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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Delicious jelly!!!! I have to try it….It looks simple and fantastic.
Thank you for the recipe.
This recipe is BRILLIANT. I need to try this.
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!
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!
Such an original recipe!!! It looks good and different from what I’m used too!
this sounds like a nice change from the usual preserves and marmalades! love the colour
Brilliant I must say.wish I could taste this..:)
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!
oh my! that looks gorgeous!
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:-)
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!
Oh your sweet presentations have me craving sweet stuff.
Thats an interesting combination Soma, i havent tried making jellies at home, guess this is the right time 🙂
Soma this is awesome. Great job!
Soma, you beat me to it…I just can’t believe it! I read somewhere about watermelon jelly and was planning to make it 😀
😀 … We ARE thinking alike:-)
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
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 !!
Wow, this is such a creative idea! Watermelon is so accessible, and your jelly came out a beautiful read color.
Beautiful soma…
very different.. never heard of this before. so creative u r!
ive never made jelly from water melon. this is one great idea!!
This watermelon jelly sounds very interesting…the color is just so pretty…I’ll have to try it! Yummie!
wow !! what photography !!! incredulous !!!
and what a perfet jelly !!!
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!
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.
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.
Soma, your jelly sounds delicious. I made a watermelon jelly last year with a different approach and never posted about it.
What a fabulous combination Soma! And yes I see the jam test picture. Isn’t it a proud moment! 🙂
Watermelon jelly, very creative, market kore felo 😀 Amar sei neighbor eto mint diyechilo bolchilam na, paste kore freeze kore rekhechi, ki kori bolo to
Ginger, mint, and black pepper sound great in this! Wish I could have a taste.
Lovely Jelly. Would love to try it out. Looks tooo delicious.
Lovely jelly. Wow what a combination. Water melon, ginger, mint would give the sweetness, the spiciness and a nice aroma. Nice one.
ummm,..is all i can say,,,i guess that sums it all,..
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:-)
Yummmmm ! I going to try water melon ,ginger , mint look soooo Delicious:)
Thanks for sharing your recipe:)
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WOW..I never made jelly from scratch……looks so gud and love the color
Thanks everyone.. do give it a try if you can & use pectin to make it a bit easier!
Soma, this jelly surely must be the most refreshing one ever– watermelon and mint are two of summer’s most delicious flavors. Love it!
[…] Watermelon & Mint Jelly | eCurry – The Recipe Blog […]
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
Would have never thought watermelon for a jam. Must try this. This would be great as gifts for Christmas! Thanks for the recipe.
That sure looks yum!! Lovely colour!!
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!
Wow, this is very creative! I bet it tastes so fresh and flavourful with the mint and pepper. Great job!
Have got to try this recipe. How much jelly does it make?
Such a great idea! I’m doing the round up tonight, thanks for entering.
[…] eCurry: […]
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.
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.
Wow!!!!!!!!!! It is easy and delicious. We tried some and came out very good. Thanks.
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
[…] – 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 […]
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.
I followed the directions exactly.
I used fresh ground pepper…not sure if you did?
When all this was finished, omg…it was so spicy.
Couldn’t even taste any watermelon flavor.
Tasted like liquid black pepper. I ended up just
throwing it all out 🙁
[…] Grilled Watermelon Salad from FineCooking.comWatermelon Mint Jelly from eCurry […]
Wow. How to describe this jelly? I made a batch today and with a couple minor alterations to increase yield and also I added pectin…this jelly is fantastic! Bold and spicy!
To say this is outside of my comfort zone would be an understatement. It’s a galaxy away from where I normally exist. But I was looking for something outside of the box, and I found it. Thank you for point me in the right direction.
[…] Watermelon & Mint Jelly | eCurry – The Recipe BlogJul 6, 2009 … 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. … […]
Watermelon salad can satisfy everybody needs for sweet diet….
[…]Watermelon & Mint Jelly | eCurry – The Recipe Blog[…]…
Excellent article. I will be experiencing some of these issues as well..
[…] sugar Watermelon Mint Jam/Syrup. I used a variation of this recipe. I couldn’t get it to set right so it became syrup. […]
This is such an innovative recipe – never in my wildest dreams would I think of cooking watermelon!Bravo, Soma!
Sharmilla mentioned Tomato Preserves–My grandmother used to make that all the time–I finally made a batch two years ago and it tasts like the flavor I remember from hers. I could not get anyone else to really like like I do–they all thought it was “interesting”. I used pectin and will use pectin for the watermelon jelly that you made. I have tons of peppermint and spearmint! Thanks.
I used aged balsamic and only 1/4 cup and less mint. I had frozen fresh ginger so I just grated it. Also used 1t of fresh black pepper. Mine turned out much darker than the photo due to the dark balsamic but had a good taste. I Just cooked it to 220º which is jelly stage and took it off. Processed in a water bath for 10 min. For anyone who thought the pepper was too much, DON’T throw it out! Use it for a meat topping when baking, I think it would go great on baked Salmon or on Chicken.