I love summer because there is a bounty of fresh produce that I want to preserve for the colder winder months. I was on a crazy canning bonanza this weekend. I managed to can up 4 different kinds of jam in a little over 24hrs. When I'm prepping fruit and veggies my mind wanders, I have conversations in my mind with people who aren't even there, daydream about my future life, plan out my next meal/snack/cocktail, etc. Stuff normal people do, right? I find I also do the same thing when I'm driving on long road trips. As I was chopping away at some massive cantaloupe I was reminiscing about Grandmom. She's chilling upstairs at the all inclusive Pearly Gates Resort but I still have a lot of fun memories from visits down to Maryland. The majority of my childhood visits were during summer vacation where I got to experience real HOT & HUMID weather. Grandmom would spoil us girls with unlimited V8, trips to the mall, duck pin bowling and visits to all the local cemeteries to look at old tombstones. I wonder if I was a dark child. Us growing girls needed to eat and Senior Citizens love a good deal so we ate at a lot of buffets. No matter where we went Grandmom would make a small plate with some melon. She'd sprinkle salt on it and if it was good she's exclaim "MMMMM! Sweeeeet as honey" We say it from time to time at home and laugh, crazy Grandmom. Home girl had some spunk. Flash back to present moment. I had a ton of cantaloupe on my hands and a cantaloupe jam recipe from Marissa McClellan that I was dying to try. It's suppose to taste like creamsicle and made 2 small jars. The perfect amount to trying out something new.
:: Cantaloupe & Vanilla Bean Jam
From Wholesome Mommy
5 cups of peeled and finely chopped ripened cantaloupe
3 cups of sugar
1 vanilla bean split and scraped
2 tsp lemon juice
6 oz of liquid fruit pectin (2 foil pouches)
Prepare you boiling water canner and jars. Place lids in a small saucepan, cover them with hot water.
In a big pot combine the cantaloupe, sugar, and vanilla bean seeds and pod. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 7 to 10 minutes {or until the thermometer reads 220° F}. Add the lemon juice, stir in the liquid pectin, and return to a vigorous boil. Cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
Remove the pot from the heat, discard the vanilla bean pod, and ladle the hot jam into the jars. Wipe the rims; apply the lids and screw bands.
Process in the boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner and cool.