Cantaloupe preserves, who’d have thought? I know, when I accidentally flipped to the recipe I was confused and curious all at the same time. If you check out some of the jams you find at your local farmer’s market or the NYC Greenmarkets, it seems like nearly anything can be made into jam. I’ve see fruits with veggies, or crazy spices. Raspberry Jalapeno anyone? I happened to have a large, very ripe cantaloupe from my last trip to the market with no exact plans for it, so I figured why not make preserves?

Cantaloupe Preserves (from Put ‘Em Up) Makes about 4 cups

• 1 cantaloupe, rind and seeds removed and chopped into 1″ chunks (about 4 c)
• 1/2 c water
• 1 c sugar
• 2 tsp Pomona’s Universal Pectn
• 2 tsp calcium water (comes with the pectin)
• 1/2 c bottled lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnimon

Combine melon with water in a large nonreactive pot and bring to a boil. Stir together sugar and pectin in a separate bowl. Add to boiling fruit and stir well until pectin dissolves. When the mixture returns to a boil, stir in calcium water, lemon juice and cinnamon. Cook until fruit has broken down (I used a potato masher to help). Remove from heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Skim any foam. Ladle into clean, hot half pint or 4oz jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Use a chopstick to remove any air bubbles. Center lids on jars and screw on bands. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit in water for 5 minutes. Remove jars and do not disturb for 24 hours. Label sealed jars and store in a cool dry place.

Not sure if it’s just the orange color, but it the preserves kind of taste like peaches…

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