What a week – and it is only Wednesday! I better pace myself, or I will not make it to the weekend, and my taste buds are counting on it. I just came back from a really quick work trip. Normally I travel very far away for work, but this time I spoke at a conference that just happened to be in the US – thank goodness. Fortunately I was able to fly back today and make to a meeting that started at 1pm. Of course, no trip can be complete without something going on at the home front. While I was on the airplane, the school nurse called my husband – this time for my older daughter. I am really hoping that next week we can go 5 entire days without a call from the school nurse.
I visited a serious food town this week, and I really was not expecting it. Nor was I expecting who I was able to meet. So Monday night I was in my hotel room studying the slides for my talk, when I got an email that one of my favorite food bloggers had posted an entry. That was exactly the excuse I needed to stop what I was doing and procrastinate just a little more. I actually wanted to email Kristy because I had a feeling she lived near where I was going – but that never happened. So, instead I wrote a comment on her blog and let her know where I was. Little did I know that she worked very close to the hotel I was staying at – so we arranged to meet for a drink. It really brought me back to elementary school when I had a Pen Pal who lived in Maine. One summer we decided to drive up and meet her family – and we were instant friends. We actually formed quite a bond with all those letters.
It was exactly the same situation, but this time we have gotten to know each other through our blogs. We have emailed each other a few times over the years – but mostly I keep up with her through her stories. When I met her, I felt like we were old friends, and that we had known each other for years. We had a terrific evening with excellent food, really getting to know each other – and piecing the holes together from our respective stories on our blogs. Even though this is not at all why I started a blog – it is really a bonus to have met such a great person.
Now what does this jam have to do with all this? Well, I made this jam at my mother’s house this summer. I love cantaloupe – and when I saw this recipe in Food in Jars, I had to give it a try. The problem is that we really don’t get great melon out here. Growing up, I would always have the most delicious melon at my grandmother’s house – so I waited until I was on the east coast to test it. This jam was out of this world. I had it for breakfast almost every morning – it seriously tasted like a creamsicle. What an incredible treat. Just like meeting Kristy. It was an unexpected treat, which is definitely the best kind.
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped, peeled cantaloupe
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 (3 ounce) packet liquid pectin
Preparation
Prepare a small boiling water bath canner and 3 half pint jars. Place lids in a small pan of water and set to a bare simmer.
Combine the cantaloupe, sugar, and vanilla bean pod and seeds in a non-reactive pot and bring to a boil. Boil for 8-10minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest and pectin and return to a boil for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, until the bubbles look thick. Remove the vanilla bean pod and discard.
Carefully ladle jam into jars (depending on the concentration of the sugars in the fruit, it may reduce down further and leave you with just two half pints. Prepare to be surprised). Wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in your small boiling water canner for 10 minutes. When time is up, remove jars from pot. Let cool. When jars are cool enough to handle, remove rings and test seals. If seals are good, store jars in a cool, dark place. If any of the jars did not seal, put those jars in the fridge and use within a month or two.
Yield: Makes 3 half-pints
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Cantaloupe Jam with Vanilla
First Look, Then Cook 
I hope you daughter is feeling better and that she does not share with any of the other family members her illnesses. I have never heard of canteloupe jam but anything that tastes like a creamsicle sounds lovely and very interesting.
I’ve never heard of cantaloupe jam. It sounds amazing!
Thank you so much for your kind words Dawn! It was such a fun treat to meet you as well. I had such a great evening. I wish we could do that more often. I’ll definitely let you know when we make a trip your direction. (It is inevitable really!) I’m very glad it all worked out and I couldn’t agree more – it was like sitting down with an old and very good friend. :) And it goes without saying that this jam sounds amazing. I bet cantaloupe is fabulous with a hint of vanilla. I never thought to pair the two – but it makes complete sense.
omg..that just sounds amazing!! Especially the vanilla part! ;)
I just made this and it’s so amazing! I have 5 more cantaloupe in the garden… but I didn’t process the jars this round. I just put them in the fridge. I’m nervous about cantaloupe being low acidity. How do you know for sure that’s enough lemon juice to prevent botulism? I’d like to make more that I can store in the pantry!
I am definitely not an expert on how much lemon juice to add, but I am sure you can find something on the internet about that! I wouldn’t want to tell you the wrong answer…
I looked up melon jam on Ball’s fresh preserving website (they do a lot of research into proper safe preserving guidelines) and they have a recipe that calls for 14 cups of melon with 3/4 of a cup of lemon juice in just a water bath canner. This recipe is a little shy of that ratio so if you’re worried maybe add another T of lemon juice and you should be fine!