So, the melon should be washed, removed from the seeds, as well as from the peel so that only the pulp remains. If peels are used, simply separate the pulp from the skin.
The melon pulp should be cut into small pieces (can be cubes).
Place the melon cut in this way into a saucepan or stewpan, cover with granulated sugar in a one-to-one ratio. The proportion, by the way, is very convenient in this regard, as it allows you to easily adjust the amount of product at the output and equally increase and decrease the amount original product and sugar.
After some time, the melon juice and melted sugar form a syrup, and even later the melon pieces will be saturated with this syrup, and then their edges will become transparent.
After the specified time has passed, you can cook the jam. This process occurs in several stages. The first stage is to simmer the jam over low heat for 5 minutes after boiling. At the same time, do not forget to stir it so that it does not burn.
Then it must be cooled completely. Cooled jam will have a thicker, richer color.
When the jam has cooled, taste it. If you like this option, bring it to a boil and pour into sterilized jars.
But you can also boil the jam in one more step - 10-15 minutes. The main thing here is a sense of proportion. Remember, if too much liquid boils away, the cooled jam may subsequently become sugary.
Pour the prepared melon jam into jars, closing them with a key or thermal lids.
That's all. The jam is ready. Take out such a summer jar in the middle of winter, and your soul will definitely feel warmer.
The preparation is very easy to prepare, has a unique taste, and also an incomparable amber color. Try to prepare this wonderful dessert and then you can surprise and delight your household by serving homemade jam from melon to tea.
Many people know that in addition to its wonderful taste and aroma, melon is rich in a wide range of useful microelements(for example, B vitamins, as well as iron and potassium). Of course, when cooking beneficial features get lost, and jam with big amount sugar is not low-calorie product. Therefore, people involved in sports and struggling with overweight, frozen melon is more suitable. But this, as they say, is a completely different story...
Summer is a time of wonderful fruits. But this is also a time of opportunity for experimentation and new discoveries in the field of cooking. Making jam from melon rinds is one of them. This wonderful fruit produces an extraordinary jam with amazing taste and aroma. And if you show some creativity and diversify it with additional components, culinary discoveries there will be no price. The opportunity to create your own unique masterpiece opens up!
The peculiarity is that you do not need to throw away the hard part of the melon - it is from this that the jam is made. This is also an advantage. In summer these ripe ones are always bought delicious berries, and accordingly, the crusts that remain after them can be used to make amazing jam.
Another feature is that preparing the delicacy does not take much effort, time and does not require concentration. There is no need to devote separate time to it; it can be prepared in parallel with other dishes.
Preparation of the main ingredient
Preparing the crusts is not difficult:
- Wash the melon, dry and cut into slices.
- Separate the soft part that everyone loves to feast on.
- The next step is to separate the hard, outer crust. If the skin itself has hard fibers, it is cut to remove them.
- Cut the resulting melon into cubes of any size. You should not grate it, even a large one.
In addition to the main component, you need:
- Citric acid - it will not only give some pleasant sourness, but will also help preserve the jam, otherwise it will “play” in the jar.
- Vanilla sugar, vanillin or a vanilla stick will give the finished product a pleasant, delicate aroma.
- Don't be afraid to experiment with additional ingredients, they will add a unique aroma and taste to the jam. It is recommended to add mint, star anise, cardamom, and cinnamon. Banana, kiwi, and pumpkin make excellent varieties of jam. And also zucchini - don’t be surprised, it tastes amazing in jam!
- You can add turmeric to give it a richer color.
Cooking algorithm
To make jam according to the simplest recipe, you just need to add sugar to the melon pieces and cook. The jam will turn out like jam: with boiled pieces of melon crusts.
If you want to get a transparent one amber syrup with whole pieces of fruit floating in it, the preparation technology changes: the syrup will need to be drained periodically, boiled separately and poured over the melon pieces. And only the last stage involves joint boiling.
Canning process step by step
The following ingredients are required for preparation:
- crusts – 600 grams;
- citric acid – 2 grams;
- granulated sugar – 450 grams;
- vanilla sugar – 7 grams.
Step-by-step preparation procedure:
- The crusts, from which the thin hard crust (outer part) has previously been cut off, are cut into pieces in the form of cubes of any size.
- Place the pieces in the container in which the jam will be cooked.
- Add granulated sugar and gently shake the container with the melon so that the sugar spills into all the holes.
- Leave the pieces covered with sugar for a period of time from 2 to 4 hours. During this time, the juice should stand out.
- After 2 hours, stir; if little liquid has been released, it is recommended to add a little water (100-120 milliliters);
- The resulting composition must be boiled and removed from the stove.
- The next day, boil the jam, which has released even more juice, again and set aside.
- Repeat this procedure in the morning and evening for two days.
- On the third day, boil, add citric acid and vanilla sugar, boil and place in previously sterilized jars.
It often turns out that during the cooking process, melon pieces become soft and lose their integrity. To ensure that the jam turns out amber, transparent, and the pieces retain their integrity, you can try the second preparation method, it is more painstaking, but the result will exceed expectations:
- Pour sugar into the container in which the jam will be cooked.
- Pour 100-110 milliliters of water and cook the sugar syrup over low heat, stirring occasionally.
- While the syrup is preparing, cut the melon rinds into desired size pieces.
- Pour the melon into the boiling syrup and leave to soak.
- When the syrup has cooled and the melon has released juice, carefully pour the liquid into another container and boil it.
- Pour boiling syrup over the melon again and leave to soak.
Important! Do not boil the melon itself in the syrup, otherwise it will boil. Being in the syrup sets the pieces.
- The next day in the morning, drain the liquid again, boil and pour over the melon. In the evening, repeat the manipulation. Cook the jam in this way for two days.
- On the third day you can already boil all the jam. If the product is still somewhat liquid in consistency, boil for 5-10 minutes and leave to infuse. The time period until the next boil is about 10 hours.
- The next day, boil the jam for about half an hour and place it in dry, pre-sterilized jars.
Storage Features
We rarely make melon jam, but it nevertheless turns out unusual, aromatic and rich in taste. Although many do not recognize it, because it is not accepted. It’s good that there are curious housewives who are always interested in trying something new.
So for them the following recipes are offered on how to make melon jam for the winter.
Melon has a characteristic taste and strong aroma. As a rule, it is very juicy, and many varieties are distinguished by increased sweetness. The fact that melon contains many microelements and vitamins is not worth talking about; this is already known.
So, let's look at a few step-by-step and simple recipes, in which one of the main, or only, ingredients is melon.
Let us agree in advance that the container for jam, glass jars, prepare in advance - wash, sterilize and dry. The same goes for lids.
Melon jam without sterilization
This recipe delicious jam designed for 3 days. It is not particularly labor-intensive, but time-consuming. But the jam turns out excellent.
Ingredients:
1 pinch citric acid
400 ml water
800 g sugar
Vanilla - if desired
1. Extract the pulp from the melon and cut it into pieces. We use the water specified in the recipe to blanch the melon pieces.
2. After soaking in boiling water for 5 minutes, remove the pieces and strain, and carefully collect the water and use it for further cooking.
3. Prepare syrup on it, adding the required amount of sugar. Immerse the strained pieces of melon into the syrup.
4. Boil the jam in this composition repeatedly for 3 days. One cycle – 10 minutes of slow boiling, then 10-12 hours of settling. When cooking, skim off the foam and stir the brew.
5. The thickness of the jam depends on the number of cycles. When you think it's time to finish, add citric acid during the last cooking. It will act as a natural preservative, so no sterilization is required. You can add spices, such as vanillin.
Melon and watermelon rind jam
This jam is very unusual. Firstly, it is beautiful, made of transparent pieces. And its taste is unexpected: anyone who doesn’t know what it’s made from will never guess.
Ingredients:
1 kg prepared crusts
For the syrup:
600 g sugar
400 ml water
1. First prepare the rinds from watermelons and melons, and then weigh them. It is necessary to separate the pulp, it does not go into jam, and cut off the top hard crusts. There will be a white gasket from the watermelon, a yellowish or greenish one from the melon, and we weigh it.
2. Cut the peels into equal rectangles (1 x 2 cm) and wash. If we don’t want them to lose their shape during cooking, then soak them in salt water (3% solution) for ? hours. Then heat the water almost to a boil (95°C) and keep the removed pieces for 10 minutes. We strain and continue.
3. Cook the syrup. After it has cooled, add pieces of crusts into it.
4. Boil the jam in several batches for 15 minutes, then allow it to cool completely for 2-3 hours. We do 3-4 such cycles, during which time the syrup will penetrate into each crust and make it completely transparent.
Classic melon jam
For such jam you need to choose a ripe melon, from durum varieties. If you find overripe or soft-fleshed ones, set them aside for jam.
Ingredients:
1 kg melon pulp
600 g sugar, or so
2 bananas
Lemon zest
1. Cut the melon pulp into cubes and add sugar. If the melon is juicy, the juice will come out immediately; the harder ones need to be kept in sugar longer, about half an hour.
2. It is not necessary to add bananas; they are added to increase the thickness of the jam. And the zest is for flavor.
3. Place the pan with melon and bananas and lemon on the fire, heat slowly and bring to a boil. Then cover and wait for the mass to cool.
4. We repeat such short cooking sessions (5 minutes each) several times. To make the jam thicker, crush the melon pieces during the cooking process.
5. Roll up the jam in a boiling state. If we don’t plan to roll it up, then first we cool it, then we put it in a jar and close it with a nylon lid.
Melon jam with cinnamon
This is an amazing jam. It is especially useful as a syrup for ice cream. Therefore, it can be prepared exclusively for this purpose - without pieces of melon, or in the traditional way.
Ingredients:
2 kg melon pulp (not soft)
Cinnamon sticks
For the syrup:
2 kg sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp vodka
1. Cut the melon pulp into pieces, scald with boiling water and strain.
2. Prepare the syrup by boiling it for 3 minutes. Place the melon pieces into the boiling syrup and cook.
3. If we cook traditionally, then we cook the jam in several steps for 10 minutes, stretching the pleasure over several days. As a result, the pieces will become transparent and the jam will become thick.
4. If we cook for syrup, then after some time the melon pieces are removed, and the syrup is boiled for at least 15 minutes.
5. No matter how the jam is cooked, the final result should be the same: a cinnamon stick is placed in the jar and the jam is poured. It's setting.
If we don’t roll it up, then let the jam sit for 10-12 hours before packaging to infuse and cool.
Melon jam with lemon
This is, to some extent, also a classic.
Ingredients:
1 kg melon pulp
700 g sugar
3 g vanillin
1. Cut the melon pulp into cubes and add sugar. Cover with a lid and hold it with your hands, shake the pan so that the melon cubes mix well with the sugar. Leave it like this overnight or at least for 5 hours.
2. After washing the lemon, grind it in a meat grinder (discard the seeds first). You can simply squeeze the juice out of it if you don’t want the presence of lemon peels. Add juice or ground lemon mixture to the melon.
3. Place the pan on heat and wait for the mixture to boil. Cook slowly, stirring, for only 5 minutes, and set aside in a quiet place for 10 hours.
4. Next time, cook for 10 minutes + 8 hours of infusion. You can continue to do this until you achieve the desired thickness. IN last time cook for 15 minutes, adding vanilla and zest, and roll up.
Also pay attention to the cool video recipe with step by step pictures making melon jam and syrup
Melon jam with orange in a slow cooker
Life is good for those who have a multicooker. Making jam for the winter in such conditions is a pleasure. Judge for yourself.
Ingredients:
700 g melon pulp
400 g sugar
30 g sesame seeds
1 large orange
1 packet vanilla sugar
1. First, we take the orange: remove the skin and whitish films from it, throw away the seeds, and cut the pulp into cubes. Then we cut the melon pulp into the same cubes.
2. Place the melon pieces on the bottom of the bowl, then arrange the orange cubes. Sprinkle everything with sugar, add sesame seeds and vanilla.
3. Select “Stew” and set it to 1 hour. Stir the mixture periodically. When the end signal sounds, it will simultaneously indicate the readiness of the jam.
4. All that remains is to pack the jars, roll them up and turn them upside down. They need to be wrapped on top and left to cool.
You can enjoy fragrant melons not only during their ripening season. Prepare melon jam for the winter; the dessert turns out to be very delicate and appetizing, reminiscent of summer, with an aroma. You can make jam from any melon, even unripe ones. Suitable for making dessert and fruit crust. Melon can be mixed with different fruits, it will turn out even tastier.
Any type of melon is suitable for jam, the main thing is that it is fresh and not overripe. But if you get a fruit that’s not quite ripe, don’t worry, jam from an unripe melon will turn out delicious, and the lack bright aroma can be compensated by adding spices, such as vanillin.
- First of all, the melon needs to be washed thoroughly; the surface of this fruit is not smooth, so you should use a brush or the rough side of a dish sponge.
- Then the melon is cut in half and the seeds are removed along with the loose core of the fruit.
- After this you need to cut off the crusts. If the jam will be made from the pulp, then the peeled melon should be cut into cubes or pieces of a different shape, at your discretion.
- The jam for which the melon was cut into balls looks very beautiful. Used to cut out balls special device. However, this method is uneconomical, since a lot goes to waste.
- If you plan to make jam from the rinds, then you do not need to cut the pulp too low; you should leave a layer of pulp about 1 cm thick. But the outer, rough part of the rind must be carefully cut off. The peeled peels are cut into cubes or cubes.
Next, the prepared melon is mixed with sugar and allowed to stand. In a couple of hours, enough juice will be released so that you can make jam. If you plan to mix melon with other fruits. You need to cut the fruit into the same pieces as the melon.
You can cook it in one step; cooking will take about 40-60 minutes. When cooking, you need to stir constantly. But more often the technique of repeated cooking is used, when the jam is allowed to simmer for five minutes, then left to stand for 8-12 hours and the operation is repeated 2-3 times.
The finished jam can be poured both hot and cold. The last option is used if the workpiece is planned to be stored in the refrigerator or eaten in the near future. In this case, the jars are closed with nylon lids.
For storage at room temperature it is necessary to sterilize the container, pour hot jam into it, freshly removed from the heat, and seal the jars hermetically, using boiled tin lids.
Interesting facts: the most expensive variety melon is Yubari King. It is grown in Japan, and the fruits are considered the sweetest and juiciest. The harvest is sold exclusively at auctions; the price of one fruit can reach $1,000.
Five-minute melon jam with lemon - a simple recipe for the winter
Aromatic five-minute jam is made from melon with lemon; this is a fairly simple recipe with a minimum of ingredients.
- 1 kg of melon (weight of already peeled fruit);
- 600 gr. Sahara;
- 1 lemon.
Peel the melon, cut the pulp into cubes or cubes. You can use a curly knife to give the pieces a wavy surface. Sprinkle the melon cubes with sugar. Let stand at room temperature for one or two hours. During this time, enough juice will be released so that all the sugar can dissolve in it.
Wash the lemon and scald it with boiling water. Remove some of the zest. You don’t need to put a lot of zest in the jam; a teaspoon will be enough. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze out the juice.
- 500 gr. pears;
- 500 gr. melons;
- 500 gr. Sahara;
- a pinch of citric acid.
We wash and peel the melon and pears, cut the fruits into small pieces of equal size.
Advice! Pears do not need to be peeled if they are thin. If the peel is rough, then it is better to cut it off.
Place the pears and melon in enamel pan or a cooking basin for jam, pour in about a quarter glass of water and put on fire. You need to cook for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. The fruits should give juice, but if there is not enough juice, you will need to add more water during the cooking process.
When the fruits are ready, carefully add sugar and mix. Continue cooking for about a quarter of an hour. If you wish, you can add a whole clove bud or a bag of vanillin to the jam, the jam will be more fragrant. You need to add the spices five minutes before they are ready.
Pour the finished jam into jars that have been previously sterilized. Cover the jars with boiled lids and immediately seal them tightly.
Melon and banana jam
This version of jam is made from melon and banana. Since both of these fruits are sweet, the jam made from them can turn out to be cloying. To avoid this you need to add lemon juice or citric acid.
- 700 gr. melons;
- 2 bananas;
- 1 lemon;
- 500 gr. Sahara;
- 60 ml water.
Wash the melon, peel the seeds, cut into thin slices. Place the melon in a saucepan or bowl for jam, pour in water and add sugar. Mix carefully and leave for one hour.
Cut the washed lemon in half and squeeze the juice from one half. Pour the juice into a bowl with the melon. Place on the stove and cook the jam for half an hour. We will cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Read also: How to pickle porcini mushrooms in jars for the winter - 5 recipes
Peel the bananas and cut into thin slices. Cut the other half of the lemon into thin quarters of circles. Remove all the seeds from the lemon; they can add bitterness to the jam.
Advice! It is better to take bananas for jam slightly unripe. There should be no brown spots on the fruits.
Add bananas and lemon to the melon and mix well. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes, then increase the heat slightly and boil the syrup to the desired thickness. This will take about another half hour.
Pour the hot jam into pre-sterilized jars. Cover with boiled lids and seal tightly.
Melon jelly (with gelatin)
Jam made with gelatin is thick and is great for making sandwiches.
- 2 kg melon;
- 1 kg sugar;
- 15 gr. gelatin;
- 0.5 teaspoon of citric acid;
- 1 gr. vanillin.
Peel the melon and cut into arbitrary but small pieces. Add sugar and leave for a couple of hours to release the juice. Then set it to cook over low heat. Cook, stirring for about 30 minutes, the pieces should become completely soft. Turn on the heat and let it cool slightly. Then beat the jam using an immersion blender until smooth.
Soak gelatin in cold water for about half an hour. Then heat it over low heat, or even better, in a water bath until completely dissolved. The main thing is to prevent the solution from boiling.
Place the prepared melon puree on the fire, add vanillin and citric acid, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Add the hot gelatin solution to the jam and stir well. Immediately pour into sterilized jars and seal tightly.
Melon jam with orange
Melon jam cooked with orange is very aromatic.
- 1 kg melon;
- 250 gr. oranges;
- 500 gr. Sahara.
Peel the melon and cut the pulp into small cubes. We should have exactly a kilogram of pure pulp. The weight of the orange is also indicated in pure form, keep this in mind when buying fruit. Peel the oranges, divide the peeled fruit into four parts and cut each quarter crosswise into triangles about 0.3-0.5 mm thick.
Place slices of melon and orange in a cooking dish in layers, sprinkling with sugar. Leave for a while to release the juice. When you see that pieces of fruit are literally floating in the juice, put it on the fire. Boil the jam over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Then let it sit until it cools completely. We repeat the operation 3-4 times until the syrup becomes thick enough. Finished product pour into sterilized, still warm jars and close immediately.
Interesting melon and watermelon jam
You can make jam from melon and watermelon, the taste will be very interesting.
- 500 gr. melon pulp;
- 500 gr. melon pulp;
- 500 gr. apples;
- 1.2 kg granulated sugar;
- 0.5 lemon.
To make jam, you need to choose watermelon and melon with firm pulp; it is better that the fruits are slightly underripe than overripe. Apples should also have dense pulp; it is better to use sweet and sour varieties.
Peel the watermelon and melon from peels and seeds, cut the pulp into cubes. Place in a bowl or pan for making jam. Peel the apples by cutting out the seed pods. The peel can be cut off, or you can leave it. Add apples to melon and watermelon. Sprinkle the fruits with sugar and leave for 2-3 hours to release the juice. Add juice squeezed from half a lemon to the fruit.
Place the dishes on the fire and bring to a boil. Cook over low heat for about one hour. Periodically you will need to stir and skim off the foam. After finishing cooking, turn off the heat and leave until completely cool. Then put it on the fire again and boil for 15 minutes. Then pour into sterile jars and seal tightly.
Few people know that from such seasonal berries as watermelon and melon, you can prepare preparations for the winter that are amazing in your taste and direction. These can be snacks in the form of salads, jams and compotes, marinades and pickles.
Jam made from melon, regardless of the method chosen, always turns out aromatic, slightly viscous and liquid, reminiscent of young, freshly collected honey in taste.
For making jam, not only a ripe melon can be suitable, but also an unripe one with hard pulp or an overripe one, already with such pulp that it is, in fact, just melon juice.
Recipe 1. The classic way to make melon jam
If you prepare this wonderful jam correctly according to the recipe given below, it will definitely become your favorite. When finished, it has a beautiful amber color. This is simply a divine delicacy with an incredibly pleasant aroma and delicate taste. It is very simple and easy to prepare. A beginner housewife can handle this task.
Ingredients:
- sweet fresh melon pulp – 1.5 kg;
- sugar – 0.9 kg.
Step-by-step preparation steps:
- Wash the melon.
- Peel the melon and completely remove all seeds.
- Cut the pulp into small cubes and place in a deep bowl.
- Cover the prepared melon with sugar and leave for half an hour. During this time, the melon will give juice.
- Transfer the entire contents from the bowl into a basin/pan where the jam will be prepared.
- Place the dishes with the products prepared for cooking on the most slow fire.
- Bring the jam to a boil and turn off the heat, cover the jam with a lid that fits tightly to the pan and let it cool. It takes about 4 hours.
- Put the prepared jam back on the slowest heat and bring it to a boil.
- Cook it for about 5 minutes, periodically crushing the melon pieces with a spoon and at the same time stirring the jam. In this case, it will become much more aromatic and more fragrant.
- Repeat the procedure from step 7 to step 9 2 more times.
- Transfer the cooked jam into clean, dry, sterilized jars and seal them while hot with suitable lids.
- The amount of sugar depends on how sweet the melon is. The sweeter the melon, the less sugar you need to put in the jam.
- To prepare this jam, you should give preference to durum melon.
Recipe 2. Melon jam with bananas
The color and texture of the banana is ideal for accompanying the preparation of melon-based jam. Moreover, thanks to it the delicacy becomes thicker and even more aromatic. Melon jam with bananas turns out to be a warm honey color, with a refined, delicate taste.
Ingredients:
- sugar – 800 gr.;
- pulp ripe melon– 1.2 kg;
- sparkling mineral water – 120 g;
- previously squeezed lemon or lime juice – 30 g;
- fresh ripe bananas– 600 gr.
Cooking steps:
- Wash and dry the melon.
- Prepare melon pulp by cutting off the skin and removing the veined seeds. Cut it into arbitrary pieces and put it in a pan (basin) in which you plan to prepare the jam.
- Pour sugar into the melon.
- Cover the pan with the melon with a tight-fitting lid and leave for 15 hours.
- Add pre-prepared lemon juice and sparkling mineral water to the melon that has released its juice during this time. Stir and cook for half an hour over very low heat. In practice, it is not cooked, but simmered.
- Prepare bananas. Peel them and cut into slices.
- Transfer the bananas to the saucepan with the jam being prepared. Stir.
- Increase the heat a little and cook for another half hour. During this time, the jam will be completely cooked. It will thicken and all products will become soft.
- Turn off the fire.
- Cool the jam naturally and place it cold in clean, sterilized jars. Cork.
No special conditions are required for storing melon jam prepared according to this recipe.
Recipe 3. The most unusual melon-based jam - with oranges and lemons
It's exceptionally flavorful and incredible. tasty treat should be prepared from aromatic, but slightly unripe melon. Oranges should be of the red sweet variety and large ripe lemons. Small varieties of lemons and limes are not used in this recipe.
Ingredients:
- powdered/granulated sugar of any kind, both white and brown – 1.5 kg;
- melon – 2 kg (approximately);
- oranges – 500 gr.;
- lemons – 300 gr.;
- vanilla sugar in the form of powder - 15 g;
- sparkling mineral water – 300 g.
Cooking steps:
- Prepare the melon. Wash her warm water, peel and remove seeds, along with the membranes on which they are located.
- Cut the resulting melon pulp into small pieces in any shape. These can be bars or cubes. Place in a container of your choice for making jam. This could be a saucepan or a small copper basin.
- Wash the oranges and lemons and, without peeling them, place them in boiling water for 3 minutes.
- Cut citrus fruits into halves and use a special juicer (can be electric) to squeeze the juice out of them. Add it to the melon.
- Add all remaining ingredients to the jam products: mineral water with gas, both types of sugar - basic and vanilla. Mix the products.
- Cook the jam in one batch over low heat after boiling for 40 minutes. Until it is completely ready.
- Transfer the hot jam into clean glass jars with a small volume - up to half a liter. Seal them hermetically. Cool and store.
The jam can be eaten as soon as it has cooled down.
Melon-based jam can be prepared with any ingredients. These can be fruits - apples, pears, pineapples, peaches, apricots, papaya - or vegetables - pumpkin, carrots, zucchini and even turnips. All options will turn out incredibly tasty and unusual. The main thing is that the added ingredients have a yellow or white tint in the color of the pulp.
