Recipes for Cantaloupe Jelly, Watermelon Jelly, and Zucchini Relish

Cantaloupe Jelly

2 1/2 pounds peeled and diced cantaloupe
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 peel of tangerine or orange (I used a zester to remove the peel and it worked out perfectly)

Place cantaloupe covered with sugar in a covered bowl and put in refrigerator for 24 hours.

Drain the cantaloupe, pouring off the sugar and liquid in a large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat and boil for 5 minutes.

Add diced cantaloupe, vanilla extract and peel. Insert candy thermometer and simmer, stirring occasionally until the thermometer reaches jelly temperature (220 degrees) Pour into sterilized jars: seal with wax and store in a cool place.

Makes about 2 pints.

Now on a personal note. I did not put my in the refrigerator for 24 hours. I ran mine through a juicer. I then took the juice and sugar and put it into a pot and brought it to the recommended boil and temp. Then in the part of the recipe where it calls for adding the diced cantaloupe I added the pulp that came out when I juiced it. Worked out so well.  I also did not seal mine with wax, I'm paranoid of that method so I went ahead and filled my jelly jars and put it in a cold bath canner for 15 minutes. All sealed and are doing great as I  followed the directions for doing that from another recipe I found. So those are the personal adjustments I made to the recipe. However,following what I did is a personal choice and I can't be held responsible for any negative results you may get.


Watermelon Jelly

2 cups seeded and diced watermelon (again I put mine through the juicer)
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (used bottled lemon juice as it was all I had and it worked fine)
1 package powder pectin (I used sure jell and it did not come out as thick as I thought it should          have been so it's more like a syrup than a jelly which is fine with my family  they are using it on pancakes. I've put it on toast but you certainly wouldn't  want to let a small child handle it, there is likely to be a mess.)

Food process or blend watermelon until completely smooth. That should make about  2 cups of juice.

At this point I strain mine, but you don't have to. (if you run it through a juicer as I did this step is not necessary)

In a 6 to 8 quart Dutch oven combine the watermelon puree, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil ( a boil that cannot be stirred down) over high heat, stirring constantly.

Stir in the pectin all at once. Return mixture to a full rolling boil, boil hard for 1 minute stirring constantly

Take of heat, skim off foam. (I added about 1/2 tsp butter to mine and it makes this step unnecessary and doesn't change the flavor at all, I do this with all jelly/jam recipes)

Ladle jelly into clean hot half pint jars leaving 1/4 in head space. (I used pint jars that way I had one jar not full. I canned the others and put the one that wasn't full in the refrigerator for immediate use)

Process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely away from drafts. I set mine on cooling racks. Then store in a cool dark place. Makes 4 half pints.

I made some changes to this recipe to suit my personal needs,  However,following what I did is a personal choice and I can't be held responsible for any negative results you may get.



Zucchini Relish

10 c minced zucchini
5 c minced onions (I didn't realize I didn't have an onion at the time so I used 2 1/2 c of onions I had dehydrated, worked out very well)
1 c diced celery
3 green bell peppers, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 c pickling salt (I used sea salt, worked great)
2 teaspoons of turmeric
1 tablespoon dry mustard
3 tablespoons celery seeds.
6 c sugar
5 c white vinegar
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Combine zucchini, onions, celery and peppers with salt. Stir well, cover and let stand overnight.

Rinse and drain thoroughly, I did a double rinse on mine, you want to remove all that salt.( I also ran mine through a hand operated food mill, one like you would use to get the juice out of tomatoes and is cone shaped. Sorry I don't know the actual name of it.) You want to be sure you get all the liquid out of it you can, this is important.

In a large pot combine remaining ingredients, add the vegetables and bring to a rolling boil. That is a boil that cannot be stirred down. Then reduce heat and boil gently for 20 minutes.

Ladle relish into clean, hopt pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space and seal.

Process in a boiling cold bath canner for 15 minutes.

Yields 8 pints.

If you tasted this without knowing what it was you would think you were eating sweet pickle relish. This is so amazing I won't make sweet pickle relish for my family any more, they loved it. I did make some adjustments to this recipe to suit my needs, However,following what I did is a personal choice and I can't be held responsible for any negative results you may get.