The imagination of housewives is amazing. Numerous jam recipes, familiar to many, have become quite boring. Resourceful housewives use watermelon rinds for jam. The advantages of this dessert are that watermelon leaves virtually no waste behind, and in terms of usefulness it is not inferior to many berries and fruits. Once you have tried this delicacy, it is very difficult to refuse to prepare and eat it.
Features of making jam from watermelon rinds
It’s not difficult to prepare the dessert; the delicacy has no complaints about home conditions. The main thing is to strictly follow the recipe. Carry out everything exactly according to the calculations.
Properly cooked jam is stored for a long time and retains a large amount of useful substances:
- Many housewives do not want to make jam from watermelon rinds, because they believe that a large amount of nitrates accumulates in them. They remain in the thin skin of the watermelon, which should be trimmed and removed altogether.
- In order to remove nitrates from the crusts, they are soaked in water with chalk. Leave it in it for 2-3 hours, then rinse and prepare dessert.
- Not worth it make jam from the first watermelons, which appear already in mid-summer, they contain a lot of nitrates. Plants are fed with various chemicals so that they grow faster and bear fruit. It is best to use watermelons purchased during the high season. Such fruits are guaranteed to be cleaner than the very first ones.
- When preparing dessert, sugar is added in various proportions. Those with a sweet tooth start at 1.5 kg per 1 kg of rinds, and those who do not like sweets too much add 600 g per 1 kg of watermelons.
- The cooking time is also different, some cook for 5 minutes, in several approaches, others for 20 minutes, and the preparation is infused for 24 hours.
You don’t have to work especially hard to prepare the delicacy. The cooking itself does not take much time; the jam is infused for most of the allotted time.
Preparation of the main ingredient
Proper preparation of crusts is the key to a positive result. The main thing to do is to follow the recommendations indicated in the recipe, then everything will work out:
- First of all, they are soaked in chalk water in order to get rid of nitrates.
- Another way is to put them in a container, fill them with cold water and place them in the refrigerator. After this, the crusts are thoroughly washed, dried and peeled.
- The pieces are cut arbitrarily, but as equally as possible. This is necessary for uniform boiling.
The rest of the preparation is as you follow the steps of a specific recipe.
Watermelon rind jam for the winter: the simplest recipe
The simplest recipe is perfect for those who decide to cook this delicacy for the first time. You will need the same amount of crusts and granulated sugar.
For proper preparation, a step-by-step recipe for making jam is provided.
Step 1
The green skin is cut off from the rinds of the watermelon; the remaining part must be cut into random pieces. You should try to make the pieces the same so that there are no problems during the cooking process.
Step 2
After weighing the resulting workpiece, measure out the required amount of sugar. Pour diced crusts over it.
Step 3
Shake the container to distribute the sugar. Put it in a cool place and wait for the workpiece to release juice. It will take approximately 3.5-4 hours.
Step 4
After the allotted time has passed, mix carefully, trying not to damage the structure of the crusts. Place on low heat so that the jam does not burn, stir occasionally.
Step 5
As the mass boils, the fire power is raised to medium. Stir and skim off any foam that appears. Let it boil, but no more than 5 minutes. Then the workpiece is removed from the heat and left to cool at room temperature. Cover with material and leave for a day.
Step 6
After 24 hours, put it back on the fire and boil for 5 minutes. Turn it off and leave it for a day.
Step 7
The procedure is repeated, the jam is boiled for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. A thick and viscous consistency signals the readiness of the dessert. If this does not happen, the jam is cooled again and boiled to the desired state.
Step 8
They are placed in jars hot, prepared in advance, washed and sterilized. When making jam according to this recipe, you don’t have to do a lot of work.
And you can appreciate the taste of the finished delicacy within a few days. The jam will be saturated with syrup and will be ready for use.
Watermelon rind jam in a slow cooker
There is a multicooker in almost every home. It significantly reduces the time spent making jam. You will need 0.5 kg of crusts, 0.5 kg of sugar. If you want to keep the shape of the cubes, you should prepare 7 g of soda.
Watermelon is cut into small, random pieces. Pour a solution of water and soda for half an hour. Then remove and wash in cold running water.
Prepare a multicooker container, put crusts in it, sprinkle with sugar.
In the “Stew” mode, simmer the jam for 1 hour. It is necessary to stir the workpiece several times.
If the consistency is not satisfactory, then change the mode in the multicooker to “Steam” and simmer for another 15 minutes.The finished dessert is placed in jars and stored.
Watermelon peel jam with orange
In order to make delicious jam, you will need 1 kg of peels, 1.2 kg of sugar, 2 oranges and a lemon. Watermelon rinds are crushed into arbitrary cubes. To do this, if desired, use a shaped cutting knife. Then the finished pieces will look very beautiful. Cover the mixture with sugar and leave to infuse for 4 hours.
Meanwhile, the zest of lemon and oranges is prepared.There is no need to touch the white layer, it will be bitter, thereby ruining the taste of the finished jam.
When the preparation releases juice, put it on fire. Bring to a boil, then add the zest and peeled orange slices, cut into pieces. It takes 10 minutes to cook the dessert, then remove and let cool. Then repeat this 3 times. If the jam is liquid, the number of repetitions is increased by 1 time.
The delicacy is placed in jars, rolled up, wrapped and left to cool at room temperature.
This jam turns out excellent, it is especially distinguished by its citrus taste, which surprises guests. Many people cannot even understand what it is made of.
Watermelon rind jam with lemon
Unlike orange, lemon gives sourness, which makes the jam very tasty. You will need 1 kg of watermelon rinds, 0.9 kg of granulated sugar, 1 lemon.
If necessary, replace citrus with citric acid.
The crusts are cut into small pieces and covered with sugar. The cooking itself will begin after 3-4 hours have passed. Then set it on low heat and simmer it, after boiling, leave it to boil for 10 minutes. Then you need to remove and let the jam cool. There is no need to insist for a day, a few hours is enough. After the jam has cooled completely, put it back on the fire and cook for 10 minutes. Repeat in the same sequence one more time.
When the mass boils in the third approach, add lemon, chopped into pieces along with the skin. Boil for 10 minutes, lay out hot, put in the cellar.
With mint
As an option for all those with a sweet tooth, make jam from watermelon rinds with mint. For it you will need: 1 watermelon, 1 tbsp. granulated sugar, mint to taste. The watermelon is cut into slices, the pink flesh is cut off and removed for the household.Only the crusts will be used. They are cut into thin bars, the whole thing is covered with sugar, mint is added and left to brew for several hours.
After the juice appears, place on very low heat and bring to a boil.
Constantly collect the foam that forms on the surface. When the mixture boils, add heat and cook for 40 minutes, remembering to stir.
Prepare jars in advance, sterilize them and dry them. Spread the cooled jam, turn the jars upside down and leave for a day under a warm shelter. Then take it out and store it in a specially designated place.
Storing jam
Much depends on how the jam was prepared. It must be placed in sterile jars and rolled up. Then it will be stored for 1-2 years.
Sunlight should not penetrate into the room where the workpieces are stored. The optimal temperature is from +10…+15 ⁰С.
If the jars are closed with iron lids, their shelf life increases. Just to preserve the integrity of the caps, they are coated with Vaseline.
High humidity in the storage room leads to the fact that the top layer of jam in those jars that are closed with paper lids greatly deteriorates. This jam should not be eaten.
Proper storage ensures that the jam will last for many years. Only the beneficial substances contained in the main ingredients are constantly decreasing.
Making jam from watermelon rinds is not difficult; a good housewife never wastes anything. And in terms of usefulness, it is not inferior to some desserts made from berries and fruits. Before drawing conclusions about how tasty this dessert is, you should try making it yourself at home.
