Watermelon Jelly

Yes you read that correctly, watermelon jelly. Shane and I both have become more interested in canning in the past year or so. We like the idea of getting produce when it is fresh and canning it for during the winter. I also like the idea of being able to control all the ingredients I feed my family. Living in an apartment in a large city does restrict our ability to grow lots of our own produce. However, I am learning how to find locally grown produce at a cheap price. When something is in season it is so much cheaper and that is the time to can. At least for our family it is the right time.

A couple weeks ago I saw this recipe for watermelon jelly from Food in Jars. It seemed intriguing to say the least. I'd never heard of watermelon jelly before. But last week when I found watermelon for 9 cents a pound I was ready to try out the recipe. I have made freezer jams many times before in different berry flavors but this was my first try at a jam or jelly that needed to be cooked, canned, and processed in a water bath. It was a bit intimidating for my first try and the smell of the cooking watermelon didn't encourage me at all. So I prepared myself for the worst. But for a dollar worth of watermelon and a couple other ingredients I was not going to worry too much. When we canned the jelly it did not seem like it was going to set however when we came back the next morning all 6 jars had set nicely.

We tasted it on toast with butter and it was really yummy. As you can see in the picture only 5 jars are left. It is refreshing and has a very light flavor. We have plenty for now but I will definitely make it again.