You can use ripe watermelon berries to make jelly, syrups, and juice due to their lightly sweet, watermelon-like flavor.
Watermelon berries, in this context, likely refers to the berries of a specific plant that produces fruit with a watermelon-like flavor. While true watermelons (Citrullus lanatus) are not berries in the botanical sense, some plants have been colloquially dubbed "watermelon berries" due to similarities in taste. An example is Rubus arcticus, also known as the Arctic Raspberry or Nagoonberry. Alaskans also eat the shoots from the watermelon berry plant.
Here's how you can generally utilize these "watermelon berries":
Watermelon Berry Uses
-
Jelly: Their natural sweetness makes them ideal for making a flavorful jelly. The process is similar to making other fruit jellies, involving cooking the berries to release their juice, straining the juice, and then cooking it with sugar and pectin until it sets.
-
Syrups: To create a syrup, cook the berries with sugar and water. Strain the mixture and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency. Watermelon berry syrup can be used for pancakes, waffles, or as a flavoring for drinks.
-
Juice: You can juice the berries using a juicer or by blending them and then straining the pulp. The resulting juice can be enjoyed on its own or used as a base for other beverages.
-
Salads (shoots): Young, tender shoots of the plant can be used in salads for a fresh cucumber-like flavor.
-
Cooked Greens (shoots): The young shoots can also be cooked with other fresh greens.
It's important to identify the specific plant you're dealing with to ensure that the berries are safe to eat.
