How to preserve melons?

Rosalind

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I am sorting through my seed packets and preparing beds, and it suddenly occurred to me--I am gonna have a whole bunch of watermelon, cantaloupe/muskmelons, and I have exactly one recipe for preserving them (frozen dessert). Epicurious and Google turn up exactly one other recipe, for jam, and a notice from University of California extension that canning is Not Recommended.

Is there some other way to preserve them? Canned with orange slices and ginger? Frozen as a sort of goo that can be mixed with yogurt? What do you guys do? Give 'em to the chickens?
 

patandchickens

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Eat lots of melons yourself and trade extras to friends for things that keep better than melons do ;)

Pickled watermelon rind of course.

And chunks of cantaloupe (never tried others, would *not* try it with watermelon certainly) freeze adequately enough to use in smoothies a month or two later, although it may not be the best use of freezer space.

Actually, just speculation as I've never tried it, but if you want to freeze 'em for smoothie purposes it might make more sense to puree or at least smash 'em up, pack in smoothie-unit size containers and freeze that way -- take up less space than freezing in chunks which is what I did.

'sall I know of, sorry.



Pat, unlikely to ever have such a problem as too many melons now that I'm in canada :p
 

Doodle Do

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I came acrossed a good deal 2 yrs ago and ended up buying over 100 cantelopes. I chopped them and froze them for smoothies, I made cantelope jelly and cantelope sauce. The jelly really never got thick enough so we used it on ice cream. man was it good. Tasted a little bit like carmel sauce.
I got the recipe for the jelly on my squeeze -o recipe book.
 

jc12551

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I really want that recipe!

I cubed 30 'lopes, packed them into freezer bags, and still have some. My DH eats them like that half frozen. I put them on ice cream. They are gross if you let it defrost though.
 

Doodle Do

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Sorry about being so late on answering but its been nice outside and got lots to do. But as soon as I get my squeezo out I will get the recipe. Its in the pamplet that came with it. If you can belive it, my dad got t at a sale and it still ahd everything with the original box and all. Give me a few days and I will post it for you.
 

Doodle Do

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I am so sorry it took me so long to post the recipe but here it is, I just had some on my ice cream.
Remove rind and seeds. Cut into small pieces. Use enough water to keep from sticking and boil till soft. Run through a sieve. Measure 1 quart cantaloupe to 1 1/2 c sugar, 1 T lemon juice and 1 tsp cinnamon, boil to thick. Pour into jars and process for 20 mins.

Here is the other recipe I tried also. To me they are about he same.
Cantaloupe, 3/4 c suar per pound of lopes,
1/2 tsp of ginger, mace and cinnamon per pound of lopes (I only used cinnamon),.Peel lopes and remove seeds, cut into pieces. Weigh and chop fine. Put sugar and lopes into kettle with a llittle water. Cook slowly until fruit can be mashed. Add remaining ingredients, cook til thick and process.

Hope you enjoy this.
 

Tutter

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My husband freezes a slurry of watermelon with sugar, which he uses when he makes ices cream and sorbet. (He makes all sorts of "designer" flavors in the summertime.) I don't know how long it would actually last, since it doesn't hang around too long! :)
 

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