I looked around the site and was surprised that there is not a single recipe for making watermelon honey. This is my favorite delicacy, and when I have a cold, it simply has no equal. I hope it is useful to someone.
Ingredients for Watermelon Honey:
Recipe for “Watermelon honey”:
We will need:
Deep saucepan – 3 pieces
Kitchen paper towels
Aluminum basin with thick bottom
Knife
Tablespoon – 2 pieces
Tolkushka
Sieve
Sterile gauze – 1 meter 20 centimeters
Skimmer
Preparing the watermelon
To begin, place a deep pan of plain water on the stove, set to high heat, and bring it to a boil. We need water in order to process the equipment that we will use while preparing honey with boiling water.
To prepare watermelon honey or, as it is also called, nardek, you need to choose the ripest watermelons of late varieties; such watermelons contain more glucose and sucrose, which during cooking help the watermelon juice become thicker.
First, rinse the watermelons under cold running water and dry with kitchen paper towels.
We take a clean, boiled-water-treated aluminum basin with a thick bottom and, using a knife, cut the watermelon into two halves directly above it, this process is necessary so that every drop of juice is preserved during slicing.
Then take a clean tablespoon, scalded with boiling water, and scoop out the pulp from each half of the watermelon directly into an aluminum bowl.
Take a clean masher, treated with boiling water, and use it to mash the watermelon pulp until pureed.
The watermelon pulp is dented, but there are still seeds in it, which will be completely unnecessary in the honey.
Therefore, we place the same clean strainer on a clean, deep saucepan treated with boiling water and rub all the watermelon pulp through it with a tablespoon, this way we separate the seeds.
We take clean, sterile gauze and, using scissors treated with boiling water, cut off 2 pieces of 60 by 60 centimeters. Fold each piece in half and place a clean tablespoon of watermelon puree on one of them, right in the middle. We connect the edges of the gauze with our hands so that we get a bag, and squeeze the watermelon juice through it directly into an aluminum basin. After all the juice has been squeezed out, throw out the remaining watermelon pulp and place the basin with the juice on the stove, set to high heat. Bring the juice to a boil, stirring vigorously and removing the foam from it using a clean slotted spoon treated with boiling water. Be sure to remove the foam, as all dirt and nitrates are removed with it. There is no need to boil the juice for a long time; after boiling, 2-3 minutes will be enough.
Let the hot watermelon juice cool to room temperature. Take a second piece of gauze and strain the cooled watermelon juice through it directly into a clean, deep saucepan. We remove the gauze with the remnants of watermelon fibers; we will no longer need it, and we pour the juice from the pan into the aluminum basin in which it was boiled and put it on the stove, turned on on low heat.
The second cooking of watermelon juice lasts a very long time - approximately 3 to 6 hours, this process depends on the ripeness of the watermelon and its juiciness. In order to get thick, high-quality honey, cook watermelon juice until excess moisture has evaporated from it. It should become very thick and decrease in volume by about 5-6 times, sometimes even more. During cooking, you must constantly stir the watermelon mass with a slotted spoon at intervals of 5–6 minutes so that the honey being prepared does not burn. The honey will change color and turn light brown.
While the honey is boiling, remembering to stir it periodically, let’s prepare jars for storing it. Take 2 half-liter jars, 2 lids for preservation and a large deep saucepan of about 5 liters, lower the container into it and pour water so that it is 2 fingers above the level of the jars. We put the lids there too. Place a saucepan with jars and lids on the stove, set to high heat, and sterilize the equipment in boiling water for 15 minutes. The time for sterilization of jars and lids is calculated after the water boils. We take out the sterilized jars with tongs along with boiling water and place them on a table previously covered with a waffle towel, and leave them to cool in this form. Leave the lids in a saucepan with boiling water. After the water in the jars has cooled, pour it out, cover the table with a new, clean waffle towel, since the previous towel has been wet from water for a long time, and place the sterilized jars on it, bottom down.
In order to start canning watermelon honey, you need to be sure that it is ready. Take a clean, sterile tablespoon, treated with boiling water, take a small amount of honey into it and drop it onto a cold plate. The drop should be thick, very viscous and not spread all over the plate, or if it spreads a little, then it should do it very slowly. The consistency of finished watermelon honey resembles regular honey or very thick cream. If the mass of honey you prepared is thick and viscous, then it is ready. We turn the sterilized jars upside down, take one and place it in a clean, deep plate treated with boiling water, it is needed so that not a single drop of nardek is lost, the honey from the plate can then be eaten. Using a clean ladle treated with boiling water, scoop honey from the basin and pour it into the jar to the very top. Cover the jar of honey with a sterilized lid, which can be easily removed with a clean hand from water that has long cooled down. Cover the lid with a preservation key and tighten it with the key so that the lid fits tightly to the neck of the jar.
The color of watermelon honey is dark red or even brown, the consistency is viscous, and the taste is very sweet. There is no need to cool the honey under a blanket like any other preserved food; we just put it in a cool place to let it cool.
Nardek or, as it is also called, watermelon honey, served in a bowl with a teaspoon. It can be eaten separately as a snack with tea or coffee, spread on any type of bread, and used in making cakes and pies. Watermelon honey makes an excellent syrup for cakes, pretzels and gingerbread. This honey has medicinal properties and improves digestion; it is often added to baby cereals. Watermelon honey will delight you with its aroma and taste in winter.
− Watermelon honey tolerates storage well; you can not preserve it, but simply tighten the neck of the jars with parchment paper and tie it with an elastic band or twine. It is better to store such honey in a dark, well-ventilated area.
− Watermelon pulp can be ground using a blender or through a manual and electric meat grinder, but before using these units, the manual meat grinder must be boiled for 15-20 minutes in water, and the parts of the blender or electric meat grinder must be thoroughly washed and doused with boiling water.
− If you can’t have a lot of sugar, you are watching your figure or you have diabetes, you should not eat watermelon honey, it contains a lot of sucrose and glucose.
− If you took an unripe watermelon, it can also be used to prepare nardek, but such honey will be a little sour.
− Using the technology described above, you can prepare other types of honey, it can be honey from mulberries, grapes, melons or other sweet fruits. But remember that the fruits you choose should not be sour. Because condensed acid is tasteless and does not curdle well during cooking.
− Carefully monitor the thickening of the juice, mix it thoroughly and often with a slotted spoon so that it does not burn and there is no burning smell in the prepared honey.
− If you don’t have an aluminum basin, no problem, you can use an enamel basin or pan. The main thing is that they have a thick bottom.
Have you ever tried watermelon honey? Surely not. This product can hardly be found on the shelves of regular supermarkets. In any case, I have never had the opportunity to do so. But preparing it yourself is not at all difficult - you will need little active action, you just have to be patient, because... The boiling process will take a lot of time.
The consistency of watermelon honey, or nardek, actually resembles a beekeeping product, but the bees have absolutely nothing to do with it. Therefore, nardek can be eaten even by those who are allergic to honey.
Some sources claim that the Sarepta Germans invented watermelon honey. It was with watermelon honey that the famous Sarepta gingerbreads were baked, which could be stored for years. According to other sources, we owe the invention of this dish to the peoples of Central Asia, from whom the Don Cossacks subsequently adopted the recipe. We can only say for sure that watermelon honey is prepared exactly where watermelons grow in abundance)
“Nardek is a Don dessert, prepared exclusively on the Don by Cossack villages. Nardek is prepared in the fall, when the watermelons are ripe, from which it is prepared in the following way: from ripe, mainly small watermelons, the pulp is hollowed out with spoons, which is then pressed through a sieve. The resulting sweet reddish liquid (syrup) is poured into a cast-iron cauldron, which is boiled in a furnace in the open air until a syrup is obtained, the consistency of which depends on the duration of boiling. The usual thickness of nardek is similar to the consistency of the thickest cream or honey. Nardek is mainly used. Thus, as a dessert and as a food substance at breakfast, at noon, where it is eaten with bread and especially the Don Cossacks love to eat it with crumpets. Eating nardek without habit or in large quantities causes symptoms of acute gastritis in some people, expressed in burning under the stomach. spoon, nausea, and sometimes vomiting. The Don Cossacks and Cossack women who are accustomed to it eat nardek in large quantities without any harm to their health." A.S. Shcherbakov. Magazine "Our Food" 1891.
Traditionally, melon growers prepare watermelon honey late in the fall, when the main harvest of watermelons has already been sold out.
I would hardly have decided to cook nardek, but the watermelon I bought turned out to be not very successful - my husband and I still ate half, and for the second half there were only two options - either go to the trash or become honey) I chose the second option, so Moreover, shortly before this I saw a recipe for watermelon honey on the Food TV channel. True, the author of the recipe added sugar during cooking, but I abandoned this idea. But during cooking I added aromatic herbs that are not used in the traditional recipe.
YOU WILL NEED:
2 kg watermelon
- 2 sprigs of mint
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- time
- patience
Remove the pulp from the watermelon and remove the seeds.
Grind the watermelon pulp in a blender, strain through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.
Pour watermelon juice into a thick saucepan, add mint and thyme.
Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that forms during boiling.
Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the mass is reduced to the concentration of a thick syrup (the volume will decrease by 8-10 times). The color of the finished product is red-brown.
Strain the finished watermelon honey through a strainer into a sterilized jar of the required volume and close with a lid.
Nardek is consumed in the same way as honey. It can be used as a natural sweetener, added to baked goods, or served with pancakes or cheesecakes.
They say that watermelon honey has medicinal properties and can be used as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent in the treatment of certain diseases, but I do not undertake to give advice on a medical topic.
I am sending the recipe to paprika_andlife on FM "Gifts of Autumn",
Properties of nardek (watermelon honey)
How much does nardek (watermelon honey) cost (average price for 1 jar)?
Moscow and Moscow region.
The most fragrant watermelon honey or nardek, which is brewed from the juice of a fully ripened striped berry, is one of the many inventions of the cuisine of Central Asia, which was later adopted by the Don Cossacks. Over time, all melon growers began to prepare nardek (watermelon honey), since preserving the harvest until the new season was a guarantee of a well-fed life for a large family. And today it is brewed in Central Asia, in the south of Russia, as well as in the Lower Volga region.
A distinctive feature of nardek (watermelon honey) is that it is prepared without adding sugar. By the way, close relatives of this product are considered to be bekmes (grape honey), irchal (bekmes, but with berries), and also cue (honey made from fruits with added sugar). The word “nardek” itself is characterized by Turkish origin, where “nardak” means syrup made from pomegranate juice.
The modern use of nardek (watermelon honey) is quite extensive - this product is usually used as a delicious dessert, served with hot drinks instead of jam or preserves. In Cossack villages, for example, nardek (watermelon honey) is poured over pancakes, pancakes, casseroles, crumpets, and is often eaten with a piece of fresh bread. In addition, this thick syrup can be used as a filling for baking pies, cheesecakes, cookies, or candied watermelon can be made from it.
Traditionally, nardek (watermelon honey) in Cossack villages was prepared in late autumn - a time when the main harvest of watermelons was already sold out. From small pot-bellied berries, which were cut in half, the juicy pulp was taken out with spoons and passed through a fine hair sieve. The resulting watermelon juice was poured into a large cast-iron vat, which was placed on an open fire. This juice had to be boiled until it turned into a thick brown syrup with a characteristic watermelon aroma.
Moreover, interestingly, the thickness of nardek (watermelon honey) was determined by the duration of boiling: as a rule, the consistency of the syrup was similar to young honey. The finished product was then poured into glass jars and sealed for the winter or stored in clay pots in a cool basement.
The calorie content of nardek (watermelon honey), surprisingly, is low, even though it contains up to 60% sugar. At the same time, the nutritional value of the product is only 110 kcal, which are present in 100 grams of this aromatic dessert. That is why the use of nardek is recommended even for patients with diabetes. In addition, watermelon honey helps with colds - you can gargle with it when you have a sore throat.
Calorie content of nardek (watermelon honey) 110 kcal
Energy value of nardek (watermelon honey) (Ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates - bju).
Nardek is the name given to aromatic watermelon honey made from overripe striped berries. It is believed that nardek is an invention of Central Asian cuisine, later adopted by the Don Cossacks. Over time, almost all melon growers began to make watermelon honey, because the preservation of the harvest until the next year guaranteed the well-being of a large family. Today, watermelon honey is brewed not only in South Asia, but also in the south of Russia, as well as in the Lower Volga region.
Nardek is the result of the folk experience of the Central Asian peoples. For a long time, the annual harvest of watermelons was so huge that they had to be somehow stored for the winter. It was impossible to eat the entire harvest of watermelons, and watching it disappear was also not a good thing. Striped berries were dried, salted, and candied fruits and watermelon honey were made from them.
At its core, nardek is a thick boiled syrup from juice and pulp, obtained by boiling over an open fire. The main difference between watermelon honey and many other sweet treats is that it is prepared without sugar.
Sometimes watermelon honey called bekmes, but this is not entirely correct. Bekmes (grape honey) is a close relative of nardek, as is irchal (bekmes with added berries) and kiya (fruit honey with sugar. The word “nardek” itself is of Turkish origin, meaning pomegranate juice syrup.
APPLICATION
Most often, nardek is consumed as a flavorful dessert served with tea instead of jam or preserves.
In Cossack villages, nardek is poured over pancakes and casseroles and crumpets, or simply eaten with a piece of freshly baked bread. Watermelon honey is also used as a filling for pies, cheesecakes, and cookies. Candied watermelon is also made from nardek.
To quench your thirst, you can dilute nardek with water and get a delicious natural drink.
For the treatment and prevention of liver diseases watermelon honey add to oat broth.
To treat kidneys and gastrointestinal diseases, nardek is added to tea or special decoctions.
A decoction of rose hips with watermelon honey is an excellent preventive measure for cardiovascular diseases.
Watermelon honey with onion juice and apple cider vinegar will help cure even an old cough.
COOKING
Cooking of nardek begins in late autumn, when the main harvest of striped berries has already been sold. From small watermelons cut in half, the juicy pulp is taken out with a spoon, which is passed through a fine hair sieve. The resulting liquid is poured into a cast iron vat and placed on an open fire in the yard. The juice is simmered until it turns into a thick brown syrup that smells like watermelon.
The thickness of watermelon honey depends on the cooking time. As a rule, its consistency is similar to thick cream or young honey. The finished nardek is poured into containers, most often into glass jars or clay pots. You can store nardek in a cool basement or refrigerator.
BENEFIT
Nardek contains vitamins and beneficial elements that are found in watermelon itself. These are vitamins C and PP, B and E, as well as beta-carotene, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid and pectin.
useful for bronchitis and laryngitis, diseases of the cardiovascular system. It treats colds and restores stomach function, increases hemoglobin levels and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the liver and kidneys.
When the harvest ripens, you want to preserve it completely until the coldest weather and not miss a single berry, fruit or vegetable. But what to do if you are already tired of the usual preservation and want something new - of course, make honey from watermelon, the recipe for which you will find here. We offer you only a proven method of preparing this wonderful preparation for the winter, which will delight both friends and loved ones.
To make watermelon honey we only need one ingredient - ripe sweet watermelons and nothing else, no sugar, no additional spices or seasonings.
So, how to make such an incredibly tasty and simple delicacy for the whole family?
Watermelon honey
It doesn’t matter how much raw material we have, we still don’t need to observe any proportions.
How to make honey: step by step description
Step 1
Carefully wash 2-3 large watermelons with a sponge, wipe them dry with a towel and prepare a large enamel basin or pan. We cut the watermelons into halves immediately above the dishes so as not to lose a single drop of juice - we only need it.
There we scrape out all the pulp with a spoon along with the seeds. We remove the crusts, we won’t need them anymore (they can be used for cooking), and rub the pulp through a sieve or large sieve to remove the seeds. We also throw them away.
Step 2
The mashed puree must now be squeezed out. This process is not quick, so be patient.
- We take gauze, fold it into two or three layers depending on the density and squeeze out the pureed pulp in small portions.
- We put a few tablespoons of it in the very center of the cut and twist the fabric into a bag, squeezing the juice into another clean container in which we will boil our honey.
If you put a large portion into a piece of gauze, you will not be able to squeeze out all the juice, and strong twisting may tear the fabric.
Step 3
- When all the pulp has been processed, put the resulting juice on the fire.
- Bring it to a boil, hold it for literally 2-3 minutes and turn it off. There is no need to boil it for a long time during the first cooking.
- Let the juice cool so that your hand can tolerate it, and pass it through the cheesecloth again. We wring out the same as the first time, but we take the fabric in 3-4 layers to retain very small fragments.
The resulting juice must be completely clean of foreign inclusions - this is the key to the quality of future honey.
Step 4
Now let the juice boil. The process takes from 3 to 6 hours, depending on the quality of the pulp. If the watermelon was very ripe and sweet, thickening will occur quite quickly due to the high content of glucose and sucrose in it.
Cook the juice without a lid over very low heat, from time to time, every 6-7 minutes, stirring it with a wooden spatula or spoon. It is also necessary to remove the foam - we don’t need it in honey.
Step 5
While cooking is taking place, prepare jars for storage. Since honey will boil down 5-7 times and turn out very sweet, you will need very small jars - 0.5 liters in volume or even less.
We boil such a small container as follows: put it in a saucepan along with the lids and fill it with water on your finger. Place on the fire and bring to a boil. We keep the jars like this for 15 minutes, and then take them out with tongs onto a clean, ironed towel upside down and let them dry.
Step 6
We check whether the honey is ready as follows: drop it onto a plate or saucer. If the drop is thick and dense, similar in color and consistency to ordinary buckwheat honey, that is, it spreads slowly and is terracotta or brown in color, then it is ready.
Pour the honey into jars and cover with clean lids. We turn our jars over and wrap them, as usual, until they cool completely. Then we put the honey in the cellar.
Now you know how to make honey from watermelon so that it turns out thick, sweet and very tasty. There is no difficulty in this, but this preparation will require a lot of time and patience.
If you want to surprise your guests with a beautiful and practical cut, use the advice of our chef.
