Candied melon for the winter at home, recipes with photos, how to cook, video

It is very pleasant to enjoy a sweet juicy melon. And its taste is extraordinary, and its aroma is rich. The honey smell spreads throughout the house. Take a bite and the juice will squirt out. Enjoy every bite you eat. And you think about how to preserve such deliciousness for the winter cold. Melon is a very capricious lady. It is difficult to store for a long time. It deteriorates quickly. But you can make candied fruits. They came out wonderful from watermelon rinds. We should try making it now from yellow-green peels.

But the yellow beauty is valuable not only for its taste. It has many beneficial properties for our body. By consuming it, we replenish our body with vitamins, minerals and other substances necessary for health. It contains a lot of fiber, which has a positive effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. The presence of potassium, sodium and magnesium helps strengthen the cardiovascular system. It calms the nerves, removes salts and sand from the kidneys, and improves immunity. But everything is good in moderation. This also applies to our resident of sunny regions.

Benefits are benefits, but you need to understand that there are limitations. A high percentage of sucrose is dangerous for diabetics. And if you have inflammation of the stomach or intestines, if you are breastfeeding, or if you are intolerant of certain components, you should not eat it. I hope that you approach your own nutrition wisely. And by eating 2-3 tasty slices, you will not harm your own health.

Well, I’ll continue and tell you how I prepared candied fruits from this honey product. By the way, this sweet dish can be prepared from any part of this culture. And if you cook from the pulp, then the fruit must be unripe. Then, when cooking, the pieces will not turn into porridge. But I only used the part close to the peel. The rest have already been eaten.

Storage period and conditions

As a rule, the shelf life of candied melon is on average no more than a year. However, candied fruits can last for so long only if all necessary storage requirements are met.

Did you know? Just 2000 years ago, melon was grown as a delicacy only in Egypt, and today there are more than 300 varieties of this delicacy in the world.

The most important of them are as follows:

The product must be stored exclusively in a dry place;
the room temperature should not exceed +15°C;
Candied fruits should be carefully protected from direct sunlight.

Based on these characteristics, the best place to store candied fruits is the refrigerator or any cool, dry place - a basement, pantry or balcony.

It is equally important to choose the right container for storing oriental sweets - it must protect them from moisture. . The most suitable containers for storing the product are:

The most suitable containers for storing the product are:

glass jar with lid;
vacuum container;
Vacuum package.

Important! To store candied fruits, you must choose a room with low humidity.

-
no higher than 50%, otherwise the sweets will quickly stick together and lose their taste and presentable appearance.
Popular today, candied fruits are widely used as a decorative decoration for various confectionery products or as a dough filler. You can prepare these unique melon candies yourself at home and enjoy the tasty and healthy delicacy all year round.

Candied fruits from the dense part of the melon

Despite the fact that candied fruits retain less beneficial properties, their advantages are obvious. In addition to the fact that they can completely replace the usual sweets, candied melons are also recommended to be used to increase immunity during epidemics of infectious diseases, as well as for those who suffer from cardiovascular diseases. Of course, everything needs moderation: two or three candied fruits a day will be enough.

Preparing the melon

Many chefs offering recipes for candied melon claim that any fruit will do, even overripe ones. This is wrong! The melon must be fresh, unless, of course, you want to get a strange mush instead of melon sweets.

The processing process itself is simple: the melon is cleared of seeds, separated from the peel and - most importantly! – from the softest part of the pulp (the one closest to the core). For candied fruits, take the densest fragments of the fruit. The slices themselves are cut in such a way that they are “one bite”.

Preparation of syrup

Sugar syrup for candied melon is usually prepared in a large, heavy saucepan. The amount of sugar and water is taken in a ratio of 3:1 - this only applies to those recipes where candied fruits are prepared from pulp.

Bring the water and sugar mixture to a boil and carefully add the melon slices to the syrup so that it completely covers them. . Then there are two cooking options:

Then there are two cooking options:

In the first case, the melon is cooked over low heat for about an hour, stirring constantly. With this option, you need to watch the slices very carefully - they should become transparent, but not fall apart.
The second method will take a little more time, but it is more “safe”. Cook the slices for five minutes over medium or high heat, then remove from the stove and cool. The process is repeated several times until the melon has completely absorbed the syrup. In this case, you will be able to completely control the process.

If the sugar syrup is too liquid, the candied fruit will spoil very quickly, and if you overdo it with sugar, the fruit will lose its elasticity and density.

Final stage

The easiest way to dry candied melon for the winter is to use the oven. The baking sheet must be covered with paper (otherwise it will be impossible to tear off the candied pieces), remove the melon slices from the pan using a slotted spoon and place them on the paper so that they do not stick to each other. The ideal temperature for drying is 100 degrees, but the time varies depending on your oven.

The candied fruits are removed from the paper immediately after you take them out of the oven.

Fresh candied melons have one property - they strongly stick to any surface. Therefore, you need to contrive and quickly transfer them to a dish. Do not use a spatula - the melon will easily stick to it - it is best to use a wide knife.

If the last melon slices still cannot be removed, then put them back in the oven for a few minutes and then remove.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=o8HU18FzAyU%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Preparing candied fruits

You can get candied fruits as beautiful as in the store if you follow these steps step by step:

In the evening, cook the syrup.
Pour the melon pieces into a saucepan with hot syrup and, uncovered, leave overnight. You can cover the top with gauze or a sieve.
In the morning, pour the syrup into another pan and put it on the stove. It must boil for some time so that the juice that comes out of the melon (and there is quite a lot of it) evaporates.
When the syrup volume has reduced to its original volume, pour the melon pieces into the pan and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat. The time is counted after the syrup boils.
Next, remove the pan from the stove and leave it, along with all its contents, for 3–8 hours. The longer, the better the melon is soaked in syrup.
After the specified time has passed, the procedure is repeated. Three or four repetitions are usually enough. At the last stage, citric acid is added. The readiness of candied fruits is determined by their appearance - as soon as the pieces become glass-transparent, it’s time to finish cooking.
Remove the finished candied fruits with a slotted spoon and place in a colander to get rid of any remaining syrup.

After a few hours you can start drying. Dry candied melons in the oven at a temperature of about 50°C. You can also use an electric dryer or simply direct a stream of air from a fan onto a baking sheet with pieces.
Dried candied fruits are rolled in powdered sugar so that they are not sticky.

We recommend: How to properly peel pine nuts?

Preparing candied melon takes about 2 days, but the process itself only takes 1.5–2 hours. By the way, making this delicacy with your own hands is not only simple, but also profitable - the cost of a kilogram of the finished product is much lower than when purchased in a store.

Candied melon at home - useful tips and tricks

You can make candied fruits from the pulp of a ripe, but dense and very sweet melon, without using sugar. Cut dense pieces of pulp, place them in a saucepan (preferably in a slow cooker) without water and simmer under a closed lid. After five minutes, drain the fruits through a colander. Place the pieces on a baking sheet and leave to dry at room temperature. Drain the juice into a separate bowl. Simmer the cooled melon pieces again for the same amount of time. Drain the juice again. After the third time, pour all the separated juice into the pan and cook until the syrup becomes thick. Place pieces of boiled melon into boiling melon syrup and bring to a boil. Repeat this operation the next day. Dry the finished candied fruits and place them in a jar with a tight-fitting lid.
Candied fruits make wonderful decorations for cakes, pies, and desserts. If you like to bake, then when preparing candied fruits, think in advance about the cutting shapes, which will come in handy later when decorating. The melon can be cut into shaped cookie cutters, or you can use carving knives. These will be ready-made decorations that will only need to be placed on the surface of the fruit cake.

Candied melon peels

We figured out how to cook with melon. But there is another recipe that uses not the pulp of the fruit, but its crust.

The recipe does not differ too much from the original, the technology remains the same: cooking in syrup - drying, but some nuances still exist. To prepare candied melon rinds, you need:

before cooking, be sure to blanch the crusts in water with lemon juice or 0.5 teaspoon of baking soda for several minutes,
sugar syrup is prepared in a ratio of not 1:3, but 1:1, and the crusts are boiled two or three times with an interval of 8-10 hours (!),
The oven is heated minimally - 40-50 degrees will be enough.

You should enjoy candied fruits, regardless of whether you used the pulp or the rinds, a few days after preparation.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

You can make candied fruits from the pulp and rind of melon, so choose a dense fruit, or maybe slightly unripe. Quality is determined by external characteristics:

surface without dents, signs of rotting, stains;
the stalk is green or brown;
in the receptacle area the structure is dense. If the top is soft, then the melon is overripe. During heat treatment, the workpiece will lose its shape.

The variety and taste of melon does not matter for the preparation of candied fruits.

Preparation of raw materials:

Wash the fruit and remove moisture with a kitchen towel or napkin.
Divide into two parts, clear of seeds and fibers around them.
Use a vegetable peeler to remove a thin layer of peel.
Cut into slices of approximately 5 cm. Each of them is divided into cubes with a knife.
For the candied peel recipe, the top layer is removed when the seeds are removed and all the pulp is scooped out with a spoon.

If the flesh is thick, cut off the rind with a knife.

Homemade candied melon

There are two ways to prepare delicious candied fruits at home:

traditional - boil in sugar syrup;
modern - dry in the sun, in an electric dryer or oven.

Those who do not consume sugar will appreciate the second method, in which the product retains a maximum of beneficial vitamins and minerals.

Candied fruits in sugar syrup

Ingredients:

melon – 1 kg;
granulated sugar – 1-1.5 kg;
water – 2 tbsp.;
citric acid – 1 tsp.

Preparation:

Wash the fruit, cut in half, remove the core. Divide into slices and cut off the peel. Cut the pulp into 2-3 cm cubes or thin strips.
Place the pieces in a saucepan with a thick bottom, pour boiling water over them so that the water completely covers the melon. Simmer over low heat for 5 minutes. Then drain in a colander and rinse.
For sugar syrup: add sugar to water, stirring, bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Make sure that the grains are completely dissolved. Cool the syrup, put the melon in it and leave for 10-12 hours.
Boil the slices in syrup three times. Bring to a boil each time and cook for 5 minutes. During cooking, do not stir the contents of the pan, but shake the container from time to time so that the syrup evenly coats the slices.
During the third cooking, add citric acid to the syrup. To enrich the taste, stir in vanilla or cinnamon.
When the melon pieces become elastic and transparent, remove the container from the heat and leave to steep for eight hours.
Remove the candied fruits with a slotted spoon and place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper at a short distance from each other. This way they won't stick together.

You can dry candied fruits on the balcony or in a room with good ventilation. Turn the slices over periodically and change the parchment paper at the same time. They will be ready in seven days.

To speed up the process, place the baking sheets in the oven. Preheat it and then turn it off. Mix dried candied fruits with powdered sugar, dry for 2-3 hours and place in glass jars with lids.

Important! There is one more recipe. For syrup, instead of water, use dessert wine, martini, cognac, brandy

The cooking process is no different from the classic one. The peculiarity is that the melon pieces remain dense during cooking and acquire a unique aroma.

Drying candied fruits

Drying or drying melon is a more dietary and natural way of preparing candied fruits. Hot summer days are the ideal time to dry fruit. Plus, this is the easiest recipe. After 3-4 days, candied fruits can be removed from the baking sheets and placed in storage containers.

A gas or electric oven is also suitable for drying melons:

Preheat it to a temperature of 120°C, place the baking sheets with the prepared melon, and open the door slightly.
After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 90°C and dry for 5-6 hours.
Turn the pieces over periodically.

An electric dryer is a miracle device that allows you to prepare a variety of delicacies while preserving the maximum beneficial properties of the product:

Place the slices on trays, heat the device to 70°C and leave for 10-12 hours.
Change trays during cooking as the temperature below is higher.
Periodically turn off the dryer for 10-15 minutes to avoid overheating.
The maximum operating time without stopping is 10 hours. Keep an eye on the slices; you may need to reduce the drying time.

Candied melon in the oven

To prepare you will need:

melon pulp - 500 g
sugar - 300 g
water - 100 ml

Preparation

To prepare candied fruits, take an unripe melon, or even a slightly underripe one. Peel the pulp and cut into small cubes.

Prepare syrup from sugar and water. As soon as it boils, place the melon sticks in it and cook for 5-7 minutes. Cool.

Repeat 5-6 more times until there is no liquid left. After cooling, spread the candied melons in 1 layer on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. and dry for 1 hour at 100°C.

Let the finished candied fruits cool. If desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar and starch to prevent the candied fruits from sticking together. Store in a dry, cool place.

Use in cooking

Candied melons are an excellent alternative to candies and other confectionery sweets. They can be eaten as a snack with tea or coffee, and can also be used as a dessert.

In addition, candied melon goes well with fermented milk products. They can be added to cottage cheese and homemade yogurt. Also, candied melon will help diversify the taste of baked goods and give it a unique aroma.

How to make candied melon

In industrial production, candied melon is produced by boiling slices of fully ripened fruit in sugar syrup. After this they are thoroughly dried. Unscrupulous manufacturers often use dyes and flavors to give the delicacy a more attractive appearance and taste. However, candied fruits can be prepared without any problems at home - fortunately, for this you only need a ripe (but not overripe) melon, water, citric acid and sugar.

For one kilogram of melon you need to take 1.2-1.5 kilograms of sugar, two glasses of water and one teaspoon of citric acid.

Wash the melon, cut it in half, remove the core. Cut into slices, then thinly cut off the skin and cut the pulp into pieces two to three centimeters long.

Place the slices in the pan. Pour boiling water until the melon is completely covered with water. Heat it in boiling water for five minutes.

After this, discard the future candied fruits in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Boil sugar syrup. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for a quarter of an hour

Please note that the sugar must be completely dissolved. Cool and immerse melon slices in it for ten hours

The next step is boiling the melon in syrup three times. Each time you should bring it to a boil, boil for five minutes, turn off the gas and let the future delicacy brew for eight hours. Please note that you should not stir the contents of the pan; it is better to shake the container periodically so that all the slices are immersed in the syrup.

During the last cooking, add acid to the lemon. You can also diversify the taste with cinnamon or vanilla.

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After the third cooking, the melon slices should become transparent and elastic. Remove them from the pan and place them on a flat surface lined with parchment paper. Please note that the candied fruits should not touch to prevent them from sticking together.

Candied melon will take quite a long time to dry, about seven days. Your candied fruit will be most comfortable in a well-ventilated area. Periodically, the slices should be turned over and the parchment replaced with a new one. To speed up the process somewhat, candied fruits can be briefly placed in a well-heated oven - but only with the gas turned off.

When the candied fruits are dry, sprinkle them with powdered sugar, dry them for a few more hours and place them in a glass jar with a lid. Homemade candied melon should be stored in the refrigerator.

If you wish, you can prepare not just candied, but candied melon in alcohol. To do this, when preparing syrup, instead of two glasses of water, take a glass of water and a glass of any alcohol-containing drink: vodka, dessert wine or martini. Please note that in this case, your candied fruits will not only acquire a specific aroma, but will also be denser, since it will prevent the melon from boiling.

Briefly about the main thing

First of all, let's define the terminology: candied fruits are fruits (or their skins) that have been made by boiling in sugar syrup and then dried. If dried fruits are usually used to make compotes or add them to desserts, then candied melon can completely replace sweets.

Despite the fact that there are a huge number of specialized and ordinary stores that offer ready-made candied fruits, their purchase still raises doubts. Most ready-made candied fruits are highly processed, the bright aroma is not natural, but an ordinary culinary flavor; the taste also leaves much to be desired - the sweet slices are simply rubbery.

If you make candied melon at home, you can be sure of both the quality of the original product and its harmlessness (see jam made from watermelon rinds with lemon for the winter).

Description

Candied melon is a wonderful homemade all-natural treat. You can prepare candied fruits from any fruit, just like berries. In each individual case, only the amount of sugar and drying time will vary. Homemade candied fruits turn out to be the most delicious, because no additional flavors or dyes are involved in their preparation. This simple photo recipe will tell you step by step how to prepare candied melon at home.

Why are these candied fruits so unusual? Firstly, we will prepare them not from ripe melon, but also from green one. This fact will provide us with a dense structure of the finished candied fruits. And secondly, even green melon has a more expressive and persistent aroma. It will be a pleasure to add aromatic candied melon to the cereal. We will prepare today's candied fruits in an electric dryer; the principle of drying such a treat in the oven is completely different. It is worth considering this fact if you decide to prepare such candied fruits yourself without a dryer. Let's get started creating this simple treat at home.

Homemade candied melon, real honey melon

Product composition:

Melon pulp 1.5 kg

Honey, buckwheat 700 g

Citric acid 20-25 g

Cooking method:

For the recipe you will need two small melons: one is very ripe and soft, the other is slightly unripe.

Grind the ripe melon and squeeze out the juice through gauze folded in several layers. Cut the second fruit, denser, into slices - cook candied fruits from it.

Boil the melon juice until the volume is reduced by 5 times. Combine with honey and cook thick syrup. During cooking, constantly skim off the foam - the syrup should be transparent.

Next, prepare the candied fruits using the technology described in the basic technological principles.