A simple step-by-step recipe for making melon rind jam for the winter
Jam made from melon rinds surprises even true gourmets. The dessert turns out to be delicious, beautiful, and most importantly - unusually aromatic and healthy. It will not be difficult to prepare it in the summer season, but in winter you can enjoy it with hot tea. Tastes can be varied with spices and seasonings, creating your own original recipes.
Features of making jam from melon peels
Melon rind jam is cooked only from varieties with dense pulp. You can use unripe fruits that exude a strong aroma. Some housewives believe that the crusts accumulate a large amount of nitrates, therefore it is dangerous to cook food from them. This is a misconception, since harmful substances accumulate in the skins of the melons, which are trimmed before cooking. Also, in order to remove nitrates, the crusts are pre-soaked for a couple of hours in water with chalk, after which they are thoroughly washed.
For making jam, you cannot take the first melons, which are sold on the market already in the middle of summer. Plants are fed with chemicals so that they yield faster. These substances accumulate in fruits, and a dish made of them will not be of any use.
Preparation of the main ingredient
The quality of the final product depends on the correct preparation of the crusts. To wash out the existing nitrates from them, you can not only resort to soaking in water with chalk. Some housewives put melon rinds in a saucepan, pour water and refrigerate overnight. After that, they are taken out, dried and the skin is cut off.
The crusts are cut into equal parts so that they can cook evenly. Their shape and size are arbitrary.
Cooking algorithm
The easiest and most delicious recipe for making jam from melon crusts guarantees an excellent result if you follow all the recommendations. Such a dessert will come in handy in the midst of an epidemic of acute respiratory diseases, and also useful for people engaged in mental and physical labor. For cooking you will need:
- melon crust - 1000 g;
- granulated sugar - 1200 g;
- citric acid - 3 g;
- vanilla sugar - 5 g.
Cooking method
To cook an unusual jam from melon peels, you can add bananas, limes, watermelons, zucchini, pear, apple, orange to it. Cover the prepared fruits with granulated sugar and leave for a couple of hours in the refrigerator to infuse. It is recommended to shake the container slightly so that the sugar is evenly distributed throughout the volume.
After the required time has passed, remove the dishes from the refrigerator and place them on the stove.Boil everything and leave to cool for 8 hours. Repeat the procedure 3 times, while gently stirring the jam with a wooden spoon and remove the resulting foam. To make the jam thick and beautiful, during the third boil it should be kept on fire for a longer time. A droplet of liquid should not spread over the saucer. At the end of cooking add citric acid and vanilla sugar. Done!
Canning process step by step
A step-by-step recipe for canning ready-made melon rind jam is as follows:
- Wash glass containers thoroughly.
- Sterilize in any known and accessible way (microwave, oven or steam will do).
- The caps are also sterilized.
- Dry the container.
- Put the hot jam in jars, after placing a metal spoon there (so that the dishes do not crack from a sharp temperature drop).
- Roll up the blanks with a seaming key.
- Allow to cool and store.
Storage features
Melon crust jam prepared for the cold winter must be properly preserved. In this matter, a lot depends on the method of preparing the treat. Hermetically rolled in a glass container, it is able to retain its useful properties and not deteriorate for two years.
If the dessert is stored indoors, then light should not penetrate to it, and the temperature should be maintained at +15 ° C. The shelf life of the jam increases significantly when it is rolled up with iron lids. So that they do not rust and deteriorate, you need to coat them with Vaseline.
In a room with high humidity, the top layer of the jam begins to deteriorate and becomes unsuitable for human consumption. This only applies to dishes sealed with paper lids.
Open containers with melon peel jam are stored exclusively in the refrigerator for no more than two weeks. Over time, the amount of nutrients and trace elements in it decreases, so they try to use the product as soon as possible. It can be used not only for direct consumption, but also for the preparation of pastries and confectionery. You can not eat dessert that has expired, especially not allowed to give it to children.
