Melon jam for the winter - recipes with photos of preparation in different ways, video

Winter preservation allows you not only to preserve healthy vitamins, but also to enjoy fruits and berries when their season is already over.
Delicious melon jam for the winter will bring the aroma of the past summer and replenish the body with useful substances. Incredibly, melon contains more vitamin C than orange citrus fruits, and 17 times more iron than milk. In addition, this berry contains calcium, sodium, potassium, and chlorine. Nutritionists recommend consuming melon for diseases of the liver, kidneys, as well as for rheumatism, gout and anemia.

A large amount of fiber activates digestive processes and helps reduce high cholesterol. And the silicon included in the composition improves the condition of the skin and hair.

For jam, choose well-ripe and, most importantly, aromatic melons. Since the melon itself is very sweet, lemon juice or citric acid is added to the jam - this way the taste will not be too cloying. Experienced housewives recommend cooking in small portions, since with a large amount of food there is a risk of overcooking the melon.

To make the jam thick, practically no water is added during cooking.

Several of the most popular melon jam recipes for the winter are presented below.

Interesting article: recipe for apple jam!

Fragrant melon jam (pieces) with ginger

To prepare, you will need melon and sugar in a 1:1 ratio. Cut the melon, select the seeds, peel and cut into small pieces.

Sprinkle the melon pieces with 0.5 kg of sugar and leave overnight so that it releases its juice.

Over low heat, bring the resulting syrup (together with the melon pieces) to a boil, add another 0.5 kg of sugar, the juice of one lemon or 1 tsp. citric acid. Lastly, add one grated fresh ginger root.

Cook until tender for an hour, stirring occasionally so that the jam does not burn. The finished treat should not spread if dropped onto a plate.

When using juicy melon varieties that release a lot of juice, the jam may not thicken in one hour of cooking. The cooking time is then increased, and ginger and lemon juice are added at the end of cooking.

Place the hot jam into pre-sterilized jars. Wait 10 minutes for steam to come out, roll up and cover with a warm blanket.

Cooking features

The process of making melon jam is not very complicated, but it has certain subtleties, without knowledge of which you may not get the expected result.

Melon makes a good pair with apples, citruses and other sour fruits, but they cannot be added in large quantities, otherwise they will overwhelm the delicate melon aroma.
Vanillin, cinnamon and anise can add additional pleasant notes to the taste of melon jam, but they are also used in moderation.
You can take melon for jam not only ripe, but also unripe and overripe. Surprisingly, even watery and tasteless melon in jam acquires a rich taste and characteristic smell.
You can separate the melon pulp from the peel in any convenient way, without worrying that the pieces are the same size and shape. To make jam, you have to cook the melon for so long that it softens and turns into a homogeneous mass even without chopping it with a blender.
To obtain jam with a smooth consistency, it is boiled from fruit puree or crushed at the last stage of preparation using an immersion blender.
To obtain more jam, it is boiled with the addition of water, thickening with pectin, agar-agar or another binding component. The use of gelling additives must take into account the manufacturer's recommendations on the packaging.
The prepared melon jam should be placed in jars washed with soda and sterilized. Such desserts are closed with metal lids to ensure tightness. They must be sterilized by boiling before use.

Storage conditions for melon jam depend on the recipe used. Typically, such preparations can be stored in any cool room, but some versions of the delicacy will not spoil only in the refrigerator.

I must say that the fuss with the preparatory work is minimal. An additional plus in favor of melon jam. No lengthy cleaning, monotonous removal of seeds, twigs, or the threat of staining your palms with hard-to-rinse juice. First, wash the melon, wipe it with paper or a woven towel, then divide it in any convenient way (lengthwise, across, obliquely). We are not interested in the integrity of the shell. Using the edge of a spoon, scrape out the fibrous center along with the seeds.
Now take out the melon pulp. Cut into slices. Or you can remember cutting up a mango, cutting into equal and even cubes, and carefully prying it with a spoon. You should do this for jam with whole pieces of melon, and the almost homogeneous confiture simplifies the process. Without fear of damage, separate from the hard peel.
Cover the slices with granulated sugar. I combine everything at once in a cooking container. Sometimes they give it time to sit for the juice to form. Comparing both options in practice, I choose the first one, without waiting. When heated, the melon juice is instantly released and the sugar dissolves. I advise you to take sugar in the range from half as much to the same amount (1 to 1). Focus on the sweetness of your melons. If the sugar weighs more than the weight of the melon, the confiture or jam quickly crystallizes and hardens.
Mix with a small portion of citric acid or squeeze lemon juice. Moderate sourness will not hurt and preserves the workpiece.
Immediately put it on the top heat, after a couple of minutes the sugar has disappeared and there is enough liquid around the pieces. Stir frequently, do not let it burn. When making melon jam, proceed in the usual way - after boiling (up to 5 minutes), remove from heat and cool, repeat up to 5-6 approaches. The confiture has a different consistency; there is no need to save the pieces.
After about 15 minutes, transparency is noticeable, the pieces look like candied fruit. Continue to stir frequently, reducing and evaporating the syrup. About 30 minutes is enough. Remember that when hot, the composition remains liquid. As it cools, it thickens. Check the viscosity one drop at a time on a saucer.
The pale shade changes to a more saturated and bright one. Pour the delicious brew into sterile containers and cool. Store in a cool room or on a refrigerator shelf.

We suggest you familiarize yourself with What to make from orange peels. We serve homemade melon confiture for tea, with biscuits, cheeses and all sorts of baked goods. Enjoy your tea.

Melon and lemon jam

This photo recipe for melon jam differs from the previous one in its consistency. The remaining pieces in it are crushed in a blender so that the jam becomes homogeneous. This dessert is ideal as a filling for pancakes.

Peel 2 kilograms of melon from all excess and cut into pieces.

Cut one large lemon into two halves, remove the seeds and cut into half rings or slices. There is no need to cut off the peel.

In order to remove the bitterness from the lemon zest, it should be blanched in hot water for 3-5 minutes. (in its entirety).

Cover the melon pieces with one kilogram of sugar and place lemon slices on top. Leave for 5-6 hours for juice to release.

Boil the mixture for half an hour, adding a cinnamon stick.

Grind the jam in a blender until smooth (remove the cinnamon stick before doing this).

Simmer the mixture over low heat for another 10-15 minutes and roll into sterilized jars.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

It will not be possible to make delicious jam from low-quality melon, even if you strictly follow the preparation technology. Therefore, the fruit must be selected taking into account the following points:

When you don’t have your own melons, it’s best to buy them at the market. Store-bought ones are almost certainly treated with chemicals to prevent them from spoiling quickly. And they are removed unripe to increase shelf life. You cannot buy melons from “sales points” along the road. They are negatively affected by direct sunlight, and the environmental situation here is far from ideal.
The melon must be whole. No one can guarantee that the seller’s knife and hands were clean. The incision made is a very suitable environment for pathogenic microflora.
It is best if the melon is medium in size for the variety. When purchasing it, you must pick it up. Unnatural lightness or heaviness immediately attracts attention.
The skin should be dense and elastic; when pressed, there should not be even small dents left on it. An unnatural glossy shine and oiliness, a feeling of moisture - a sign that the melon has been treated with wax.
The skin color of a quality melon is even and uniform. There is no even minor mechanical damage, peeling, or “wet” brownish spots.
The tail of a ripe fruit is completely dry. The aroma is pronounced, but light and pleasant, and not intrusive. Unripe melon has a grassy smell.
When you tap the fruit, you hear a dull sound rather than a ringing one.

The melon selected for jam should be washed well under running cool water. Next, the fruit is dried and cut in half. The seeds are removed from the inside along with the surrounding fibrous mass. Then the fruit must be divided into slices and the skin cut off from each. The remaining pulp is cut into small pieces - cubes, bars.

Melon dessert cooked in syrup

You can make delicious melon jam for the winter if you prepare it in three batches. To do this, pour boiling water over one large lemon, remove the zest with a vegetable peeler and thinly cut it into strips.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon pulp.

Prepare sugar-lemon syrup: add lemon juice to 50 ml of boiling water, add chopped lemon peel and add 700 g of sugar. Keep on fire until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Add chopped melon (1 kg) and bring to a boil. Turn off the burner and leave the preparation overnight (12 hours).

Repeat the procedure two more times, after which pour the jam into containers and roll up.

The process of making jam from frozen strawberries

Very tasty jam from frozen strawberries is no worse than from fresh fruits; the most important thing is to cook it correctly. Considering that fresh strawberries are not always on hand, this will allow you to have a treat in your home all year round. It will come in handy when baking confectionery, cooking sauces, compotes, and fruit drinks.

Recipe for making frozen strawberry jam

What you will need to do:

Place a kilogram of frozen strawberries in a deep container and add 700 grams of sugar there, then mix thoroughly, leaving for 4 hours. Readiness is determined by the appearance of juice when the berries thaw;
then put the mixture in a wide container and put it on medium heat, where you also add the squeezed juice from half a lemon;
as soon as the jam boils, reduce the heat and continue cooking for another 30 minutes, gently stirring several more times, preferably with a wooden spoon;
Remove the jam from the stove and let it sit for half an hour. After this, repeat the cooking with infusion again.

The finished dessert is cooled and placed in jars. Once the dish has cooled completely, you can place it in the refrigerator, where it can be stored for up to two months.

Making jam using a slow cooker

300 grams of frozen strawberries;
300 grams of sugar;
40 ml. water.

Place the berries in the slow cooker and wait until they melt and the juice appears.
Next, add water and stir.
The steam valve should be removed from the unit and switched to the “Milk porridge” function.
Cook the mixture until the signal is ready, then skim off the foam.

You can also prepare dessert using the “Multi-cook” program (100 degree mode) for half an hour by removing the valve, and also in the “Soup” function, but for two hours. In the “Stew” function you can cook for an hour.

Do not cook a large amount of jam at once, as it will increase in volume!

Making dessert using a bread machine

Units with the function “Jam” or “Jam” are suitable.

600 grams of frozen strawberries;
400 grams of sugar.

Turn on the “Jam” mode (this is more than one hour of cooking) and cook until done. But the delicacy will be ready after 20 minutes. But you should keep in mind that if you want to get a dessert like fresh strawberries, you don’t need to defrost them before placing them in the bread machine, but simply place them frozen.

Recipe for making jam from frozen strawberries, blueberries (currants)

You will need the following ingredients:

a glass of frozen strawberries;
a glass of frozen blueberries or currants (which can also be prepared in advance for the winter);
3 cups sugar;
½ glass of water.

Boil the syrup from sugar and water for 10 minutes.
Add frozen ingredients here and place on low heat.
Wait until the mixture boils and remove the foam from above, reduce the heat again and cook for another five minutes.
How to determine the degree of readiness: the fruits should become soft, remaining intact in appearance.

If you want to make jam more aromatic and rich, you can add pieces of citrus fruits and various types of fruits to it during the cooking process. Lemon zest will also work. If you prefer a sweet dessert, add more sugar to taste. If you want the berries to remain whole during the cooking process and not become overcooked, reduce the cooking time to 10 minutes, with a break of one to two hours.

Melon jam in a slow cooker

The recipe is a little similar to the previous one, since the melon is not covered with sugar, but is immediately boiled in syrup. Prepare melon jam in a slow cooker as follows:

Peel a 1 kg melon and pass through a meat grinder or blender.
Remove the zest from one lemon and squeeze out the juice.
On the multicooker, select the “Steam” mode, pour lemon juice into the bowl, add chopped zest and 1 kg of sugar. Cook until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Pour in the melon mass and switch the multicooker to the “Stew” mode. Set the timer for 1.5 hours.
After the machine beeps, the jam can be rolled up for the winter or put in the refrigerator.

Melon and apple jam

Instead of lemon for melon jam, you can use sour apples, which will diversify the sugary-sweet taste of the berry.

Peel the melon and apples and cut them into pieces. The net weight of the pulp itself should be:

for melon – 1.5 kg;
for apples – 750 g.

Place the ingredients in a casserole and cook for 30 minutes, stirring.

Grind the hot preparation with a blender, add 1 kg of sugar and cook for another hour, then let it cool.

Put 1.5 tsp into the cooled jam. ground cinnamon, bring it to a boil again, turn the heat down to low and simmer for half an hour. Roll up.

Melon selection

Different varieties of melons may differ from each other in the shape of the fruit, their color, as well as the structure and juiciness of the pulp. Berries with soft, loose pulp are best used for making jam with a homogeneous structure, and those with dense and coarse pulp are best used for dessert with pieces.

Before starting work, be sure to wash the melons, peel the skins and remove the seeds. The recipes below are based on net product weight.

Melon and banana jam

For those who like very sweet preparations, a recipe for melon and banana jam is suitable:

Peel and cut the melon. The net weight without peel and seeds should be 850 g. Add 800 g of sugar and leave for 8-9 hours.
Squeeze the juice from one lemon and pour it into the melon preparation. Cook for half an hour.
Scald another lemon with boiling water and cut into rings.
Also cut three bananas into rings.
Add the lemon and bananas to the pan and cook until softened.
Blend the jam with a blender and boil to the desired thickness.

Delight your family and prepare them an incredibly tasty melon jam. Both adults and children will love it from the first spoon. Bon appetit!

How to choose melon for winter harvesting

Before you start cooking, it is very important to choose the fruits themselves. Not all varieties are suitable for jam.

If the melon is very juicy, it will take a lot of sugar and more time to evaporate the juice and caramelize it, which means the cooking process will be much longer.
To make the preservation process easy and quick, it is recommended to choose ripe and firm fruits.
If you take meaty varieties, the jam will be less aromatic and have a slightly different consistency.

Famous chefs recommend trying to make jam from different varieties of melon. This will allow you to determine the most optimal consistency based on personal preferences. In any case, homemade preparation will turn out to be very unusual and tasty. The aromatic brew has a tart and memorable taste. It can be served as a stand-alone dessert, or as an additional dish with tea.