Sweet watermelons have many admirers. But it is possible for them to use not only tasty flesh, but also watermelon peels. From this product, you can make a jam, similar to sliced candied fruit in syrup. Such a blank can easily be made by yourself at home.
Selection and preparation of ingredients
To prepare a sweet preparation of watermelon peels, it is important to choose good watermelons, since only a quality product will positively affect the body and bring benefits. It is optimal to use fruits grown independently, in the quality of which you can be sure. The fact is that this culture is prone to a strong accumulation of nitrates in its fruits. Storage conditions also affect product quality. A poor-quality product can be harmful, cause poisoning and exacerbation of pancreatitis. Watermelons should be bought in season and be interested in a quality certificate from the seller.
Important! Watermelons should be carefully consumed with inflammation of the pancreas. The use of this sweet juicy pulp and jam from the crust is permissible in the chronic form of the disease, and only during the period of remission. Depending on the reactions of the body, it will be possible to eat from 150 to 1500 g of pulp.
Therefore, when choosing a watermelon, you should pay attention to the following:
- Do not buy such berries from the ground. The outlet must be equipped with a canopy and a pallet, not stand on the highway.
- Watermelons should be chosen without damage, cracks and dents, suspicious spots.
- Stripes on the surface of the peel should be clearly defined. If they are washed out, then this is a signal of an excess of nitrates.
- A ripe yellow spot and a dry yellowed tail will signal the ripeness of the watermelon. The peel of a ripened fetus is not easy to pierce with a fingernail.
- It is best to choose medium fruits weighing 5-7 kg.
For starters, you can buy only one watermelon and test at home:
- Cut the fruit, and pay attention to the flesh. Yellowish or white thick streaks will indicate that the manufacturer has abused nitrates.
- Throw a piece of pulp into a glass of water. If the water has acquired a bright pink color, then this is a nitrate product.
If the purchased fruit has successfully passed all the tests, then at the selected point you can buy another product. Before making jam, wash the watermelon, cut it with a sharp knife into slices and cut the flesh from them. If there is no desire to eat it, then you can make jam from it. From the peels you need to cut the green skin and cut into small pieces of the same size.
Did you know? Jam got its name from the verb "cook." In ancient Russia, when preparing this product, instead of sugar, honey or molasses was used, boiling all the components in the oven.
In this case, you can use a curly knife or show imagination and cut Christmas trees, rhombuses and other figures. Watermelon peels have a neutral taste and you can make such a jam with citruses, with citric acid or spices (vanilla, cinnamon, cloves).
Step-by-step recipes for preserves of watermelon crust jam
Here are simple recipes for jam from watermelon peels for the winter. In them, the preparation of this sweet is described step by step. Such watermelon slices can be eaten as dessert or used to decorate cakes. Even in the photo, such a jam has a beautiful honey color and a transparent texture, looks appetizing.
Simple recipe
2 l6 hours
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
Pour water into an iron pan and dissolve soda in it.
Add the prepared crusts to the resulting solution, cover and set aside for 3-4 hours.
Rinse the soaked peels 2-3 times with running water and place on a sieve. Do not drain the water from the pan where they were steeped.
Pour into the water, where the peels were soaked, sugar, put on fire and, stirring, bring to a boil. Cook for 30–40 minutes.
Dip the slices in boiling syrup and cook for 45-60 minutes. Add vanilla to the cooled jam and stir well. Pour into the vases.
Pour water into an iron pan and dissolve soda in it.
Add the prepared crusts to the resulting solution, cover and set aside for 3-4 hours.
Rinse the soaked peels 2-3 times with running water and place on a sieve. Do not drain the water from the pan where they were steeped.
Pour into the water, where the peels were soaked, sugar, put on fire and, stirring, bring to a boil. Cook for 30–40 minutes.
Dip the slices in boiling syrup and cook for 45-60 minutes. Add vanilla to the cooled jam and stir well. Pour into the vases.Video recipe
With lemon
2–2.5 L14 hours
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
- Pour chopped watermelon peels with sugar and mix.
- Cover the container with cling film and refrigerate overnight. The resulting mixture should stand for at least 10 hours.
- Wash lemons and chop with a blender or knife.
- Pour a mixture of sugar and watermelon peels into a suitable saucepan from a container.
- Put the saucepan on the fire, bring to a boil and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Add chopped lemon to the container with the mixture and mix. Put on fire, bring to a boil and leave to cook for another 5 minutes.
- Remove from stove and let stand for 2 hours. After boiling again over low heat, add spices and cook until a thick mass is obtained.
- The resulting hot mixture is placed in pre-sterilized glass jars. Tightly roll up the covers.
Important! Lemons or other citrus must first be thoroughly washed with a hard brush with warm water, as the citrus peel is often treated with wax or other substances for longer storage.
With orange
2 L15 hours
Nutritional value per 100 g of product:
- Pour the prepared watermelon slices with water and put on fire.
- Let it boil for 10 minutes.
- Take the washed orange and remove the skin, grate it on a grater to get the zest.
- Squeeze the juice from the pulp of citrus.
- Mix sugar with 3 cups of water, orange juice and zest, and then boil until syrup is obtained.
- Throw watermelon crusts into the resulting syrup and boil for 7 minutes.
- Let the mass cool.
- Repeat the procedure 3 times.
- Pour the resulting hot mass into jars and seal tightly with a lid.
- Wrap in a blanket and leave to cool. Then move to a storage location.
Ways to store at home
Jam in sterilized jars with tightly sealed lids is stored for up to 2 years. For storage, a cool dark place is well suited - a cellar, an underground floor, a pantry. After the lid is open, the jar of jam should be stored in only one way - on the shelf of the refrigerator.
Did you know? The English professor Vick Morris from the Institute for Food Research empirically concluded that pectin contained in jam inhibits the growth of cancer cells. Pectin has such an effect on the human body due to the presence of galectin 3 in the protein composition.
Watermelon peel jam is easy to make at home. It will be pleasant to use with tea or put as candied fruits in pastries, ice cream and other desserts. It is worth considering the effect of this high-calorie product on health.
