project 185....watermelon jam with chillies

I made some watermelon jam the other day, and decided the next batch was going to get some bite!  The sweetness asked for some chillies......my own crazy idea!  But it worked!

You need the peels of the watermelon cut into small 0.5x0.5cm squares.  Soak overnight in a slaked lime solution of 5ml slaked lime added to every litre of water.  The next morning drain it, and soak it for two hours in clean water.

Weigh your fruit pieces and cook it in clean water until you can stick a match through it.  Add 3 copper coins to the pot.  Wash them properly before adding.  This helps to make the fruit clearer, and it really works.  I made a batch without adding them to the water, and you can see the difference.

In the meanwhile cook 1 litre of water with 1 kg of sugar for every kg of fruit in another pot for about 5 minutes.

When the fruit is soft, add it to the syrup with a thumb size fresh ginger cut into slices and a fresh chillie or two depending on your taste.  I used one only...I had about 1kg of fruit.  It gave it a definate bite, but not overwhelming.

Cook your fruit in the syryp until reaching softball stadium.  Your fruit will become clear and almost seethrough.  Bottle warm and seal immediately.