How to make delicious and simple jam from watermelon rinds
Jam is a favorite delicacy of children and adults, which is made from fruits and berries. But few people know that from ordinary crusts watermelon You can also make this dessert. It is easy to prepare and does not require large expenditures. In addition, it will also be a healthy dish - jam does not require long cooking, it retains useful vitamins and microelements.
How to make simple jam from watermelon rinds
To make jam from watermelon rinds, you only need two ingredients: watermelon rinds and sugar in a 1:1 ratio.
First, prepare the watermelon: wash it thoroughly in warm water and soap. Then cut and cut off the crusts. The green skin is peeled off from the crusts.
Reference. If, when cutting off the crusts, you leave a small amount of red pulp on them, the jam will turn out more tasty and beautiful.
The peeled crusts are cut into cubes 1-2 cm in size and covered with sugar.
After 2-3 hours, when the watermelon juice is released, the container with the contents is placed on low heat. Stir the chopped pieces so that the sugar does not burn and dissolves. After complete dissolution, the heat is increased to medium. The foam that appears is removed.
Reference. If you do not remove the foam from the jam, it will ferment during storage.
After the jam boils, cook it for another 5 minutes, then remove from the stove. It needs to cool completely, so leave it overnight.
The next day, put the container back on the fire and bring to a boil. Cook the crusts for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then they are removed from the heat and left overnight again.
The next day the containers are prepared. To keep the jam for a long time, glass jars with a capacity of 200 and 500 ml are sterilized. They can be sterilized in a pan of boiling water, in the oven or microwave (15 minutes at 100°C).
The jam is brought to a boil again and cooked for 10 minutes. The finished delicacy becomes thick and viscous. Then it is placed hot into sterilized jars and the lids are screwed on.
If after the third time the jam has not become sticky, then cool it, and then bring it to a boil again and cook for 10 minutes. But there is no need to wait overnight anymore. Most often, three times is enough, but sometimes the procedure is repeated five times.
Jars of jam are stored in a cool place or in the refrigerator.
Other recipes for watermelon rind jam
The simplest recipe was described above. To give the jam a special taste and aroma, and to achieve a certain consistency, various ingredients are added to it.
With orange
To give the jam a citrus aroma and taste, orange is added.
For 1.5 kg of watermelon rinds you will need 1 orange and 1 kg of sugar.
The cooking algorithm is as follows:
- Watermelon rinds are washed under running water, the green skin is cut off and cut into cubes. Then add sugar and let it brew for 2-3 hours so that the pieces release juice. Place on the stove and bring to a boil, stirring. Then remove from the heat and let it brew for a day. The next day, the product is brought to a boil again and left for 12 hours.
- It is important not to cook the crusts, but to bring them to a boil, skimming off any foam that appears. The pieces should become transparent, this is achieved after 3-4 boils.
- Then remove the zest from the orange and add it to the jam. The juice squeezed from the orange is poured there. Bring the contents to a boil and cook for 5 minutes.
- The hot mass is poured into sterile jars and screwed on with lids. Store in the refrigerator or cool place.
With lemon
Lemon is added to the jam to add freshness. For 1 kg of watermelon rinds you will need 0.9 kg of sugar and 1 lemon.
The green skin is peeled off the watermelon rinds and cut into cubes. Add sugar, stir, and leave for 2-3 hours.
After the watermelon rinds have released their juice, they are brought to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes, skimming off the foam. Then the contents are left to cool completely. After this, the procedure is repeated 2 more times. During the last boil, add finely chopped lemon to the jam and cook for 10 minutes. Hot jam is placed in sterilized jars and the lids are screwed on. Store in a cool place.
With added soda
To make the jam soft, add soda and water.
How to cook:
- For 1 kg of watermelon rinds you will need 1.2 kg of sugar, 2 liters of water, 5 g of soda.
- The crusts are washed and peeled. Cut into strips and prick each with a fork. Dissolve soda in a glass of hot water, pour it into a container and add another 5 glasses of water. Pour in the chopped pieces and leave for 5 hours. After the time has elapsed, the peels are washed twice with clean water at intervals of half an hour.
- Pour 0.6 kg of sugar into a clean container, add 3 glasses of water, stirring, and bring to a boil. Add watermelon straws to the resulting syrup and cook for 20 minutes over medium heat. Leave to infuse for 8-12 hours.
- Then add the remaining sugar (0.6 kg), bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave for 8-12 hours.
- The next day, bring the jam to a boil again and cook for 20 minutes. For taste, you can add the zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon or the juice of 1 lemon. Leave for 12 hours.Cold jam is placed in sterilized jars. Store in a dark, cool place.
With pulp
According to this recipe, jam is made from the whole watermelon - from the rinds and from the pulp. For 1 kg of watermelon along with the rinds you will need 0.8 kg of sugar.
The watermelon is thoroughly washed and cleared of green skin. The crusts and seedless pulp are cut into small cubes, covered with sugar and left for 12 hours.
Then the container with the contents is placed on the fire and brought to a boil, after which it is removed from the heat and cooled. When the jam has cooled, it is brought to a boil again, and the process is repeated 2 more times. During the last boiling, you can add citric acid (5 g) to the contents. The finished confiture is laid out in sterilized jars and screwed on with lids. The cooled product is stored in the refrigerator.
In a slow cooker
To prepare jam from watermelon rinds in a multicooker for 0.5 kg of rinds, you will need 0.5 kg of sugar, 0.5 liters of water.
Watermelon rinds are washed, the green peel is cut off and cut into cubes. The pieces are placed in a multicooker bowl, poured with 0.3 kg of sugar and filled with hot water. Set the “Quenching” mode for 1.5 hours. The remaining sugar is added after an hour.
If the jam has not become thick enough, then additionally set the “Steam” mode for another 15 minutes.
The finished product is placed hot into sterilized jars. Store in a dark, cool place.
If desired, add lemon zest, vanilla, mint or cloves to the jam.
Tips and tricks
To give a red or pinkish color to the finished jam, both natural (beets, grapes, raspberries) and powder and gel dyes are used.
The optimal sugar ratio for making jam is 1:1.But if you like it more or less sweet, you can increase or decrease its amount.
Some housewives are afraid to make jam from the crusts, believing that they contain nitrates. Early watermelons are fed with nitrates. During the season, the berries ripen on their own - there is no need for nitrates. Therefore, it is better to make jam from later watermelons. In addition, nitrates in watermelon accumulate in the green rind, which is peeled off when cooked.
But if you still have concerns, use the following method: the crusts are filled with a solution of water and chalk for 2-3 hours, then the water is drained and they are washed under running water. Another way to “wash off” nitrates: pour cold water over the crusts and put them in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, rinse well.
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Conclusion
Watermelon rind jam - extraordinary dessert, which does not require additional costs, since it is prepared from “watermelon waste”. The step-by-step cooking recipe is extremely simple, despite the fact that it takes several days. Most of the time is spent on soaking the crusts with syrup, while the cooking process itself takes only 10-20 minutes a day. The result is a tasty and healthy treat. If desired, you can give it a special aroma and taste by adding various ingredients.
Try making jam from watermelon rinds for the winter, and your family will appreciate this unusual dessert.