 Watermelon Rind Preserves |
Some may find my life in a small town a bit strange. They may wonder about the strange ways of this girl from a small town with a population of 1,074 at the last census count. There are some disadvantages to living in a small town; however, those disadvantages are not enough that would make me want to move to a larger city. The country life is the one I prefer and if I need the amenities of a larger city, there are several not that far away.
These preserves are made from the rind of a watermelon and they are actually quite tasty, at least I think so. I got the recipe from my Mum and I use to help her make these every year as they were one of my favourites. I use to enjoy these preserves on fresh baked, hot from the oven, scones topped with butter.
Making the preserves is a very simple process, you simply remove the outer thick peel of the rind, trim the inside a bit leaving a bit of the red fruit, and then cut the rind into small pieces about 0.5 cm in size; however, you can make the pieces as large or small as you desire. Add white sugar in the ratio of about 1 (rind):0.75 (sugar) and place on a low heat. As the mixture is heated, the sugar will absorb the water from the rind. Cook on a low heat until you see the rinds becoming translucent; don?t over cook! For the best consistency of the syrup, bring the mixture to a temperature of 110 °C (230 °F).
To store for future use, I recommend purchasing glass Kilner jars. Wash the jars in hot water with a liberal amount of washing-up liquid. Then sterilise the jars in boiling water for several minutes to make sure you kill any little microbes that could cause spoilage. Carefully pour the preserves into the hot jars using a wide metal funnel that has also been sterilised in the boiling water. Leave a space at the top of the jar. While you are filling the jar, sterilise one of the sealing lids in the boiling water; place the lid on top and then screw the band down snug, but don?t over tighten. Allow the jars to cool, check to make sure each lid sealed properly and then remove the bands. I ended up with six pots of the preserves and three pots of the left over syrup. The syrup is delicious on waffles.
2 comments
In this way benficial nutrients can be destroyed.
Extra sugar is not good for health find another way. 
It is true that too much sugar in one’s diet is not healthy but the amount of sugar in a serving of these preserves is not that great. The real harm comes from processed foods such as boxed cereals; where the cereal does not even taste sweet and more sugar added; and soda drinks such as Pepsi and Colas.
There is no other way and artificial sweeteners are harmful to health and does not kill bacteria so the preserves would not keep. This post has 5 feedbacks awaiting moderation...