Lady Henevere
Lovin' The Homestead
I did strawberry jam and watermelon jelly yesterday. Someone a few pages back asked about watermelon jelly, so here's what I did (winging it, but I think it turned out pretty tasty): chop up a watermelon (red part only, no rind) into 1 inch cubes until you have about 6-7 cups. Puree in blender, strain through cheesecloth to end up with 3 cups juice. (I ended up with extra juice, so you may be able to use less watermelon.) Put juice in pot with 1 box pectin and 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice. Bring to a boil, add 5 cups sugar, bring to a boil that can't be stirred down, boil for one minute, remove from heat. Skim off foam, transfer to jars, water-bath process for 10 minutes. This made about 50 oz. or so.
For those rinds you didn't use -- try cinnamon watermelon rind pickles, from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving :
16 c. sliced, peeled watermelon rind (peel the dark green part off and discard), cut into 1 x 2 inch pieces
1 c. canning salt
6 c. sugar
4 c. white vinegar
3 cinnamon sticks, about 4 in. each, broken in half (six 2-in. pieces)
Day 1: In a large crock, glass bowl, or stainless steel bowl, layer watermelon rind, salt, and 4 c. cold water. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Day 2: Drain rind; rinse well. Combine rind with 4 c. fresh water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently until rind is fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Combine sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, until cinnamon has infused the liquid. Add rind, return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until rind is translucent. Discard cinnamon sticks. Transfer to jars, leaving a half inch of headspace. Water-bath process for 10 minutes. Makes about 4 to 5 pint jars.
I haven't tried these yet -- hopefully they are good.
For those rinds you didn't use -- try cinnamon watermelon rind pickles, from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving :
16 c. sliced, peeled watermelon rind (peel the dark green part off and discard), cut into 1 x 2 inch pieces
1 c. canning salt
6 c. sugar
4 c. white vinegar
3 cinnamon sticks, about 4 in. each, broken in half (six 2-in. pieces)
Day 1: In a large crock, glass bowl, or stainless steel bowl, layer watermelon rind, salt, and 4 c. cold water. Cover with plastic wrap or a towel and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.
Day 2: Drain rind; rinse well. Combine rind with 4 c. fresh water in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently until rind is fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Combine sugar, vinegar, and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes, until cinnamon has infused the liquid. Add rind, return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until rind is translucent. Discard cinnamon sticks. Transfer to jars, leaving a half inch of headspace. Water-bath process for 10 minutes. Makes about 4 to 5 pint jars.
I haven't tried these yet -- hopefully they are good.
