Cantaloupe Pickles
Submitted by Big John
Old-fashioned sweet cantaloupe pickles brined and slow-simmered in a spiced sugar syrup with cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. A heritage preserving recipe that turns underripe melons into something special.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
10 minREADY
8 hrsIf you’ve got cantaloupe that’s not quite ripe enough to eat fresh, don’t toss it. Pickle it.
This is old-time preserving at its finest: firm melon pieces soaked in salt brine, then slowly cooked in a sweet vinegar syrup fragrant with whole cloves, allspice, and a cinnamon stick.
The process takes patience. A 3-hour brine, an overnight soak in the syrup, then a slow boil the next day until the melon turns translucent and glassy.
The result is sweet-tart pickles with warm spice and a firm, almost candy-like bite. They’re stunning on a cheese board, alongside roasted pork, or eaten straight from the jar.
Kitchen Tips
- Choose slightly underripe cantaloupe. Ripe melon is too soft and will fall apart during the long cooking process.
- Remove every bit of the soft inner flesh. You only want the firm rind and outer meat for this recipe.
- Boil slowly and watch for the rind to turn clear. That translucent look tells you the sugar has fully penetrated and they’re done.
Ingredients
Directions
Select melons which are slightly under ripe.
Remove rind and all soft portion.
Cut in pieces suitable for serving. Cover with a brine made by dissolving 4 tablespoons salt in 1 quart water.
Let stand 3 hours.
Drain.
Rinse in cold water.
Add rind to sirup made of remaining ingredients.
There should be sufficient sirup to cover rind.
Boil 10 minutes.
Let stand overnight.
Boil slowly until rind is clear.
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