This year the watermelons grew enormous, but since there wasn't much sun this summer, they were all rather bland. There were so many of them that there was enough to feed the chickens, ducks, and so on. Then I remembered that I made watermelon jam a few years ago. So I wanted to share a delicious, tried-and-true recipe:
- I cut the watermelon into slices.
- I scraped off a thin layer of the green part.
- Cut into cubes.
- I also chopped up the remaining pulp (the watermelon only has sugar in the core, which is what we ate).
- She placed it in a large basin.
- I sprinkled it with sugar (I usually do it “by eye”).
- Mixed carefully.
- I left it for 10-12 hours to let the berries release their juices. By the way, many recipes recommend adding water, but I think that's nonsense because watermelon has so much juice that it's already too much.
- I put it on the fire and even more juice formed.
- After boiling, I boiled it for literally 20-25 minutes (10, which is usually indicated on the Internet, is not enough - it does not have time to thoroughly heat up the entire structure of the hard white part of the peel).
- After cooling, I repeat the procedure twice more.
- I pour it into sterile jars and turn them upside down, covering them with a warm blanket.
To add some variety to the flavor, I made the other half with orange and lemon flavor. The flavor is truly unique! I'll show you how to do it right:
- Boil a couple of oranges—about 10 minutes at a boil. Incidentally, this amount is enough for 3-4 kg of watermelon.
- Let it cool.
- We peel the skin, removing the seeds at the same time.
- Cut into random slices.
- Throw it into a vegetable cutter (I have a “Lightning” one).
- Cut half a lemon.
- We also put it in the blender.
- Grind everything thoroughly.
- Pour the mixture into the watermelon during the second boil.
- From then on, everything is as standard.
My watermelon jam turned out two-toned – the lighter pieces are the rind, and the red ones are the flesh. Contrary to all the claims I've read on various websites (from people supposedly making jam from the flesh), the flesh doesn't fall apart at all, but remains in solid, caramelized chunks.
This is how beautiful it looks when the pieces are juiceless. By the way, they can be dried and used as candied fruit with a watermelon-lemon-orange flavor. Enjoy your meal! Incidentally, yellow watermelons also make excellent jam.
