Watermelon & Mint Jelly
The watermelon jelly was kind of an impulsive experiment. I was cutting this huge watermelon & it just ran in my head… what if I make watermelon jelly? Must have been the irresistible RED.
I am going through a jam/jelly/preserve making spree right now. Last week I made some strawberry preserve which was just awesome & we are indulgently using it now. I was not sure how it would work out, since watermelon is pretty much without any flavor. So I decided to use some homegrown mint & spices in it. I have not used pectin here. However I do want to try it with pectin another time, esp since the water content in Watermelon is much more than in any other fruits… I think pectin would definitely help with making the setting of the jelly easier.
The procedure of making the Jam/Jelly/Preserve is pretty much the same; the Jelly is made from the juice of the fruits, the jam being made with chopped fruits & the preserve is something where the fruits are kept whole while cooking. Here is my little jar of the Watermelon & Mint Spiced Jelly.
Watermelon & Mint Jelly
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chopped seedless watermelon, rind removed
- 1/3 cup Balsamic, white wine or apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- 2 Tablespoons Lemon Rind
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger, peeled & sliced paper thin
- 1.5 Cups Granulated Sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3/4 Cup Fresh Mint, chopped (more or less as per your need for flavor)
Preparation:Process the sugar, lemon zest & the mint in a blender/food processor till well combined.
Blend the Watermelon with Black Pepper in a blender. Strain the juice if you want. I did not do for mine.
In a stockpot/pan boil down the watermelon juice till reduced to about half the amount; add lemon juice, ginger slices, balsamic vinegar & the sugar mix. Bring it to a boil, the kind with lot of bubbles & it cannot be stirred down.
Keep boiling at high heat for about 5-8 or till the amount reduces to about one fourth of the original amount. The mix will get thick & syrupy. Take it off the heat when consistency is thinner than the desired jelly consistency; it will get much thicker when it cools down. Stir it with a spoon, scoop up some of the syrupy liquid in the spoon & let it drip down. It should drip thick & slow but in a single flow of thread; if you see the thread break into drops right when it starts to drip, it has boiled too long & got too thick.Here is what it looked like a few seconds before I switched off the heat. The boil was slower, bubbles bigger. The color changes to a darker shade.
Note:If you overboil it, when it cools down it will get like flaky sugary candy. So make sure to take it off the heat before it gets too thick.
Here is how to test if the Jelly is done:Cool a plate in the fridge. After the rolling boil time of the jelly, remove pan off the heat, and take a spoon of jelly/jam/preserve & place on the cold plate. Leave for about 1/2 min; run your finger through it; if it wrinkles, it has set, but if it runs down, you will need to boil for longer.
The above picture shows that it is done. ( Can you see the ginger & the black pepper?)
How to Can Jam/Jelly Preserves:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and sterilize jars and lids, about 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat, but leave the jars and lids in the hot water until you’re ready to use them.
Spoon the jam/jelly/preserve into the sterilized jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the rim. Cover with the lid and fasten it tight.
To complete the seal of the lid for storing, bring the large pot of water to a boil, place the covered jar(s) in a pasta colander/drainer and place them in the pot. Make sure the boiling water covers the jars. Cook for about 3 minutes.
Remove the jars from the pan and set aside to cool. After half an hour check the lids to make sure they have sealed tightly. Press down in the center of the lid; if it does not spring back, you have a tight seal.
Enjoy this spicy & zesty jelly with some fresh English Muffins, Biscuits or Toast.
Since I have used black pepper & ginger in this jelly, it did get a little spicy; the kind of an after taste at the back of the mouth & I love that. The spice also makes the jelly zesty enough to be used with cheese. Serve it over crackers & cheese & you have a party dish. Here is goes to ITB: Cooking the Month of June, hosted by dear Julia of A Slice of Cherry Pie. The ingredients this month are Watermelon & Mint.
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Tags: Black Pepper, canning procedure, condiment recipe, eggless recipe, ginger, how to can jellies, how to make jelly at home, how to make watermelon jelly, how to make watermelon jelly at home, how to test when jam or jelly is done, In the Bag, ITB, jelly without pectin, making jelly at home, making jelly at home without pectin, mint & watermelon jelly, recipes for watermelon, red jelly, spiced jelly, summer, summer recipe, summer recipes, the jelly set test, toast & jelly, topping jelly on cheese, vegan recipe, Vegetarian recipe, watermelon, watermelon jelly, watermelon jelly recipe, watermelon recipe, zesty watermelon jelly
July 6th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Delicious jelly!!!! I have to try it….It looks simple and fantastic.
Thank you for the recipe.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
This recipe is BRILLIANT. I need to try this.
July 6th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Hey Soma,
Just popped in to say that pectin is super easy to use and works beautifully. I couldn’t find it anywhere else but Walmart. Bad shop, but we got pectin only there!
July 6th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
How clever you are to make watermelon jelly! It sounds really good with the spices you added. I like it too when the heat hits you at the back of your mouth. How delicious!
July 6th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Such an original recipe!!! It looks good and different from what I’m used too!
July 6th, 2009 at 6:49 pm
this sounds like a nice change from the usual preserves and marmalades! love the colour
July 6th, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Brilliant I must say.wish I could taste this..:)
July 6th, 2009 at 7:20 pm
I still need to get a watermelon this season. The jam looks pretty tasty, it’d go perfectly inside a tres leches cake :-p
Great idea!
July 6th, 2009 at 7:33 pm
oh my! that looks gorgeous!
July 6th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
I made mango jam. Love ginger and black pepper in anything … my ma used to make tomato preserve that way. The instructions on how to can are helpful.
Sharmila.. Now i am thinking Tomato:-)
July 6th, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Oh my gosh, that is an “all new”, the color looks fabulous, it looks so nice, sweet and sticky!!!! I am lusting over toast, butter and your JAM!
July 7th, 2009 at 12:25 am
Oh your sweet presentations have me craving sweet stuff.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:56 am
Thats an interesting combination Soma, i havent tried making jellies at home, guess this is the right time
July 7th, 2009 at 1:26 am
Soma this is awesome. Great job!
July 7th, 2009 at 2:27 am
Soma, you beat me to it…I just can’t believe it! I read somewhere about watermelon jelly and was planning to make it
July 7th, 2009 at 7:32 am
I’ve been making jam too, strawberry & rhubarb. I used pectin in them, the first time I found a kind where you add a whole sachet into the fruits, the second brand I had was totally different. It used calcium water and just 2 tsps of the pectin powder. I wasn’t sure if that would suffice and added a extra spoon and the jam set, but a little tooo much so
The jelly looks sooper good with the speckles of pepper and ginger in it. Did it retain the watermelon flavor ?
Nope, no watermelon flavor:-D all minty spicy gingery.. wasn’t sure if the watermelon flavor would be strong enough to be good enough in the jelly.
this was more difficult to nail the setting part, like how much to boil down.. than the strawberry & other berry jams… don’t know why. may be too much water & less gooey texture in watermelon, that’s why. that is the reason i thought the pectin would have helped.
guess what naughty me did? I had some little bit left over after filling up the little jar.. i boiled it more & got it like a sugar candy.. .sweet & spicy melt in the mouth type:-) just a little bit of that satisfies my sweet cravings after meal;-D
July 7th, 2009 at 8:31 am
Thats true soma..watermelon alone wont work with the lack of flavour..Mint is truly a great choice..and adding pepper and ginger..oopa..I love to have some..This one is goin to finish soon Soma..you rocks !!
July 7th, 2009 at 8:52 am
Wow, this is such a creative idea! Watermelon is so accessible, and your jelly came out a beautiful read color.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Beautiful soma…
July 7th, 2009 at 9:50 am
very different.. never heard of this before. so creative u r!
July 7th, 2009 at 10:02 am
ive never made jelly from water melon. this is one great idea!!
July 7th, 2009 at 11:06 am
This watermelon jelly sounds very interesting…the color is just so pretty…I’ll have to try it! Yummie!
July 7th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
wow !! what photography !!! incredulous !!!
and what a perfet jelly !!!
July 7th, 2009 at 7:25 pm
Two days ago I would have looked at this and said “weird…watermelon and mint?” But tonight I made a delicious watermelon, mint and feta salad that was great! Nice flavors that complemented each other well. I’m sure the jelly was delicious also.
Maris.. glad u like watermelon & mint.. I have to say i love mint in almost everything!
July 7th, 2009 at 8:46 pm
I’ve already eaten my way through one watermelon this summer … heck is cools me down in this heat.
But now you have me thinking I want it in jelly for the winter! How lovely!
I really love watermelon and think your jelly sounds terrific.
Tanna we have been so thru many watermelons. my kids love it. & one only lasts about 2-3 days. Storing jelly for winter is a great idea! i made only a little bit this time, & it is almost gone.
July 7th, 2009 at 9:05 pm
very creative and lovely idea Soma. I am trying hard to imagine how watermelon, mint and ginger will taste together. Looking at the color and texture it sure looks delicious.
Supriya… the flavor of watermelon was GONE:-) it was sweet & spicy & minty.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:03 am
Soma, your jelly sounds delicious. I made a watermelon jelly last year with a different approach and never posted about it.
July 8th, 2009 at 5:34 am
What a fabulous combination Soma! And yes I see the jam test picture. Isn’t it a proud moment!
July 8th, 2009 at 5:42 am
Watermelon jelly, very creative, market kore felo
Amar sei neighbor eto mint diyechilo bolchilam na, paste kore freeze kore rekhechi, ki kori bolo to
July 8th, 2009 at 11:29 am
Ginger, mint, and black pepper sound great in this! Wish I could have a taste.
July 8th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Lovely Jelly. Would love to try it out. Looks tooo delicious.
July 8th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
Lovely jelly. Wow what a combination. Water melon, ginger, mint would give the sweetness, the spiciness and a nice aroma. Nice one.
July 9th, 2009 at 12:32 am
ummm,..is all i can say,,,i guess that sums it all,..
July 9th, 2009 at 3:55 am
I wish I were there to eat the sugar candy and the jelly as well.Very new to me and obviously it had to be minty and gingery as you have replied in an earlier comment.I love your experiments Soma.Always trns out perfect
Come over girl:-)
July 9th, 2009 at 4:18 am
Yummmmm ! I going to try water melon ,ginger , mint look soooo Delicious:)
Thanks for sharing your recipe:)
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July 9th, 2009 at 7:06 am
WOW..I never made jelly from scratch……looks so gud and love the color
July 9th, 2009 at 7:43 am
Thanks everyone.. do give it a try if you can & use pectin to make it a bit easier!
July 9th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
Soma, this jelly surely must be the most refreshing one ever– watermelon and mint are two of summer’s most delicious flavors. Love it!
July 10th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
[...] Watermelon & Mint Jelly | eCurry – The Recipe Blog [...]
July 15th, 2009 at 8:00 am
Such an interesting recipe! Any chance you want to take part in a jam exchange? I’m hosting one this month over at my blog
http://stephchows.blogspot.com/2009/07/jam-exchange.html
July 15th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Would have never thought watermelon for a jam. Must try this. This would be great as gifts for Christmas! Thanks for the recipe.
July 16th, 2009 at 5:01 am
That sure looks yum!! Lovely colour!!
July 16th, 2009 at 5:12 am
Preserves are a wonderful tradition and you capture the ingredient at its peak…held in suspension until for future use.
I’m going to play with some watermelon today too!
July 17th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Wow, this is very creative! I bet it tastes so fresh and flavourful with the mint and pepper. Great job!
July 20th, 2009 at 12:06 pm
Have got to try this recipe. How much jelly does it make?
July 27th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
Such a great idea! I’m doing the round up tonight, thanks for entering.
July 27th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
[...] eCurry: [...]
July 28th, 2009 at 6:40 am
How original and such a great picture. Not sure about the ginger for me but I’d surely make it with the mint and black pepper.
August 5th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Tried this recipe without the black pepper. Absolutely delicious! The ginger and lemon gave it a nice zesty taste! This recipes makes a little over 2 cups (enough for 2 jelly jars). If you want to make more than this, you need to double up.
September 3rd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Wow!!!!!!!!!! It is easy and delicious. We tried some and came out very good. Thanks.
June 25th, 2010 at 11:00 am
Hi ecurry
I had a watermelon sitting in my fridge and decided to Google recipes for it. I was sent to your site. I also grow and have been making mint jelly for years. I was intrigued by the combination and like Miras said it sounded weird.
But I went shopping for the ginger and came home to make my self a few batches. I made 2 batches last evening and it turned out red and beautiful. It is east and delicious. Now wondering what cheese to serve it with.
Thank you
Ontario, CANADA
Thank you so much for taking your time and letting me know. It is an unusual combination but see how good they work?! I guess it does as the melon itself does not retain much flavor.
I like sweet jellies with spicy cheese, like pepper jack. Enjoy!!
Cheers
Soma
July 31st, 2010 at 2:55 pm
[...] – We have so much mint in our garden, I had to figure out a way to use it. I saw a recipe on eCurry and decided to convert [...]
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:12 pm
I just made this tonight. I started following the recipe to a T, but then the mint made the jelly way too dark. To compensate, I added more melon and more melon and more melon…(still ended up being darker than I would’ve liked)…so then I added more sugar to help keep the consistency similar. All in all, the jelly/jam set, I think. Next time, I think I will only add a leaf or two of mint. What kind did you use?
I was a bit surprised by the flavor, since I didn’t read all the comments first (the beautiful pictures got me!!). I’m thinking this would be great as a glaze for pork or as a dipping sauce for chicken. It’s sweet, tangy, spicy, and so very different from anything I have made before this summer. Thanks for sharing
Phew.. But glad that finally you did make it!
I just just regular mint, peppermint. I wonder shy I did not see the change of color, tho’ as in the picture it did turn from orangish red to deeper red. Do adapt the recipe as per your taste. I had based the combination of spicy, sweet taste based on the chutney we usually make with fruits.. Yes it is more the kind to be served with meat.