Tutti Frutt Using Watermelon Rind | Homemade Tutti Frutti
Tutti frutti made from watermelon rind is a great way to use up the entire fruit. Trutti frutti is a colourful and delicious addition to cakes & bakes.
Servings 2 small bottles
Ingredients
- 3 cups (450 grams) chopped bits of watermelon rinds * see notes
- 2 cups water
For the syrup
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- red, orange, yellow & green food colours (or as required)
Instructions
- Peel and discard the green part of the watermelon rinds using a peeler or a sharp knife. Scrape off any red portion (fruit) that is still clinging onto the rinds.
- Chop the white portion only into small bits.
- Place the chopped bits into a pot or a pan and cover it with water. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook the pieces for about 8-10 minutes or until the pieces begin to look translucent. Do not overcook them or soften them till they turn mushy. Drain off the water and keep aside till required.
- To make the sugar syrup, add the sugar and the water into the same pan and let the mixture come to a boil. Then simmer gently until the syrup thickens and you get a one string consistency. This will take a few minutes (see notes)
- Add the boiled & drained pieces and give it a good mix. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes.
- Now, divide the mixture & the syrup equally into different saucepans depending on how many colours you want to use.
- Add the food colours into the saucepans and simmer again until almost all the sugar syrup has been absorbed and the pieces have changed colour evenly.
- Transfer the tutti frutti into a large colander and let it cool down (also, any sugar syrup in excess will dribble away). Transfer it into clean & sterile glass jars and store in the refrigerator. Always use a clean, try spoon to remove the tutti frutti
Notes
I used half of a medium sized watermelon, removed the fruit and then peeled & discarded the green portion (outer skin) of the rinds. I then scraped the fruit (red portion) that was clinging onto the peels and discarded it. What remained was the white portion which I chopped to bits.
How to check for one-string consistency - This means that when you dab a drop of the hot syrup between your thumb & index fingers a thin thread linking the two fingers should form (in terms of stickiness). Since there are no preservatives added to the tutti frutti it does not have a very long shelf life unless you completely immerse them in the sugar syrup. If you want to keep it for longer, please make sure you increase the sugar syrup slightly. Also, store the bottle in the coolest part of your fridge to extend its life.
How to check for one-string consistency - This means that when you dab a drop of the hot syrup between your thumb & index fingers a thin thread linking the two fingers should form (in terms of stickiness). Since there are no preservatives added to the tutti frutti it does not have a very long shelf life unless you completely immerse them in the sugar syrup. If you want to keep it for longer, please make sure you increase the sugar syrup slightly. Also, store the bottle in the coolest part of your fridge to extend its life.