Watermelon honey nardek. Watermelon honey - nardek (no sugar)

When the harvest ripens, I want to keep it completely until the very cold weather and not miss a single berry, not a single fruit or vegetable. But what to do if the usual preservation is already tired and you want something new - of course, make honey from watermelon, the recipe of 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 honey from watermelon, we need only one ingredient - ripe sweet watermelons and nothing else, no sugar, no additional spices or seasonings.

So, how to make such an unusually tasty and simple treat for the whole family?

honey from watermelon

No matter how much raw material we have, no proportions need to be observed anyway.

How to make honey: step by step description

Step 1

Thoroughly wash 2-3 large watermelons with a sponge, wipe them dry with a towel and prepare a large enameled bowl 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 bones. We remove the crusts, we will no longer need them (can be used for cooking), and rub the pulp through a sieve or a large sieve to remove the bones. We also throw them away.

Step 2

The mashed puree must now be squeezed out. This process is not fast, so please be patient.

• We take gauze, fold it into two or three layers, depending on the density, and squeeze the rubbed pulp in small portions.
• We put it in the very center of the cut, a few tablespoons each, and twist the fabric with a bag, squeezing the juice into another clean bowl, in which we will boil our honey.

If you put a large portion in a gauze cut, it will not be possible to squeeze out the juice completely, and strong twisting can tear the fabric.

Step 3

• When all the pulp is processed, put the resulting juice on the fire.
• Bring it to a boil, hold for literally 2-3 minutes and turn it off. In the first brew, boiling it for a long time is useless.
• We give the juice to cool so that the hand endures, and re-pass through cheesecloth. We wring out the same way as for the first time, but we take the fabric in 3-4 layers to hold very small fragments.

The resulting juice must be completely clean from foreign inclusions - this is the key to the quality of future honey.

Step 4

Now we put the juice to 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 pass quickly enough 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 do not need it in honey.

Step 5

While cooking is in progress, prepare jars for storage. Since honey will boil down 5-7 times and turn out to be very sweet, you will need very small jars - 0.5 liters or even less.

We boil such a small container as follows: put it in a saucepan with lids and fill it with water on your finger. Put on fire and bring to a boil. We hold the jars in this way for 15 minutes, and then take them out with tongs on a clean, ironed towel upside down and let dry.

Step 6

We check whether the honey is ready as follows: drip on 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 honey into jars and close it with clean lids. We turn our jars over and wrap them, as usual, until they cool completely. Then we remove the honey in the cellar.

Now you know how to make honey from watermelon to make it thick, sweet and very tasty. There is no difficulty in this, but this blank will require a lot of time and patience.

If you want to surprise your guests with beautiful and practical cuts, take the advice of our chef.

Nardeka properties (watermelon honey)

How much does nardek (watermelon honey) cost (average price for 1 ban.)?

Moscow and Moscow region

The fragrant watermelon honey or nardek, which is brewed from the juice of a fully ripened striped berry, is one of the numerous inventions of the cuisine of Central Asia, which was later adopted by the Don Cossacks. Over time, all melon growers began to prepare nardeq (watermelon honey), since the preservation of the crop 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 territory of the Lower Volga region.

A distinctive feature of nardek (watermelon honey) is that it is prepared without adding sugar. By the way, bekmes (grape honey), irchal (bekmes, but with berries), as well as cue (fruit-based honey with added sugar) are considered close relatives of this product. The word "nardek" itself is characterized by Turkish origin, where "nardak" means pomegranate juice syrup.

The modern use of nardek (watermelon honey) is quite extensive - this product is usually used as a fragrant dessert, which is served with hot drinks instead of jam or preserves. In Cossack villages, for example, pancakes, pancakes, casseroles, donuts are poured with nardek (watermelon honey), and they often eat it with a slice of fresh bread. In addition, this thick syrup can be used as a filling for baking pies, cheesecakes, cookies, or to make candied watermelon based on it.

Traditionally, nardek (watermelon honey) in the Cossack villages was prepared in late autumn - the time when the main harvest of watermelons was already sold out. From medium-sized 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 aroma of watermelon.

And, interestingly, the density of nardeka (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 Nardeka (watermelon honey) is surprisingly 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 fragrant dessert. That is why the use of nardec is recommended even for patients with diabetes. In addition, watermelon honey helps with colds - they can gargle with sore throat.

Calorie content of Nardeka (watermelon honey) 110 kcal

Energy value of nardek (watermelon honey) (Proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates - bzhu).

Every person from childhood knows about the beneficial properties of honey and its unsurpassed aroma! What kind of varieties you will not meet! This is buckwheat honey, and honey from acacia, herbs, May! But, unfortunately, not everyone can appreciate its amazing sweet taste, because honey can cause allergies.

Below you will get acquainted with an equally valuable product, to which bees are not related, but still it is commonly called watermelon honey. This wonderful delicacy appeared in Central Asia, and later, thanks to its healing properties, it spread throughout the world under the official name "Nardek".

Outwardly, this fragrant goodness really looks like natural bee honey with its viscous consistency and bronze luster. But it is not bees that get it, but caring housewives - like a storehouse of vitamins for their family!

There is really something to be said about the properties of the healing delicacy.

Such honey retains all the benefits of ripe berries and fills the body with vitamins P, E, enriches with microelements such as magnesium, beta-carotene, calcium and many others. Its use, in turn, is not only prevention, but also a way to treat cardiovascular diseases, oncology, bronchitis, anemia, and viral infections. Strengthens the immune system, improves overall tone and appetite, helps cleanse the kidneys, liver and blood vessels. It is an indispensable product in the prevention of atherosclerosis.

How to prepare and store watermelon honey

An amazing delicacy "Nardek" is harvested in the fall - at the height of the maturation of the main component. It is obtained by boiling watermelon juice. At the first stage, after thoroughly washing the berry, cut it in half and take out the pulp.

Then the pulp is laid out on gauze or a sieve and carefully squeezed out. At the third stage, the resulting watermelon juice is boiled for 6-7 hours until the consistency of young honey is obtained. In the classic version of the preparation, only watermelon juice is used without the addition of sugar and spices.

This makes the finished product very healthy and low in calories, so even diabetics and dieters can consume it.

Store a tasty dish in a glass or earthenware dish in a cool place, protected from sunlight. A vessel with this ambrosia can be rolled up with a lid and, covered with parchment paper, tied with a natural thread. In this performance, watermelon honey will be a sweet and beautiful gift!

Today I learned about watermelon honey for the first time! You should definitely cook it when the watermelon season starts!

watermelon honey or nardek. Have you ever tried this wonderful product? If not, then this article is for you! Read on and you will find out what useful properties it has, how to cook nardek and how to treat it!

Watermelon season gives us a great opportunity not only to enjoy this amazingly delicious berry, but also to get the most out of it for our health! Consisting of more than 90% water, watermelon has a great effect on digestion, improves appetite and quenches thirst remarkably.

Watermelon honey:

For those who watch their health, September is a great time for:

• carrying out watermelon washing,
• improve liver function,
• kidney,
• saturation of the body with easily digestible sugars.
• Watermelon is indicated for patients suffering from stomach ulcers and
• duodenum, and
• kidney disease and
• spine.

For those who want to lose weight, there is a wonderful reason to spend fasting days on watermelons. Fiber and pectin, of which there are so many in watermelon, help start the work of the intestines, relieve constipation, remove cholesterol. Excellent watermelon speeds up and metabolism. It is probably hard to imagine a more pleasant way to get rid of extra pounds with health benefits.

For women, watermelon is an excellent source of folic acid, beta-carotene and vitamins B and C, which prevent skin aging and help prolong youth.

But few people know that the benefits of watermelons can be preserved for the winter period by preparing one great product that is good for health - watermelon honey!

In Central Asia watermelon honey is called nardek, cook and store it so much that it is enough for the entire winter period. But for us, this product is just beginning to lift the veil of secrecy. But watermelon honey is rich in vitamins and useful amino acids.

Benefits of watermelon honey:

• it contains all the vitamins, micro and macro elements that are in watermelon: , PP, E and B, iron, beta-carotene, pectin, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, folic acid, potassium,
• useful for bronchitis
• good for laryngitis
• treats colds,
• diseases of the cardiovascular system,
• restores the work of the stomach,
• beneficial effect on the functioning of the kidneys and liver,
• increases hemoglobin in the blood,
• helps in the treatment of tuberculosis,
• used to prevent atherosclerosis,
• indispensable for nutrition in oncological diseases,
• increases the body's resistance, strengthens the immune system.

Since watermelon honey is made without sugar and without bees, it is an excellent valuable food product for those who are allergic to bee products and cannot afford regular bee honey.

Watermelon honey - contraindications:

• obesity,
• diabetes.

Personally, I have never seen watermelon honey sold in a store, but making it at home is not at all difficult, especially while there are still watermelons on the market. In fact, nardek is watermelon juice evaporated during long-term boiling. It does not require sugar, but it will take your time. But, I am sure that you will not regret it by preparing valuable watermelon honey, the recipe of which you will find below.

How to cook Nardek:

My watermelons and cut into several pieces. Cut out the pulp.

Grind the pulp and wipe through a colander.

We put the juice on the fire in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, removing the foam.

Now strain the juice through cheesecloth and put it on fire again. When boiling, the fire should be reduced to a minimum and cook with constant stirring to avoid burning the juice to the walls and bottom of the pan. Cook watermelon honey until its volume is reduced by 5 times. The readiness of the nardeka is checked in the same way as the readiness of the jam - the cooled drop does not spread on the plate. Ready honey is poured into hot sterile jars and rolled up with lids.

It is better to store watermelon honey in the refrigerator.

How to use watermelon honey:

1. In cooking, nardek can be added to the dough for baking desserts instead of natural honey, it can be added as a natural sweetener to cereals, cottage cheese and tea.
2. To quench your thirst - dilute a tablespoon of watermelon honey in a glass of water.
3. For the prevention and treatment of liver diseases, add nardek to oat decoction.
4. For the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys, add watermelon honey to tea or special decoctions.
5. For the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, add nardek to rosehip broth.
6. Even an old cough can be cured with watermelon honey combined with onion juice and apple cider vinegar.

Just don't overdo it!

"Live easy!" warns: when overeating, gastritis can worsen and even vomiting can open. Therefore, introduce watermelon honey into your diet gradually - a teaspoon per day.

And be healthy!

When the fruits are already well ripened, you can prepare such a delicacy as watermelon honey. To do this, you will have to make a little effort and spend a decent amount of time, but after tasting this sweetness, you will not remain indifferent.

Since honey is greatly boiled down during cooking, you need to take several watermelons at once: for a half-liter jar - about five to six pieces. Only ripe fruits should be chosen, and the sweeter, the better, since sugar is not needed during cooking.

Wash the watermelons well so that dust or dirt does not get into the juice. Take a large container, because there will be a lot of pulp. Cut the watermelon in half with a knife, while the juice should drain into a container.

Scoop out all the pulp with a tablespoon. Do the same with the next half and with the rest of the watermelons.

Take a masher, which you usually use for mashing potatoes and crush the pulp, you should get a homogeneous mass, the better you crush it, the easier it will be to squeeze the juice later.

Now you need to fold gauze several times or any other fabric that can serve as a sieve. Clean old curtains, bandages will do. Prepare another thick-walled vessel in which you will boil the honey. Lay a cloth on top of it and lay out a small part of the watermelon mass, then roll the fabric into a bag and squeeze the juice with your hands, the pulp should be semi-dry and remain inside the bag. Thus, squeeze out all the juice.

Turn on a strong fire and put a pot of juice on it, which should boil very quickly, after that you need to remove the foam and turn off the fire. The juice should boil on fire for no more than two minutes. Leave it to cool for 10 minutes, during which time flakes of pulp will appear in the juice. It is necessary to fold the fabric several times again and strain the liquid. The result should be pure juice of a uniform red color. Now you need to put it on fire again, the juice should boil slowly, otherwise it will burn. To prevent this from happening, you need to stir the honey with a spoon every ten minutes.

At first it will be liquid like water, after about half an hour you will notice that it has become half as much, it is water that evaporates, and the most valuable thing that is in watermelons remains. You need to cook for a long time, depending on the amount of watermelon juice. When you notice that the honey is thickening, you need to stir it constantly with a spoon, otherwise you will miss the moment of readiness and it will burn. To check if the honey is ready, you need to drop a little on a saucer, if the drop does not spread, it's time to turn off the fire. Ready honey looks like regular bee honey or thick cream. As the honey cools, it will become even thicker.

1. You can also grind the pulp of a watermelon not with a crush, but pass it through a meat grinder, but it will be longer in time and troublesome. And you can even squeeze it out with your hands.
2. You can store watermelon honey and not in a hermetically sealed container, that is, without rolling it into jars, for this, put it in the refrigerator and cover with a plastic lid.
3. You can cook honey from not quite ripe watermelons, but be prepared for the fact that the taste will turn out to be a little sour, for an amateur.
4. You can use honey with tea, pastries, desserts and sweet cereals.
5. According to this recipe, you can make honey not only from watermelon, but also from grapes, melons and mulberries. You can not remove the pulp and then you get a delicious jam.

Benefits of watermelon honey

When preparing watermelon honey, all trace elements and minerals that are contained in fresh fruits are preserved. It contains a lot of vitamin C, E, B, PP, iron, calcium, magnesium, pectin, phosphorus, potassium and folic acid. In addition to being just a delicious product, it is also recommended for certain diseases as a medicine.