Hi Courtney, I’ve amalgamated your 2 comments into this one as otherwise I’d be getting 2 x 2 star ratings from the same person which isn’t fair as your are one person. I’m sorry you didn’t get on with the recipe. With any jam you do need to keep boiling until the jam passes the chilled plate test and not pot up before that is reached. With regards to the sugar content, your watermelon may have been sweeter than the one I used or a different variety.

The recipe never thickened, not even a little. In the picture, it looked like it at least stayed in place on the plate. No matter how long I cooked it, it stayed the consistency of water. And I followed the recipe/instructions to the letter. 450 grams of sugar was WAY too much. It was sickeningly sweet. Even my kids wouldn’t eat it.

Hi Darlene, it’s never a good idea to double jam recipes as it really increases the boiling time needed to evaporate the water content from the fruit. You should have boiled until you got a crinkle and the time needed most likely doubled. There’s no gin in this recipe but white rum which goes really well and brings out the flavour of the watermelon. I wouldn’t advise using gin in this recipe. This jam is not a firm set jam as you can see from the photographs but it’s not a liquid either. You may need to reboil to get to setting point if you didn’t get that far. When going off piste with a jam recipe a digital thermometer comes in handy as you can gauge when to test for set when the jam gets to 104 – 105.5 C.

In reply to Veronica Bullard.

try adding another teaspoon of lemon juice to the batch! always use fresh squeezed because the pulp in the lemon juice is where a lot of pectin is. add a teaspoon of butter at the second time you boil after you add the sugar. this will prevent foaming and clarify the jam [gramma’s secret trick].
you can also slice an apple in fourths [around the core] and steep it in the jam on the second boil [imparts little flavor and adds a LOT of pectin] just make sure there are no apple seeds when you boil. remove the large slices and proceed to jarring.

good luck! i really hope you can enjoy this delightful recipe!

Hi Retsuko, can I ask if you followed the recipe as written?

Sadly, same. It’s all syrup in jars, with separation. I will be reprocessing it with pectin once I get some in an attempt to save it.

Hi Veronica, could you clarify if you followed my recipe as written whereby you carry on boiling the jam until a crinkle forms on a chilled plate or did you try to convert this to a canning process? I only ask as you say “the lids sealed beautifully” which has no bearing on whether or not a jam is ready. I’d also point out that the jam will look just like it does in the photos, it’s not a thick, stiff jam as you can see on the Scotch pancakes. Adding the rum is my favourite version.

Gosh I literally had heart failure then. It’s there in the recipe, 450 grams.

Glad you like it:-)

Watermelon jam, why didn’t anyone think of that before 🙂 Thank you for posting.

Hi Sarah, the first jam I ever made was with jam sugar that contains pectin and I just disliked the firm texture that it gave. Lemons are natural and the juice gives a softer set in jams that need additional pectin (lemon juice doesn’t contain pectin but it aids in the gelling process). Lemons are also cheaper than buying manufactured pectin and they’re kinder to the environment as not packaging to dispose of.

Thank you Jere, I’m sure you’ll love it:-)

This watermelon jam is a must-try, I can only imagine what it tastes like especially with the rum.

That makes me so happy Sara, so glad you all liked my Watermelon Jam:-)

Delicious summer jam! Easy to make recipe and loved the flavors. Kids want to make another batch!

Thank you Liz, it’s a great way to prolong the summer:-)

I have never made watermelon jam before, but what a great idea! Who doesn’t love watermelon?!

Thank you Choclette, it’s a lovely change from the usual:-)

I’m completely intrigued by the concept of watermelon jam. And I love the idea of a rum version. What a fabulous recipe.

Hi Ina, I have made Rhubarb & Gin Jam which was delicious. It had a sort of “clean” flavour, so it could work here but I couldn’t vouch for it 100% as I haven’t tried it. But do let me know how you get on if you try it!