Melon, canned for the winter. Melon in syrup for the winter without sterilization Melon in jars for preparing for the winter

There are few people who don’t love the fragrant, sweet, tasty melon. And I really want to preserve this taste of autumn for the winter. Jam, preserves, compotes - all this also has a place on the winter table. But the real, original taste will be preserved by the recipe for canning melon in a jar without sterilization. This melon crop, oddly enough, is considered a vegetable, as it belongs to the Cucurbitaceae, genus Cucumber. Like many vegetables, melon is excellent at absorbing odors, which allows for endless experimentation.

Cooking features

Preparing the fruit and jars will not take much time, but it all depends on the volume of expected preparations. Melon is prepared for the winter in the same way as watermelon. It is thoroughly washed with a brush, the skin is cut off, the core is cleaned and cut into large pieces in the form of cubes about 4 cm. It will not be difficult to fill a jar of any size with such cubes.

The fruits should have a dense consistency, preferably aromatic varieties.

Since this is not jam, there is no need to sterilize the fruit in syrup. But the jars still need to be heated. To do this, place the dry container in the oven for a few minutes, while the sealing lids are boiled in a pan of water.

While the jar is being sterilized, sweet syrup is boiled. It is prepared from sugar, water and citric acid is added for preservation (preservation). Sliced ​​melon is placed in prepared jars, filled with syrup and sealed with a lid.

Cool the resulting melon preparation by turning the jar upside down and wrapping it in a warm blanket, rug or old fur coat, until the jars have completely cooled down.

Various recipes for canning melon

It is not always possible to grow or buy fruit of sweet, aromatic varieties. If it tastes more like grass, don't throw it away. There are many options for preservation with the addition of various ingredients.

Recipe with ginger

Ginger is a rather pungent seasoning. Therefore, when adding it to preservation, it is necessary to observe the measure. In the proposed recipe, all ingredients are indicated for 1 liter of the final product.

To prepare melon with ginger, you will need:

  • small melon;
  • ginger root 3–4 cm;
  • sugar – 100 gr.;
  • citric acid - a small pinch;
  • water.

Step by step recipe:

  1. 1. Prepare and cut the fruit.
  2. 2. Peel the ginger and cut into thin slices. If the plates are wide, divide them in half.
  3. 3. First place ginger on the bottom of the baked jar.
  4. 4. Add chopped pieces.
  5. 5. Make syrup from sugar, water and citric acid.
  6. 6. Pour boiling syrup into the jar, leaving 1.5 cm from the edge.
  7. 7. Close tightly with a lid.

Preparation with pineapple

When a fragrant melon and a unique, exotic pineapple coexist in one jar, it’s fantastically delicious.

The following ingredients will be required:

  • two small melons;
  • table vinegar - 150 ml (can be replaced with a pinch of citric acid);
  • pineapple - it should be 2 times less than melon;
  • water – 1.5 l;
  • cloves – 6 pcs.;
  • sugar – 0.5 kg.

You need to preserve as follows:

  1. 1. Prepare jars, cut the fruit.
  2. 2. Cut the pineapple into cubes.
  3. 3. Place cloves on the bottom of the jar.
  4. 4. Add melon mixed with pineapple.
  5. 5. Boil syrup from water, sugar and citric acid (or vinegar).
  6. 6. Fill the contents of the jar with syrup.
  7. 7. Close the lid tightly, turn over and wrap the container.

Melon recipe with spiced syrup

Spices and port wine are the basis for the “winter” mulled wine drink. But they can also be used to make a unique syrup for a new way to prepare flavorful melon. The ingredients you will need:

  • two small melons;
  • cloves – 3 pcs.;
  • sugar – 0.5 kg;
  • water 0.5 l;
  • port wine – 230 ml;
  • cinnamon – 1 stick;
  • vanilla – 1 pod (vanillin packet).

Step by step recipe:

  1. 1. Prepare the fruit and jar.
  2. 2. Prepare syrup from water and sugar. As soon as the syrup boils, add cinnamon, vanilla, cloves. Let it boil.
  3. 3. Remove the boiling syrup from the heat and pour the melon into it.
  4. 4. Pour in port wine, leave for 15 minutes.
  5. 5. Take out the melon and put it in another bowl.
  6. 6. Reduce the syrup by half.
  7. 7. Place the chopped cubes in sterilized jars.
  8. 8. Pour in the strained syrup.
  9. 9. Seal with a lid, turn over and wrap until completely cool.

Aromatic melons are prepared for the winter in many different recipes. Honey is added instead of sugar, cinnamon is added, pineapples are replaced with apples, etc.

Each housewife has her own tricks both in choosing a product and in the method of preparation. Some useful tips:

  • It is important to choose the right melon itself. The fruit should not be overripe, loose, fibrous or soft in structure. If the consistency is not dense, the result will not be hard pieces that look like fresh melon, but jam or jam.
  • When slicing, slices are first made, they are divided by transverse cuts into small cubes, which are then simply cut off with a knife.
  • If the jar is sterilized in a container with water, do not allow it to boil strongly so that water does not get inside the jar.

Syrup from canned melon is perfect for making jelly, yogurt or fruit drinks, for soaking baked goods, adding to porridge and other dishes.

If desired, you can store the melon harvest in the winter. It is used to make jam, preserves or dried. Canned melon has an unusual taste. Sweet melons, stored for the winter, resemble pineapple slices from metal cans on supermarket shelves.

False berry goes well with herbs, honey, pineapple, and ginger root. You can add vanillin, cinnamon or cloves to the jar. Canning recipes are not complicated. Even an inexperienced housewife can cope with such a preparation as melon for the winter in jars (pineapple).

The main condition for choosing fruits is that they should be dense and sweet in taste. During the preservation process, those that are overripe soften even more and form a viscous structure. Fruits with signs of immaturity are not recommended for such preservation.

First recipe: in syrup

Ingredients:

  • 2.5 kg melons;
  • sugar - 2 tbsp.;
  • citric acid - 1 tsp;
  • purified water - 1 l.

The syrup is pre-prepared. Pour water into a saucepan, add sugar and citric acid. Boil and keep on fire for about 5 minutes. Peel the melons, cut into small pieces, place in sterilized jars and fill with hot syrup. Then place them in a bowl of hot water and boil for 10 minutes. After this, it’s time to seal with metal lids.

Second recipe: with ginger

This recipe has a rich taste that will not leave true gourmets indifferent.

Required Products:

  • melon weighing 2.5 - 3 kg;
  • sugar - 100 g;
  • fresh ginger root - 70 – 100 g;
  • a pinch of citric acid;
  • well water.

Wash the melon, divide it into 2 parts and remove the seeds. Then cut into longitudinal strips and separate each from the peel. You can make several cross-sections of each slice, and then separate each piece. Peel the outer skin of the ginger root and cut into small slices. For this portion you will need approximately 5 liter jars.

Place chopped pieces of ginger on the bottom of a sterilized jar and place melon slices on top. Then add granulated sugar, citric acid and pour boiling water. There is no need to fill the jars to the top. It will be enough if the container is filled to the shoulders. Filled jars are placed in a large container or basin with hot water. The bottom must first be covered with fabric. After the water boils, reduce the heat and cover the jars with lids. The workpiece is sterilized for 7–10 minutes. Then the container is removed from the boiling water and rolled up.

Preservation is stored in the basement or in an apartment. This preparation is used as a dessert or for filling.

The canned syrup remaining after opening the can can be used as an ingredient for a milkshake.

Third recipe: sugar

This sweetness will delight household members with its rich taste throughout the winter. Preservation preserves the natural aroma. In addition, pickled melons are suitable for baking.

Ingredients:

  • one large melon;
  • 2 liters of purified drinking water;
  • 4 tbsp. granulated sugar;
  • 1 tsp. citric acid.

Peel the melons, cut into small cubes and place in sterilized jars. Prepare the syrup: boil water along with sugar and citric acid for 5 - 7 minutes. During this time, the crystals should completely dissolve.

Afterwards, jars filled with melon are filled with syrup. Then they are placed for further sterilization in a pan with water and covered with lids. After boiling, the jars remain in this container for another 10 minutes. After this time, they should be removed and hermetically sealed, and after cooling, taken to the basement.

Recipe four: with pineapple

In this recipe, the taste of melons is slightly acidified by pineapple juice. It is used both for adding to meat salads and in desserts. The twist gets its unusual aroma thanks to cloves.

Required ingredients:

  • a couple of small melons;
  • pineapple - 0.5 – 1 kg;
  • table vinegar 9% - 150 ml;
  • drinking water - 1.5 liters;
  • 500 g granulated sugar.

Pre-prepare containers for canning (wash and sterilize). Cut the peeled melon into cubes. Peel the pineapple, remove the middle part and cut into small slices.

Place 2 clove seeds in jars and add chopped pineapple and melon cubes. Prepare syrup from water, vinegar and sugar. Boiling syrup is poured into the jars, and then the container must be sterilized for 15 minutes in a large saucepan with boiling water. The next step is to roll up the jars and, covering them with a blanket, let them cool. Store the workpiece in a cool, dry place.

Recipe five: spicy salting

The syrup in this recipe is prepared with the addition of port wine and table spices, which gives the original melon aroma and extraordinary taste of the preserve. Gourmets will appreciate the presentation of such a dish at the table.

Required ingredients:

  • two medium melons;
  • several cloves;
  • 500 ml water;
  • 250 ml port wine;
  • cinnamon (powder) - 1 tbsp. l. (or 1 stick);
  • vanilla bean - 1 pc. (or a bag of vanilla powder).

Wash the melon and use a special spoon to cut the pulp into balls. Place cloves, granulated sugar, cinnamon and vanilla stick into a saucepan with water. After boiling, the syrup is boiled until the sugar crystals dissolve.

Then put the chopped balls into the same pan and pour in the wine. Turning off the heat, cover the pan with a lid and allow the melon balls to soak in the original syrup. This process takes 15 minutes.

The balls are removed with a slotted spoon into a separate container, and the syrup is boiled again. The balls are placed in the thickened syrup and kept until it cools completely.

Using a sterile slotted spoon, place the melon mugs into prepared sterile jars and fill them with syrup. The next step is sterilization for 30 minutes in boiling water. After this, remove, preserve and put on shelves for storage.

Recipe six: without boiling

This is the fastest method of canning. Despite the fact that without sterilization it takes less time to prepare, this does not affect the shelf life.

Ingredients:

  • melon - 0.5 kg;
  • 2 liters of clean drinking water;
  • lemon - 0.5 pcs.;
  • 200 g sugar.

Cut melon cubes into 2 cm pieces, heat the water to boiling and add them there. Boil for 3 minutes and add the juice squeezed from half a lemon to the pan. Then add sugar and cook for about a quarter of an hour. Pour everything into sterile jars and seal with airtight lids. Then turn the jars over and let them cool completely. Now you can take the twist for storage.

Good day, dear friends. Today we will make melon preparations for the winter.

Summer is over. Autumn reminds us of this every day with the morning coolness. The main preparations took their place on the shelves for long-term storage. And my hands are just itching: in order to preserve this, how can I try harder and stock up on more supplies? It's time to remember the melon.

She is now a confident leader on all shelves and attracts everyone's attention with her aroma and sunny appearance. Let’s not languish, but let’s pay attention to her and give her the floor: so what can we prepare for the winter from the fruits of this beauty.

There is no need to worry about how to preserve melon for the winter. This is very easy to do; the preparation process is similar to canning ordinary vegetables and fruits. What can you cook? Anything you like: compotes, candied fruits, jams, jellies and marshmallows. It can be dried and frozen. And this is what we will do.

Homemade candied melon

Before preparing candied melon, prepare the syrup. To do this, dissolve a little more than a kilogram of sugar in two glasses of water. This solution is enough for a kilogram of melon. Peel the fruit and remove seeds, cut into small cubes.

Cook in several batches, usually 3 – 4 times. After finishing cooking, drain in a colander and dry in the fresh air. If desired, you can sprinkle with powdered sugar.

How to make melon jam

The procedure for preparing jam is as follows:

  • For jam, select only the solid part of the product. Remove the skin, seeds and inner soft part of the melon.
  • Cut the product into small pieces.
  • Dip the pieces in boiling water for a few minutes and immediately cool in cold water.
  • Prepare the syrup: boil a little more than a kilogram of sugar in two glasses of water.
  • Place the melon in the syrup and cook for a few minutes.
  • Set the jam aside for 8 hours and boil again.
  • Cook in 3 – 4 batches. At the last boil, add 4 g of citric acid.

Roll into sterile jars, turn over and cool according to all preservation rules.

Video about making melon jam in a slow cooker

It is not necessary to make jam from the pulp; you can try making it from the crusts. To do this, remove a very thin layer of peel from the crusts.

Cut the melon into small pieces. Pour in sugar equal to the weight of the melon, mix everything and set aside. After 7 hours, put the melon on the fire and boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Cool and taste. If you already like the jam, bring to a boil and seal in sterile jars.

Add vanilla if desired. To make the jam richer, you can cool it again and boil it again.

A recipe for delicious apricot jam can be found.

Very tasty and aromatic jelly can be served with or without melon pieces, it’s not for everyone. In addition to sugar, you will need fresh lemon juice.

First option

Squeeze juice from 900 g melon. Boil syrup from 300 g of sugar per liter of water. Soak 60 g of gelatin. Combine melon juice, lemon, syrup and gelatin. Bring to a boil. Pour into molds and cool.

Second option making jelly. More interesting:

For 400 g of melon, take 400 g of water, 10 g of gelatin. You will also need 4 s. spoons of sugar and a spoon of lemon juice.

  • Soak the gelatin and keep in a water bath.
  • Boil the melon pieces with sugar for 5 minutes.
  • When cooking, add the melon rind and then discard.
  • Combine slightly cooled juice and dissolved gelatin.
  • Place melon pieces in glasses and fill with liquid.

Cool in the refrigerator. You can put not only boiled melon, but also fresh one. It will be tasty and interesting.

Read recipes for black currant jelly, and for red currant jelly.

Dried melon at home

In order to dry or dry the product, only durum melons are suitable. The peculiarity of this fruit is that after drying, the slices remain flexible and can be easily braided or rolled into balls.

Let's start cooking:

Peel the melon and cut it into slices 2 cm thick. It is necessary that you get two undivided slices, in this case you can conveniently hang the pieces to dry.

It will take about two weeks to dry, you need to constantly turn it over. You can store it woven and sealed from air in polyethylene. The pieces are well preserved in glass jars.

Canned melon

For one jar of canned melon you will need 4 tablespoons of sugar, a pinch of citric acid, and two cloves of ginger. Place pieces of melon, ginger, sugar into the prepared jars, pour boiling water and sterilize for 5 minutes. Roll up and cool according to all the rules.

Canned melon like pineapple

Which is tastier: or melon? That's a moot point. But one thing is certain. Pineapple is still an exotic product, and one with history. A hundred years ago it was designated as a product for the bourgeoisie, remember, Mayakovskaya hinted at it. So we’ll try to preserve the melon the bourgeois way.

Preparation procedure:

  • First, prepare the syrup. To do this, dissolve 2 cups of sugar in a liter of water, add a teaspoon of citric acid, boil and cool.
  • Start cooking. Only ripe, firm and sweet fruits are suitable. Cut the melon, remove the grains, cut the product into small cubes.
  • Place pieces of product tightly into sterilized liter jars. Pour in syrup and place in a saucepan to sterilize.
  • The jars should stand in boiling water for a quarter of an hour. Close with a seaming key, turn over and bring to room temperature in a warm place.

Video on how to preserve melon for the winter

Pickled melon

The recipe is quite interesting. Lovers of something unusual should definitely try it. For ten half-liter jars, prepare half a kilogram of sugar, 22 g of 80% vinegar essence, 1.35 liters of water.

  • Place 3 allspice peas, a little cinnamon and cloves in each jar.
  • Cut the melon into pieces, keep in boiling water for 4 minutes and cool quickly under running water. Pack into jars.
  • Add sugar to the water and boil for 10 minutes.
  • Strain the syrup, pour into a saucepan, add vinegar, pour hot marinade into the jars.
  • Let it sterilize for 10 minutes.

Roll up, turn over and cool. All this is familiar to you.

There are no special secrets to drying melon in a dryer. Peel the product, remove the seeds, cut into slices up to 1 cm thick. Carefully place on trays. You will need 11 hours of time at 55 degrees. Be prepared that the melon will decrease in weight by more than ten times.

You can dry the melon in the oven. Place the pieces on racks. Dry at 75 degrees for the first 6 hours. Turn off the heat. Allow the date to equalize the temperature for a couple of hours and continue drying at 60 degrees. The whole process will take you about a day.

Melon pastille

To prepare a kilogram of melon, you will need one and a half liters of water and 4 cups of sugar. Also prepare two lemons, some powdered sugar and crushed almonds. Get started:

  • Pour cold water over the melon cut into small pieces and simmer, covered, until the product becomes soft.
  • Rub through a sieve, add sugar, lemon juice and continue boiling until a thick mass is obtained.
  • Place the puree on a wet baking sheet and leave for a day in a ventilated area to allow the product to dry.
  • Cut into pieces, sprinkle with powdered sugar and almonds.

Video - melon marmalade

How to freeze melon for the winter

Melon contains a lot of moisture, so the faster you can freeze the product, the more beautiful it will look. To store, cut the melon into small pieces or use a special spoon to make balls - it will be more interesting. The product is more conveniently stored in special resealable bags or containers.

The best way to freeze is to place the melon pieces in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer. Once the pieces are frozen, pack them into storage containers.

Pieces of ice added to the storage container will help cool the product quickly. By choosing any of the freezing methods, you will receive a product filled with vitamins, minerals, with all useful qualities, but at the same time it is very difficult to achieve preservation of the internal structure.

Therefore, I suggest trying to freeze sorbet for the winter. To prepare, take a glass of sugar and water for 4 cups of melon cubes. Add citrus juice to taste.

Boil the syrup, cool. Beat it in a blender along with the melon, add orange or lemon juice. Place into containers. Allow the sorbet to warm slightly at room temperature before serving.

Melon in syrup for the winter

Melon cooked in syrup is a bit like preparing pineapple in its recipe. But the cooking technology differs. Let’s immediately make a reservation that the recipe is designed for 6 kg of solar product. Operating procedure:

  • Wash the jars thoroughly and pour boiling water over them.
  • Select an undamaged, slightly unripe melon that is firm but sweet.
  • Remove seeds and peel and chop nicely.
  • Pack into jars. Pour boiling water over and leave for 20 minutes.
  • Drain the water, add 700 g of sugar and cook the syrup for 20 minutes, stirring until the sugar dissolves and removing the dark foam on the surface of the water.
  • Fill the jars with syrup. Sterilize for a quarter of an hour, before closing, put citric acid in the jar on the tip of a knife.

Roll up the jars, turn them over and keep warm until completely cool. Store food in a cool place if possible.

Juice

You can extract it from melon using a juicer or press. For obtaining, ripe whole fruits are used. The peculiarity of the preparation is that the fruit is used together with the peel.

If the resulting liquid is boiled 8-10 times over low heat, you will get melon honey. To prepare the product, the liquid must be filtered twice: before and after the boiling process.

Melon and apple compote

In order to prepare you need 600 g of melon, 400 g of sugar, 800 g of apples. You will need 5 liters of water, you can add a little plum, its acid will perfectly highlight the sweetness of the melon. The compote is prepared simply:

  • Peel the apples and cut into slices.
  • Peel the melon and cut into pieces.
  • Boil apple peels for 15 minutes and discard. Add sugar and add apples, after 7 minutes add plums, bring to a boil. Add melon, pour into prepared sterilized jars and seal.

How to store at home

Melon is not a perishable product; by following certain storage rules, you can make it meet the winter and serve as a table decoration.

First you need to select the right fruits. Immediately set aside anything wrinkled, with spots or barely noticeable defects. They themselves will not be preserved and will not be given to others. Choose firm, slightly unripe fruits.

If you grew the melon on your own plot, then try specially preparing it for storage. Cut it off the stem, but it is advisable to keep 3 cm from the tail. After this, let the melon lie for 2 days on one side, then on the other, right in the garden bed under the sun.

It is best to store melon in a room with a humidity of 80% and a temperature slightly above zero. Treat the room with a smoke bomb before storage. Melon is stored well in a hanging net. Can be placed on shelves. The only limitation: melons do not tolerate being surrounded by potatoes and apples. The latter contribute to rapid ripening and shortening the shelf life of melon. But potatoes can destroy everything: taste and smell.

Use pickled and canned products to surprise guests and decorate holiday tables. And leave the most delicious dried and dried melon pieces to the children.

See you again on the blog pages! If the article was useful to you, click the social media buttons and share with your friends.

You can save a piece of summer in glass jars by placing melon in it. A sweet, aromatic melon in syrup for the winter will become an honored guest during tea drinking. You can eat it with pancakes, pancakes, or put it in baked goods. Using a sweet preparation, you can make lemonade - dilute the melon with water, adding a pinch of nutmeg or cinnamon. Vanilla accentuates the melon flavor best - it can also be used for canning.

It is impossible to harvest melon without sterilization. Syrup in combination with a sweet berry can cause fermentation, destroying all culinary work in the kitchen. The jars need to be boiled before placing the melon in them.

Classic recipe for melon in syrup with vanilla

Vanilla-melon dessert can decorate ice cream and be used in cocktails. It makes an excellent coating for biscuits. This sweet treat will always please children.

Ingredients:

  • melon;
  • sugar – 300 gr;
  • water – 1 l;
  • vanilla pod;
  • citric acid – 5 g.

Preparation:

  1. Depending on how many jars you plan to make, you will need melons. Its pulp should float freely in the syrup, filling ¾ of the jar.
  2. Peel the melon from peel and seeds. Cut into cubes. Place in prepared jars.
  3. Prepare vanilla syrup. Take sugar, citric acid, water and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil and then cool.
  4. Pour into jars.

Melon with lemon in syrup

Lemon will add sourness and citrus aroma. This summer treat can be enjoyed in cocktails or added to pancakes by sprinkling them with lemon zest.

Ingredients for 1 liter of water:

  • melon;
  • lemon – juice of ½ fruit;
  • sugar – 1 glass;
  • tarragon.

Preparation:

  1. Cut the melon into pieces and place in jars.
  2. Make lemon syrup. Boil the water. Add lemon juice and sugar. If necessary, increase the number of components while maintaining the proportion. Add 2 sprigs of tarragon to the syrup.
  3. Cool the liquid and fill the jars with melon.

Melon in syrup with pear for the winter

The pear will add a light flavor. The combination of these components is perfect as a dressing for porridge.

Ingredients:

  • melon;
  • pear;
  • sugar – 1 glass;
  • lemon acid.

Preparation:

  1. Peel the melon and cut into cubes. The pear does not need to be peeled, but it is cut into cubes of the same size. Maintain a 2:1 melon to pear ratio when placing these ingredients in jars.
  2. Prepare sweet syrup by boiling water with sugar and a pinch of citric acid. A liter of water requires a glass of sugar.
  3. As soon as the syrup has cooled, pour it into jars.

Melon in cinnamon syrup

Cinnamon combined with ginger will add a spicy aroma, creating an unsurpassed dessert.

Ingredients:

  • melon;
  • water;
  • sugar;
  • cinnamon;
  • ginger;
  • vinegar.

Preparation:

  1. Peel the melon and place it in jars.
  2. Cook the syrup: add sugar, cinnamon and ginger powder to the water. For a liter of liquid you will need a glass of sugar and a teaspoon of each spice.
  3. Pour the cooled syrup over the melon. Add a teaspoon of vinegar to each jar.
  4. Screw on the lids.

In winter, there is nothing better than remembering the warm summer. Melon in syrup will help with this - a fragrant and bright preparation.

The sweet fruit has good shelf life if storage conditions are suitable. In a cool, dry, dark room it will keep for several months. In the absence of such opportunities, melon is harvested for the winter. You can make any canned product from it. The list of additional ingredients is difficult to list: fruits, berries, spicy ripeness, honey, wine.

The variety of melon varieties makes it difficult to choose for preservation. The fruits differ not only in size, but also in pulp density and sugar content. The varieties Livadia, Zolotistaya, Yuzhanka have dense, sweet pulp. Plants grown in the southern regions have a natural advantage over pumpkins from the Moscow region, Siberia, and European Russia in terms of sweetness.

Varieties zoned for cooler regions have a dense structure, with a lower percentage of sugar. Autumn-winter varieties are the sweetest, as the ripening period lasts 95-100 days. Early ripening ones contain 8-15% sugar, mid-ripening ones – 14-15%.

When choosing a fruit for canning, you must take into account the requirements of the recipe. If the purchased melon turns out to be of a different quality, then you need to select a suitable harvesting option in this case.

How to choose the best melon

Not fully ripened melons with dense and aromatic pulp are suitable for making jam. To make jam, you need ripe, juicy fruits. For melon in its own juice, you will need very ripe and overripe fruits.

It is necessary to adhere to the requirements of the recipe when selecting raw materials: do not use ripe or overripe fruit, where dense pulp is required. When cooked, such pieces will lose their shape, which will reduce the attractiveness of the product.

Signs of a ripe fruit:

  • noticeable sweet aroma;
  • springs when pressed;
  • large mass;
  • uniform bright color;
  • dull sound when tapped;
  • dry ponytail;
  • the peel has a rugged appearance.

Unripe fruits:

  • do not smell;
  • have a greenish tint;
  • inferior in weight to ripe ones;
  • not elastic;
  • make a ringing sound;
  • the tail is tight.

Overripe ones have soft skin and a very strong aroma.


Recipes for winter preparations

For home use, it is more convenient to prepare liquid jam, packaged hot or pasteurized.

Thick syrup burns easily if it is not constantly stirred and at temperatures above normal.

Signs that the jam is ready:

  • the foam disappears;
  • the syrup and melon pieces become transparent;
  • cooked particles float in syrup;
  • the temperature of the sweet solution when it is ready is 104 degrees.

The end of cooking time is also determined by the state of the syrup: the cooled drop retains its shape.

Sterilization is holding a semi-finished product in boiling water under special conditions: the initial water temperature in the sterilizer is 70 degrees, the lids are not secured, the liquid level is 3 centimeters below the glass top.

The preparation of pasteurized jam differs from sterilization and hot packaging in that the jars are heated without boiling at 90 degrees with the lids loosely closed. A 0.5 liter jar is pasteurized for 10 minutes, a 1.0 liter jar - 15. When finished, screw the lids on until they stop.

What can you make from melon? You can make jam, jam, compote from it, pickle it, prepare it in its own juice or as a semi-finished product.


Classic melon jam

The washed, cored and peeled melon is cut into pieces 2 centimeters thick, rectangular in shape. The pieces are first blanched in boiling water for 5-7 minutes and immediately immersed in cold water to lower the temperature.

Prepare 70% syrup. For 1900 grams of melon pulp you will need 1 liter of liquid and 2300 grams of sugar. Place the blanched pieces into the boiled syrup and leave for 4 hours.

Preparing jam in three steps step by step:

  1. Bring to a boil over medium heat and keep at a low simmer for 10 minutes. Cool. Leave for 8 hours.
  2. Repeat the previous method with cooling and holding for 8 hours.
  3. Cook to desired consistency.

Hot jam is transferred to heated jars, closed, cooled without turning over.

With added lemon

The crust is removed from the melon. The peeled part is cut into pieces of 3-4 centimeters. Sugar is poured into the prepared raw materials. The ratio of sweetness and melon raw materials is 1:2. For taste and aroma, you can add vanilla sugar at the rate of 1 gram per kilogram. It takes several hours until the melon pieces give juice and soak up the sugar.

Adding lemon zest and juice to the classic recipe will add sourness and citrus aroma to the jam. One fruit is enough for 2 kilograms of pulp. Peel the lemon and squeeze out the juice. The zest is ground on a fine grater.

Add zest to the melon-sugar mixture and put on fire. When the sugar has completely melted and begins to become transparent, add lemon juice and mix well. Cook the syrup over low heat, stirring so as not to burn.


From time to time, check the readiness of the jam by checking the quality of the syrup: drop it on a cold surface. If the drop does not spread, then the jam is ready. The melon pieces should be soaked in the syrup and become translucent, with no raw melon taste.

The degree of syrup concentration is determined by the thickness of the hot stream:

  • thin - the jam will be liquid;
  • medium – thicker;
  • thick - thick.

The testing method is called thin, medium, thick thread. Use a spoon to scoop out the syrup and pour it slowly, watching the stream.

With orange

Lemon can be replaced with orange. No orange zest is used. Orange juice will be used as an additive. Three oranges per 2 kilograms of melon are squeezed through a juicer. If desired, the quantity can be increased. The volume of sugar is adjusted to 2.5 kilograms.

Orange juice, like lemon juice, is added when the sugar is completely dissolved. The jam is mixed to improve homogeneity and cooked to the desired consistency in 3 additions.


Cinnamon

Adding cinnamon to melon jam has two positive aspects:

  1. The sweet dish acquires a spicy aroma and taste, which are good in the cold season, as they have a warming effect.
  2. The spice is recommended for weight loss due to its effect on metabolic processes. Jam is a high-calorie product. The presence of cinnamon helps burn calories.

No more than 1 teaspoon of cinnamon is added to the syrup for 1 kilogram of pulp. Excessive dosage may affect the kidneys.

The prepared pulp is covered with sugar for a day at the rate of kilogram per kilogram to obtain juice. The syrup is boiled into a thin thread: 0.3 liters of liquid and 0.5 kilograms of sugar. Melon juice is combined with syrup, cinnamon is added and boiled into a thin thread.

Pour melon into boiling syrup and cook in 2 steps:

  1. The first time - 15 minutes on low heat. Cool for 4 hours.
  2. Boil to the desired concentration.

While hot, distribute into jars and cool.

With bananas

In a recipe with bananas, it is logical to add an acidic fruit, such as lemon, to avoid excessive cloying.

  • 1.0 kilograms of melon;
  • 1.0 kilograms of bananas;
  • 0.5 kilograms of lemons;
  • 1.0 kilograms of sugar.

The pieces are mixed with sugar and left for a day. The juice is squeezed out of citrus fruits and poured into the sweet mass. Place the mixture on the fire and simmer over low heat to a liquid syrup. Bananas without peel are cut into circles up to 1 centimeter and placed in jam. Readiness is checked by the syrup and the appearance of the melon and banana pieces.


Melon jam

To make jam you will need very ripe pumpkins. The peeled, chopped pulp is crushed with a blender. Per kilogram requires a liter of water and boiling for half an hour.

Then add 2 kilograms of granulated sugar and boil over low heat until tender. It is necessary to stir the jam regularly and check its readiness: the end of cooking - the cooled drop retains its shape.

Canned melon

Canned melon can be prepared in the form of compote or natural canned food.

For compote, the prepared pieces are blanched at a temperature of 80 degrees for 10 minutes. Place in prepared jars 2/3 full and fill with 25% syrup. To prepare it you will need a ratio of 0.3 kilograms of sugar per liter of water. Sterilization of a 0.5 liter cylinder – 10 minutes, 1.0 liter – 12 minutes.

The preparation of natural melon differs from compote by pouring: instead of syrup, boiling water is used. Melon preserved in this way is a semi-finished product for making jam, preserves, and compote.


Melon in sugar syrup

Ratio of pulp, sugar and water: 1.0:1.1:0.2. Additionally, citric acid (10 grams per kilogram) and vanillin (a pinch per kilogram) are added.

Preparation, per kilogram of preparation:

  1. Add 100 grams of sugar to a glass of water and bring to a boil.
  2. Blanch the melon pieces in this syrup one by one for 10 minutes.
  3. They take it out.
  4. Pour the rest of the sugar into the syrup and, stirring continuously, bring it to readiness on a thin thread.
  5. Add melon and cook until required thickness.
  6. At the end, add citric acid and vanillin.

Roll up using the hot packaging method. Cooling without turning over.

In its own juice

To harvest melon in its own juice, you will need juicy, ripe and overripe pulp.

At the first stage, the juice is prepared. From 2 kilograms, half of the prepared melon is crushed in a blender to puree. Add the juice of 1 lemon, 0.5 liters of water, 0.25 kilograms of sugar. The mixture is cooked over low heat for a quarter of an hour.

The rest of the mass is blanched at a temperature of 80 degrees for 3-5 minutes (so that the shape of the pieces is not lost) and cooled in water. Place the blanched parts into the boiling juice and leave for 15 minutes. After packaging into half-liter jars, the canned food is sterilized for 10 minutes. Immediate seaming, cooling without turning.


Jam for the winter without sterilization

Jam cooked in several stages does not require sterilization.

To prepare a sweet dish from melon, you will need to boil the raw material 3 times with an interval of 10-12 hours. At the first stage, the melon parts are blanched for no more than a minute. The amount of liquid is 0.4 liters per kilogram of pulp. Sugar is added to the water where the melon was boiled in the same proportion as the melon.

The syrup is boiled for 10-15 minutes. Removed from heat. Cools down a bit. Blanched raw materials are placed in a container with syrup. Stir. Boil over low heat.

Preparing melon for the winter in jars

The pulp is cut into rectangular pieces, no more than 2 centimeters thick. Fill liter jars halfway. For flavor, you can add mint and basil leaves according to your own taste. A glass of granulated sugar is poured in, boiling water is poured in and placed for sterilization.

The water temperature at the beginning of sterilization is not lower than 80 degrees. The heat treatment time for a liter jar from the beginning of boiling is 12 minutes. The boil should not be violent. Cool cans upside down.


Pickled melon

The pulp for pickling should be ripe and dense. The prepared pieces are blanched in boiling water for 1 second and cooled in water.

Place the following on the bottom of a sterilized liter jar:

  • 0.5 grams of cinnamon;
  • 3-4 clove seeds;
  • melon (just below the shoulders).

Pour boiling marinade over and place for sterilization.

Marinade for 1 liter jar:

  • 0.3 liters of water;
  • 0.11 kilograms of sugar;
  • 0.04 liters of vinegar 5%.

Sterilization:

  • water temperature in the sterilizer – 50 degrees;
  • filling – 3 centimeters below the neck;
  • time – 12 minutes.

When finished, close tightly with lids. Upside down cooling.


Melon jam in a slow cooker

To prepare 1 liter of jam you will need a kilogram of peeled and cut into small pieces of melon, 0.7 kilograms of melon, 1 lemon, 4 grams of pectin. Pour boiling water over the lemon, trim off the ends and cut into 4 parts. Place the melon and sugar in the multicooker bowl and mix well. Add the lemon pieces to the bowl, before squeezing the juice into the sugar and melon mixture.