recipe
Jams and Jellies

Zesty Watermelon Jelly

Lemon grass adds a fresh scent to this beautiful pink jelly. If you enjoy watermelon in the summertime, you’ll love this unique jelly any time of year.

Ingredients:

  • 6 cups (1500 ml) chopped watermelon, rind removed
  • 1/2 cup (125 ml) white balsamic vinegar, white wine, or apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tbsp (60 ml) lemon juice
  • 5 cups (1250 ml) granulated sugar
  • 1 stem lemon grass, chopped
  • 2 pouches (170 ml) BERNARDIN® Liquid Pectin

Directions:


  • Place 5 clean 250 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Keep jars hot until ready to use.

  • Preheating Bernardin® lids is not advised. The sealing compound used for our home canning lids performs better at room temperature than it does pre-heated in simmering water (180°F). Simply wash lids in hot, soapy water, dry, and set aside until needed. Preheating can lead to less vacuum being achieved during water bath canning, and to buckle failures during pressure canning.

  • Chop enough watermelon pulp to measure 6 cups (1500 ml); place in saucepan. Cover and heat gently on medium-low heat, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; thoroughly crush.

  • Pour prepared watermelon into dampened Jelly Bag or cheese cloth-lined sieve suspended over a deep container. Let juice drip undisturbed at least 2 hours or overnight. For quicker results, squeeze bag; juice maybe cloudy.

  • Measure 2 cups (500 ml) watermelon juice. If you do not have the required amount, crush more watermelon or add up to ¼ cup (50 ml) unsweetened white grape juice. Transfer watermelon juice into a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, all the sugar and lemon grass. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add liquid pectin, squeezing entire contents from pouch. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam, if necessary. Discard lemon grass.

  • Quickly pour hot jelly into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more jelly. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre  disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining jelly.

  • When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process –boil filled jars – 10 minutes.*

  • When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

  • After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year.

PRINTER FRIENDLY RECIPE

Reviews

October 6, 2017

Cindy

Cambridge, Ontario

I love this recipe. I was sad when I didn't see it in this years 2017 Bernardin book. Glad to find online though