast pork, or sausages, they offer freshness and diversity to meals during the winter months.