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.

Pictures of Jams, Jelly and Zuchinni Relish

I'm so happy to share the following pictures with all of you. Hubby, daughter and I really put in some work on all of this but we are so happy with the outcome. I can't wait to get the recipes on here for you all to try out if you prefer.

I also wanted to add that I'm in the process of making a Zuchinni Relish. I have been told that if I will make this for my family they will never want pickle relish again, so we will see how that turns out.

The short jar on the left is the Mint Jelly. Made out of a Speariment Plant that I've been growing all summer long. Not to worry, the plant was not destroyed and does have a lot of new leaves starting. The Red jar is Watermelon Jelly and the Orange/Yellow jars on the right are Cantalope Jelly

I should have added a touch more green to this to make the color a bit brighter but sure wasn't thinking  about it.

These are jars we had already done. Left is Blackberry Jelly and Right is Peach jam,

This is the start of the Zuchinni Relish. You start by putting in ten cups of Zuchinni, 5 cups of chopped onions. I cheated and used 2 1/2 cups of dehrdrated onions I already had, 3 Green Peppers,  2 Red Peppers and 1 cup of salt. This has to sit overnight and then you finish it up the next day. When I get it done and they have gotten to taste test it I'll let you know how it turns out. They say that once you have this you will never want pickle rilish again.