Technology for making watermelon jam
Everyone knows how refreshing watermelon can be, especially in hot weather. Adults and children are looking forward to when the berry is finally ripe in order to enjoy its taste. In the usual cooking, juice is made from watermelon, the pulp of the berry is added to some types of cocktail. But few people are familiar with the possibility of making watermelon jam.
Benefit and harm
The final ripening process of watermelon occurs around September. Therefore, watermelon jam is a seasonal dessert.
There is an opinion that it is impossible to make jam or jam from watermelon, since its pulp immediately disintegrates, and the peels are very hard. That's just the formula of 50% berries + 50% sugar cannot be deceived. From the pulp of watermelon, an excellent viscous composition with an appetizing color is obtained. Watermelon rind jam will resemble fruit syrup with barely crisp pieces of rind.
For many people, the process of boiling a watermelon is considered absurd, and even making a full-fledged dessert is even worse. A lot of questions immediately arise regarding the beneficial and harmful properties of the finished jam.
The base is watermelon. The heat treatment process affects the chemical composition of the berry. When exposed to high temperatures, most of the liquid evaporates, thereby reducing the diuretic effect. Watermelon contains an enzyme - lycopene, which increases its concentration during the cooking process. By itself, lycopene protects the human body from the occurrence of cancer cells, is able to eliminate age spots and fights the problem of early aging.That is why a long cooking process can benefit human health.
One of the most important elements of the composition of watermelon is fiber. It has a positive effect on the human body, cleansing and restoring its microflora. Fiber in its characteristics speeds up the metabolic process. In addition, it replenishes the fluid of the skin, removes the rash and restores the smoothness of the skin.
In addition, fiber is able to regulate the level of cholesterol in the body, restore and normalize the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, and also save a person from being overweight.
Along with the benefits, watermelon jam can cause some harm. For example, the composition contains a large amount of sugar. The harm from sucrose is a widely known fact, but not everyone knows what the danger of sugar is. When sucrose enters the body, the hormone dopamine wakes up, which is responsible for the feeling of pleasure in the brain and is addictive. Subsequently, the brain itself is looking for a way to experience this sensation again, and two tablespoons of watermelon jam will not work.
The brain's need for sucrose is only a psychological addiction. Along with this, there are other factors that are harmful to the body:
- overeating and possibly obesity;
- deterioration of the work of the heart and blood vessels;
- diseases of tooth enamel.
All this can be avoided by making restrictions on the use of sweets, including jam. In the process of cooking dessert, you can use coconut sugar or refined maple.
Excessive consumption of sweets is prohibited by medicine, but there are a lot of people who like to supplement their lunch with dessert. The main thing to remember is that any kind of sweet, including jam, should make up about 10-15% of the total daily food intake.
Recipes
The culinary world, despite the variety of dessert recipes, does not disregard the methods of making watermelon jam.
Recipe number 1: jam from the pulp of watermelon and lemon
Required Ingredients:
- granulated sugar - 600 g;
- watermelon with peel - 7 kg;
- lemon - 1 pc.;
- lemon zest - to taste.
Cooking method: it is necessary to wash the watermelon, cut it, separate the crusts from the pulp and get rid of the seeds. After shredding the peeled berry into cubes. The same actions should be carried out with a lemon.
In a deep bowl, mix the watermelon pulp with sugar, leave for thirty minutes. This time will be enough for the berry to give juice, and the sugar begins to dissolve.
After the set time has elapsed, the pot with the fruit mass must be placed on a small fire. After half an hour, lemon / lemon zest is added.
The cooking process ranges from one to two hours. It all depends on the size of the cut pulp.
When the jam is ready, it will acquire a slightly transparent golden hue. Cooked cubes will acquire a soft structure.
Recipe number 2: watermelon peel jam
Required Ingredients:
- sugar - 1 kg;
- watermelon peel - 1 kg;
- water - 650 ml;
- lemon - 1 pc.;
- vanilla;
- cardamom.
Cooking method: it is necessary to separate the watermelon peels from the pulp. To completely get rid of pink areas, you should use a vegetable peeler. Prepared crusts are cut into cubes of individual size.
The resulting cut should be placed in a pre-prepared solution, under the influence of which the crusts will acquire a soft structure. The solution consists of three teaspoons of soda and three liters of cold water. The peel should stay in this solution for at least four hours.After this time, the peels are washed and placed in clean water for about an hour.
Next, we move on to the cooking process. Water is poured into a deep bowl, 500 g of granulated sugar is poured, cooked crusts, vanilla and cardamom are added. The saucepan with the resulting mass is placed on a low fire. After boiling, the jam is cooked for another twenty minutes, then put in the refrigerator for at least eight hours. After that, the pan is again placed on the fire, the mass boils, the remaining sugar is poured in and boiled for about thirty more minutes. At the end of cooking, the pan is again placed in the refrigerator for eight hours.
After these procedures, the final stage of making jam comes. The mixture is again put on fire, after boiling it is immediately removed from the stove. The finished jam should turn out to be translucent, the syrup should be sweetish, the watermelon rinds should be a little crunchy.
The resulting delicacy can be immediately put on the table, or you can pour it into jars and spin it for the winter.
Recipe number 3: watermelon pulp jam with orange and lime
Required Ingredients:
- granulated sugar - 2 kg;
- watermelon pulp - 2 kg;
- orange - 1 pc.;
- lime - 1 pc.
Cooking method: first, the lime and orange are thoroughly washed. Then they are cut into pieces, the white film of citrus fruits and seeds are removed, the peel remains in place. Cutting is done in small pieces.
Ready fruits are dipped into the pan along with watermelon pulp and sugar. The resulting mass should be infused, two hours will be enough for this.
Next comes the cooking process. The contents of the pan are put on fire, having boiled, the mass languishes for about fifteen minutes and is removed to a secluded corner for twelve hours. After this time, the procedure is repeated.But here it is necessary to focus on citrus peels. Their structure should be soft and supple, if so, then the jam is ready. If not, then the procedure with settling for twelve hours will have to be repeated.
Recipe number 4: jam from watermelon pulp and melon with apples
Required Ingredients:
- sugar - 1.8 kg;
- watermelon pulp - 700 g;
- melon pulp - 700 g;
- apples - 700 g;
- lemon juice - to taste.
Method of preparation: it is necessary to rid the representatives of melons and gourds from the peel, and then cut into identical cubes.
Peel apples and cut into small pieces. Apple peels should be rolled into gauze and tied with a thread; during the cooking process, apple waste will turn into a thickener.
Sliced fruits are placed in a deep bowl and covered with sugar. After which they infuse for two hours. After this time, lemon juice is added to the resulting mass. Apple peels wrapped in gauze are also stacked in a saucepan. The resulting collection of fruit is put on gas.
You can cook in a long process with an expectation of twelve hours. Or use the method of boiling for an hour over low heat. Then cool and let cook for another fifteen minutes. Associated apple peels must be taken out.
The question immediately arises regarding the storage of jam. If you cook a dessert according to a long recipe, it can stand all winter. If you use a simple cooking formula, then you should use the jam within three months.
How much is stored?
Each home-cooked product has its own expiration date. The same goes for watermelon jam.
Every housewife knows that the shelf life depends on the dishes in which the prepared dessert was laid out.Jam rolled up in jars will be able to retain its taste and useful properties until the next season. The main rule of storage is a secluded place, best of all where there is no light.
Watermelon delicacy, in the recipe of which sour fruits are present, it is enough to close it with a plastic lid and send it to a cold place. In such conditions, the jam can stand for several months. And so that mold does not form on the surface, it is necessary to sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.
Tips
Having decided to pamper the household and guests with an exquisite watermelon dessert, it is necessary to adopt a few recommendations from experienced housewives.
- During cooking, the sweet mass must be stirred frequently. Otherwise, the jam may burn.
- For cooking, you need to choose ripe berries. The amount of sucrose in a ripe watermelon will help the jam thicken faster.
- To prepare watermelon jam, you need to use large dishes, as the sweet mass foams very much.
- For the attractiveness of the shape of watermelon peels, you can use figured cutting.
- To obtain a light mass of jam from the crusts, only the light part must be used. For a pink hue, pieces of pink flesh should remain on the crust.
- The pulp of watermelon takes much longer to cook than from peels. But the taste is more rich and bright.
Numerous reviews of housewives who have tried making a watermelon dessert can suggest additional culinary ideas. For example, for jam from watermelon peels, you can use not only a curly knife, but also baking molds in various forms. Such a dessert on the table will please not only taste quality, but also visual perception.
For information on how to cook watermelon jam, see the following video.