Delicious melon jam

Usually, when eating a juicy and sweet melon in the summer, the question does not even arise about whether it is possible to extend this season of pleasure and enjoy the honeyed and aromatic fruit in the winter. It turns out that it is possible, and the simplest recipe for melon jam for the winter does not require anything other than the “berry” itself and sugar.

The benefits of melon jam

Few doubt that melon has many health benefits. But the jam made from it retains most of the vitamins, minerals and other useful substances, although some of it is lost irrevocably during heat treatment.

Eating melon jam can:

• benefit from vitamin deficiency;
• alleviate the condition of atherosclerosis, anemia and cardiovascular diseases;
• normalize digestion processes and liver function;
• serve as a sedative;
• strengthen immunity;
• have a beneficial effect on women during pregnancy and menopause;
• improve the condition of the skin, nails and hair;
• normalize blood pressure;
• improve metabolic processes in the body;
• help fight insomnia, irritability, fatigue.

How to make melon jam for the winter

There is nothing complicated in the process of preparing an exotic dessert. As is the case with many other fruits and berries, there are two main ways to make melon jam:

1. Add sugar and cook in its own juice.
2. Using prepared sugar syrup, in which the melon pieces will be boiled.

The first method is more suitable for fully ripe and juicy melon varieties. The second one is best used in case of unripe melons or varieties with dense pulp.

Actually, you can try making jam from absolutely any melon. Sweeter and riper fruits may become mushy during the manufacturing process and would benefit from being chopped at some stage using a blender. They also require less sugar. On the other hand, jam can be made even from unripe melon or from the white, hard pulp near the peel itself, which turns out to be not very tasty for one reason or another. It is only desirable that the melon still have its characteristic aroma. In this case, in winter, a melon dessert can remind you of a hot and sunny summer by its very presence.

Melon varieties that have orange or red flesh are especially good for making jam. They are usually the hardest and even after a relatively long cooking time the pieces remain intact.

Some of the cloying and monotonous taste of melon jam can and should be diversified with the help of additional ingredients:

• fruit – apples, pears, bananas, peaches, oranges, lemons;
• vegetables – pumpkins, zucchini;
• spices – cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, anise.

Before cooking, the melon is completely peeled from the hard outer shell, cut into two halves and all the seeds are removed from the inside. You can cut the melon into pieces of any size and shape, depending on the preferences of the housewife.

Melon jam can be used as a sweet dessert for tea, and as a delicious gravy for pancakes, pancakes, and cheesecakes. It is very tasty to add it to ice cream and a variety of cocktails. It is also suitable as an addition to homemade baked goods.

Since the dessert is subjected to a fairly long heat treatment, melon jam usually does not require additional sterilization. In addition, the use of citric acid or natural lemon juice serves as an additional preservative for winter preservation.

Recipes for melon jam for the winter

Despite the fact that melon jam has recently appeared in the cookbooks of Russian housewives, there are already quite a few interesting and useful recipes for making it.

Simple melon jam for the winter

This recipe will not require any additional components except citric acid, without which the jam will not be able to be stored so well at normal room temperature.

So, you will need:

• 1 kg of melon pulp;
• 1-1.2 kg of sugar;
• 300 ml purified water;
• 3 g citric acid.

The amount of sugar used directly depends on the sweetness of the melon itself.If it is really sweet, then granulated sugar should be used in smaller quantities.

Manufacturing:

1. The melon is peeled and removed from the inner seed chambers.
2. The pulp is cut into cubes or other shaped pieces.
3. Sugar is diluted in water and the syrup is boiled until it is completely dissolved.
4. Pour hot syrup over melon pieces and leave to cool for 6-8 hours.
5. Then cook again over moderate heat for 5-10 minutes.
6. Cool again, repeating this process at least three times.
7. When the melon pieces become transparent and the syrup thickens slightly, the cooking can be considered complete.
8. Melon jam is placed in sterilized jars and stored for the winter.

Melon and pumpkin jam

Adding pumpkin will make the jam even healthier and give it a beautiful orange hue. If you don’t have pumpkin, you can replace it with zucchini, the taste will be slightly different, but the consistency will be even more tender.

You will need:

• 500g melon pulp;
• 200 g pumpkin pulp;
• 200 g dried apricots;
• 200 g sugar.

Manufacturing:

1. Melon and pumpkin are peeled from the hard outer shell.
2. The seeds are also removed, and the required amount of pulp is weighed and cut into small cubes.
3. Cover the pieces of melon and pumpkin with sugar, mix and leave for several hours at room temperature so that they form juice.
4. Then boil over low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Wash and cut the dried apricots into small slices and add them to the pumpkin and melon pieces.
6. Boil for another 10 minutes, cool for about an hour.
7. Repeat the operation several times.
8. At the last time, you can boil the delicacy for about 20 minutes until thickened.

Peach and melon jam

Both peaches and melons ripen at the same time. In addition, these fruits have almost the same density of juicy pulp, so they can be perfectly combined with each other when cooked. To add contrast, it is customary to add freshly squeezed lemon juice to the jam.

You will need:

• 500 g melon pulp;
• 1000 g peaches;
• 1 lemon;
• 1 kg granulated sugar;
• a bag of vanilla sugar.

Manufacturing:

1. The melon is peeled and seeds removed, the pulp is cut into pieces of arbitrary shape and crushed in a blender.
2. Add granulated sugar to the melon puree and heat until boiling with constant stirring.
3. Peaches are pitted and cut into slices.
4. Pour melon syrup over the peach slices and leave for 8 hours (overnight) to soak.
5. After the specified time, heat the jam, boil for about 5 minutes, skim off the foam and cool again.
6. The third time, the hot jam is placed in sterile jars and sealed tightly for the winter.

Unripe melon jam

In the middle zone, melons do not always ripen to the desired condition and often one has to observe fruits before frosts that have not yet had time to gain the necessary sweetness and ripeness. But in green melon jam, the flavor of the fruit is more important, and the added sugar will help create the sweetness.

You will need:

• 500 g firm melon pulp;
• 800 g sugar;
• 15 g salt;
• 1500 ml water.

Manufacturing:

1. In any case, you must first carefully cut off a thin layer of the rough outer skin.
2. The pulp is also cleared of seeds and washed thoroughly under running water.
3. Cut it into cubes 1 cm wide and 2 cm long.
4. Dissolve 15 g of salt in 0.5 liters of cool water and soak the cubes in it for 20 minutes. This will help protect them from spreading during the heat treatment process.
5. Then the cubes are placed in boiling water for 8-10 minutes.
6. After blanching, they must be rinsed completely under cold water.
7. At the same time, prepare syrup from a liter of water and the amount of sugar required by the recipe.
8. Pour the cooled syrup over the melon cubes and leave for 5-6 hours.
9. Place everything together on the fire and cook for 12-15 minutes.
10. Cool again for 5-6 hours.
11. Repeat this process three times until the bars become completely transparent.
12. After the last boiling, the finished dessert is laid out in sterile containers and sealed for the winter.

Melon jam with cinnamon

Melon jam with added spices turns out to be very fragrant and tasty.

You will need:

• 1000 g melon pulp;
• 600 g granulated sugar;
• 1 lemon;
• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon;
• 10-12 cardamom stars;
• 1 sachet of gelfix (pectin).

Manufacturing:

1. The melon pulp is divided into approximately two equal parts.
2. One part is crushed using a blender into a homogeneous puree, the other is cut into small cubes.
3. Cardamom stars are ground into powder using a coffee grinder.
4. The lemon is doused with boiling water and the zest is rubbed off its surface using a fine grater.
5. In a heat-resistant container, mix melon pieces with puree, add squeezed lemon juice, zest, granulated sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Mix everything thoroughly.
6. Place the container on heating, bring to a boil, skim off the resulting foam.
7. A bag of gelfix is ​​mixed with 1 tbsp. l. granulated sugar and gradually add to melon jam.
8. Boil for about 5 more minutes, place hot in sterile jars and close for the winter.

How to make melon jam in pieces

Melon jam in pieces is cooked according to the usual classic recipe for the winter, outlined above.Only for this recipe, melon varieties with dense pulp are usually used. But to ensure that the pieces retain their shape and do not spread out in different directions, the following technique is used. After cutting, the melon slices are blanched in boiling water for 5-10 minutes, depending on their size. And then they are transferred to a colander and washed under cold water.

Otherwise, the manufacturing technology remains the same.

For 1 kg of melon pulp the following is usually used:

• 1.2 kg sugar;
• 300 ml water;
• juice of one lemon;
• 5 g vanillin.

Melon jam without sugar

Sugar in melon jam can be replaced with fructose, stevia syrup or honey.

In the latter version, the dessert will acquire additional value and flavor. For 1 kg of melon pulp, usually take 0.5 liters of honey.

But if you use truly sweet and juicy melon fruits, you can make jam without adding any sweeteners at all.

To better preserve the jam for the winter, it is advisable to only use pectin or gelfix.

You will need:

• 500 g melon pulp;
• 1 sachet of gelfix.

Manufacturing:

1. As in the previous recipe, the melon pulp is divided into two halves. One half is pureed using a blender, the other half is cut into cubes measuring 1x1 cm.
2. The cubes are mixed with the puree, placed on the fire and simmered over low heat for about a quarter of an hour.
3. Gently add the zhelfix into the jam, bring it to a boil again and cook for another 5 minutes.
4. When hot, melon jam is distributed into jars and stored for the winter.

Melon jam with gelatin for the winter

Another option for a fairly quick preparation of tasty and thick melon jam.

You will need:

• 1 kg melon pulp;
• 500 g granulated sugar;
• sachet of gelatin (40-50 g);
• 1 tsp. citric acid;
• 1/2 tsp. vanillin.

Manufacturing:

1. The melon pulp is cut into convenient size slices.
2. Place in a saucepan, cover with sugar and set aside for several hours until a certain amount of juice forms in it.
3. Gelatin is poured with a small amount of water at room temperature and allowed to swell for 40-60 minutes.
4. Place the pan with melon pieces on the fire, add citric acid, heat until boiling, skim off the foam.
5. Simmer over low heat for about half an hour.
6. Add vanillin and remove from heat.
7. Immediately add the swollen gelatin, mix and, placing it in glass jars, pack it up for the winter.

Melon jam for the winter with ginger

Ginger can make the taste and aroma of melon jam unique. In addition, this spice itself is very beneficial for health.

You will need:

• 2 kg melon pulp;
• 1 kg granulated sugar;
• 50 g fresh ginger root;
• 2 lemons;
• a pinch of vanillin (optional).

Manufacturing:

1. The melon pulp is chopped into pieces measuring 1x1 cm.
2. Remove the skin from the ginger root and grate it on a fine grater.
3. Place melon pieces in a suitable pan, add grated ginger, squeeze out lemon juice, add vanillin and sprinkle everything with a few tablespoons of sugar.
4. The remaining sugar is dissolved in 500 ml of water and boiled for about 5 minutes.
5. Pour sugar syrup over the melon pieces and set aside for an hour.
6. Then cook over low heat until thickened. During the cooking process, be sure to remove the foam.

Delicious melon and strawberry jam

Previously, before the advent of remontant varieties of strawberries, it was impossible to even think about such a delicacy. Unless you use frozen strawberries for jam.Nowadays, remontant strawberries ripen almost simultaneously with melon, so preparing such a tempting dessert for the winter will not be difficult.

You will need:

• 1 kg melon pulp;
• 600 g strawberries;
• 200 ml water;
• 500 g sugar;
• 5 tbsp. l. honey

Manufacturing:

1. The melon is peeled and seeds removed and the remaining pulp is cut into small slices.
2. The strawberries are washed, the stems are removed and each berry is cut in half.
3. Water and sugar are mixed in a saucepan. Heat with constant stirring until all the sugar is completely dissolved.
4. Add honey to the syrup and heat again to + 100 °C.
5. Place the fruits in the boiling syrup, bring to a boil again and, reducing the heat to low, cook for about half an hour. Don’t forget to skim off the foam and stir the jam periodically.
6. When hot, the jam is distributed into sterile jars and closed for the winter.

How to make melon jam for the winter with apples

This delicacy looks like jam, and the pieces of apples in the melon pulp look more like some kind of exotic fruit. The following step-by-step recipe with pictures will help even novice cooks create jam from melon with apples for the winter.

You will need:

• 1.5 kg melon pulp;
• 500 g of sweet and sour apples with dense, crispy pulp.
• 1 medium sized lemon;
• 500 g sugar.

Manufacturing:

1. Melon pulp is cut into pieces of any size.
   
2. And immediately turn them into puree using a blender. Melon puree is placed in a saucepan, covered with sugar and heated to a temperature of + 100 °C.
   
3. Remove the zest from the lemon using a fine grater and then squeeze out the juice.
   
4. At the same time, peel the apples, remove the core and seeds and cut into thin slices.
   
5. Place the apple slices along with lemon juice and zest into the boiling melon puree.Boil for about 5 minutes and set aside for 6-8 hours.
   
6. Set to heat again, cook for about 3 minutes and immediately put into glass containers and seal for the winter. The result is such a tempting delicacy.
   

Recipe for melon jam for the winter with pear

If you manage to select hard and crispy varieties of pears for this jam, then you can make the preparation according to the above recipe.

If the pears are softer and juicier, then it is better to use the following recipe.

You will need:

• 2 kg of pears;
• 2 kg melon pulp;
• 1kg sugar;
• 1 lemon;
• 3-4 pieces of star anise.

Manufacturing:

1. The lemon is thoroughly washed, doused with boiling water and the zest is grated from it using a fine grater. Squeeze the juice into a separate container, being careful not to get any lemon seeds into it.
2. Both melon and pears are peeled and seeded, cut into small cubes, sprinkled with lemon juice, sprinkled with sugar and left for 6-9 hours to release the juice.
3. Place the container with the fruit on the fire, heat until it boils, skim off the foam, add lemon zest and star anise, stir and remove from the heat again for at least 8-10 hours.
4. The next day, heat the jam again to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes, remove the star anise.
5. The delicacy itself is placed in sterile jars and stored for the winter.

Terms and conditions of storage

Melon jam will best preserve its properties in a cellar or basement. But for a year it can be stored in an ordinary pantry without light at a temperature not exceeding + 20 ° C.

Reviews of melon jam

Conclusion

Even the simplest recipe for melon jam for the winter will surprise you with the unusualness of the resulting dish. But in terms of its beneficial properties, this preparation is quite comparable to natural honey. The variety of recipes described in the article will provide any housewife with the opportunity to choose something special to her liking.

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