Citron melon jam, recipe for a kingly golden spread

Citron melon has a bland taste. Wait! That’s actually good news! The taste you get in your citron melon jam is that of the fruit you mix in.

For this recipe, you will have a tantalizing honey-like taste.

This is actually a jam, since there’s no straining involved. But the result is as clear as jelly, with chunks!

Citron melon jam recipe

Time needed – 2 ½ hours for a whole 15 pound (7 kg) citron melon

• Preparation – 1 hour
• Cooking – 1 ½ hours

Ingredients for 1 kg citron melon

• 750 kg sugar per kilo of fruit
• 1 piece lemon per kilo of fruit (average size)

Materials

• Sturdy, sharp knife
• Cutting board
• 5 regular size jam pots
• Kitchen towel
• Large cooking pot
• Ladle

Steps for cooking citron melon jam

Prepare the fruit

• Peel the fruit. Cut in 1-inch slices (2-3 cm).
• Remove the thin skin from the rind to get a clear jelly.
• Remove the seeds.
• Cut into 1-inch cubes, and put them in a big container or bowl.

Caution: the rind is very hard! Take care to use a knife that won’t bend or snap.

Add the sweet stuff and macerate

• Add white sugar. (Brown sugar might make the jam looks so dark.) 750 grams per kilo of fruit.
• Add lemon juice. 1 lemon per kilo of citron melon fruit.
• Mix them well and let it sit down for 24 hours.

Cooking and boiling

• Cook slowly until enough water has evaporated that it has become thick.
• Stir every 3-5 minutes at the beginning.
• When it starts getting thick, stir every 1-2 minutes to avoid burning the bottom.
• It takes over an hour for most of the water to evaporate. In between stirs, get your pots ready.

Prepare pots for the jelly

While cooking, prepare the pots:

• Boil water in a deep pan.
• Put in the pots including the caps and let it sit for 1 minute.
• Take the pots out and put them on a clean kitchen towel.

Transfer, store and savor!

• To know if the jam is ready, wait until it has a caramel color.
• Then, get a spoon-full and pour it on a plate. Tip the plate vertically. When the jam does not drip easily, you can stop the cooking and transfer them in the pots. It must have a gummy, sticky behavior.
• Another trick is to wait until the bubbling turns noisy and splashy when you stir.

Spread on your favorite bread and enjoy this delicious breakfast or snack!

• Discover other rare and tasty jams: strawberry tree fruit jam and killer orange marmalade
• Related: grow citron melon and a description of what citron melon is