Watermelon Marmalade Food

WATERMELON JAM - EASY AND FOOLPROOF!

Steps:

• Put pureed watermelon, lemon juice and sugar in a pot. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to simmer.
• Add the pectin and whisk it with a handheld whisk or a fork immediately, so it dissolves without clumping.
• Bring the watermelon jam to a boil again, then reduce heat to simmer and simmer, stirring every minute, for 20 minutes.
• Pour the watermelon jar into a mason jar. This watermelon jam will set completely once it's cooled.
• This watermelon jam can be canned, or you can simply store it in a refrigerator (it will stay fresh in a refrigerator for up to 1 month).

WATERMELON RIND MARMALADE

Steps:

• Leave a little of the red flesh (a very thin layer) when removing the flesh. Then peel off the green outer skin so only the white and pink rind is left. Chop this into small pieces. A medium watermelon should give you about 4 cups of chopped rind pieces.
• Put the chopped rind, the orange zest and juice, grated ginger, juice of the limes and 1 cup water into a thick bottomed and largish pot. Bring to a boil and turn down the heat. Drop the halves of the orange (and the limes if you're using them) into the pot. Let the mixture simmer until the rind is cooked and the liquid has reduced to about 1/4 cup.
• Remove the orange and lime skins. Mix in the sugar, the allspice powder and the salt. Let it cook and the mixture thicken a bit. Stir in the butter and take the pot off the stove.
• Let it cool. Transfer to sterile glass jars.

WATERMELON PRESERVES

Steps:

• Remove the green rind of the melon, and dice the white part into small cubes, leaving the red flesh mostly intact. Remove seeds.
• In a heavy stockpot, combine 4 cups of the prepared watermelon, sugar and lemons. Bring to a boil over medium heat, and let the mixture boil slowly for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. The temperature of the mixture should be at 220 degrees F (105 degrees C) so the jam will set.
• Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the jam into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.
• Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.

WATERMELON RIND JAM

Steps:

• The first step is to peel off the tough green skin, chop up the white remains with some of the pink still on it.
• In a stainless steel saucepan (or Dutch oven), add the rinds, apple pieces, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Lower heat and stir until the rind is tender and translucent (could take up 60-120 minutes...mine took about 1 hour).
• When it is translucent, remove from heat. Let cool down and carefully emulsify.
• Carefully spoon the jam into sterilized jars. Apply lids jars.
• Wipe rims with a clean, damp towel and screw lids on securely but not too tightly.
• Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes.
• Carefully remove jars using tongs. Use potholders to tighten the lids. Place jars on a rack upside-down and let them cool. When they've cooled down, store them in the refrigerator. The jam should keep unopened for several months.

WATERMELON MARMALADE

Steps:

• Trim green skin and pink pulp from the thick watermelon rind.
• Chop rind and measure out 6 cups; then soak chopped rind in water for 18 hours In preserving kettle, combine rind, soaking water and all remaining ingredients.
• Cook over low leat stirring frequently until the jelly reaches 220-222F or until the syrup sheets when droped from a spoon.
• This takes about 1 1/2 hours.
• Ladle into hot sterilized jars and seal immediately.

EASY WATERMELON JELLY

Steps:

• Wash, cut and dice (and remove seeds if using a seeded melon) melon into 1-inch chunks. Place diced watermelon in a blender or food processor.
• Cover and blend or process until smooth.
• It should reduce to approximately 2 cups of watermelon puree. That (2 cups after the blender) is the amount you will need for the recipe. Pour it into a large pot. Bring watermelon juice to a slow boil.
• Add the 3 Tablespoons of lemon juice to the pot.
• In a small bowl, mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar (or other sweetener). Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar. If you are not using sugar, you'll just have to stir more vigorously to prevent the pectin from clumping.
• Stir the pectin into the watermelon juice and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning).
• It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).
• When the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar (or other sweetener). I recommend using some real sugar or honey, as jellies made with no added sugar, or just Splenda turn our rather flat tasting and runny.
• After adding the sugar or sugar/sweetener blend, then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute. Depending upon which type of jam you're making (sugar, no-sugar, Splenda, mix of sugar and Splenda or fruit juice) you will need to use a different amount of sugar and type of pectin.
• I keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency I like, then I know the jam is ready. If not, I mix in a little more pectin (about 1/4 to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.
• IF YOU DO NOT OWN A CANNER/PROCESSOR -- While melon is coming to a boil, place 4-5 jars in a shallow baking pan and pour water to the half way point of pan. Place over electric eye (large) and bring to a boil. Place caps in small saucepan and cover with water and bring to a boil.
• Fill jars to within ¼-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Continue to boil in pan for 10 minutes.
• Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that's a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it's usually ok.
• Once cooled, they're ready to store. I find they last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture aren't as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them!

WATERMELON RIND PRESERVES

Steps:

• Peel off the green part of the watermelon rind, and slice into 2 inch pieces. Soak the rind in a solution of 1 gallon water and 1/2 cup salt overnight.
• Remove rind from the salt water, and place in a stockpot with clean water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for about 30 minutes, or until the rind is tender. Drain.
• In a large pot, combine the sugar, 8 cups water, and sliced lemons. Tie the cinnamon and cloves into a cheesecloth bag, and place in the pot. Bring the syrup to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Add the rinds, and cook until transparent. Remove spice bag. Stir in red food coloring, if using. Ladle preserves into hot sterile jars, and process to seal.