Watermelon Jelly

Hi there.

Several bloggers were interested in my watermelon jelly from a previous post. So here's the info you requested.

Watermelon Jelly Ingredients

• 4 cups of chopped watermelon meat (or 2 cups of watermelon puree)
• 3 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 package of no-sugar pectin

Watermelon Jelly Equipment

• Blender
• Large pots and pans
• Boiling water bath (this type of canning experience in called a bath process instead of using a pressure cooker although there are several recipes which may call for one. But this is the method I use and it has worked swimmingly each time)
• 8 oz. jelly jars for canning (I use Ball or Kerr jars)
• Canning lids and rings

Wash jars thoroughly and set aside along with lids and rings.

Procedure

• Roughly chop the meat of a watermelon into squares. Discard the rind and seeds. You can save the rind to make pickled watermelon rinds, if you'd like. (I've made that before but it is a lot of work)
• Place four cups of chopped watermelon into the blender and process into a puree.
• Four cups of chopped melon should yield about 2 cups of melon puree.
• Pour the 2 cups of melon puree into a large sauce-pot.
• Add lemon juice to the puree.
• Mix 1 cup of the sugar with the package of no-sugar pectin together before you add that to the puree. By doing this step, it prevents the pectin from clumping.
• Add the sugar mixture to puree.
• Stir vigorously to dissolve any lumps in the mixture. Turn on the heat and bring to a boil.
• Once the mixture has reached a rolling boil (this means the boil won't be stirred away), add the remaining sugar.
• Stir vigorously until sugar has dissolved into the jelly.
• Once the watermelon jelly reaches a rolling boil again, set a timer for 2 minutes. Watch this carefully to avoid overflow. 
• Once the 2 minutes are up, lower heat and decant or pour into jars to process.
• Leave 1/4 inch headspace and apply the sterilized lids and rings. Place the jars into the boiling water bath. 
• Set timer for 15 minutes and cover the boiling water with the lid.
• After timer goes off, place jars on a counter to cool overnight. The lids will begin to seal soon after you remove from hot water bath. You may hear a popping sound to signify this..
• If some of the jars do not seal, place in refrigerator for use immediately. It should last for two to three weeks or if your family is like mine, it will be eaten up before you can blind!!

I think if is possible to substitute Cantaloupe or Honey Dew melons in the recipe, if you prefer.

I hope this helps. But if you have further questions, leave a comment and I will attempt to give an intelligent answer....hehehehehe!