Melon is the perfect summer fruit. Loaded with sweetness and flavour, it's also super refreshing to eat on a hot summer day, and very versatile because it can be delicious in a fruit salad or with a nice prosciutto platter. Today we decided to make cantaloupe melon jam, the fleshiest of all the melons. Spread on a freshly baked bread slice, it's a perfect way to start the day.
For obvious reasons, melons tend to give a lot of water when heated, and depending on your taste, you might want to add some extra jellifying agent to this recipe, such as agar or extra pectin if you don't want to go for the traditional animal-made gelatin sheets. We don't mind it a bit runny (but not liquid), because on top of being spreadable, it can also easily be used as glazing on tarts & cakes to add a lovely looking shine.
If it's your first time making jam, make sure to boil your jars & lids and let them dry on a clean cloth before pouring the jam in it : this will ensure no nasty mold will grow and will allow you to keep it for as long as 6 months up to a year. Also, for extra security, fill up your jar to the very top, close the lid very tight, and let them cool down completely upside down.
Jam is traditionally made "tant-pour-tant", which means as much sugar as fruits (1 kilo of melon = 1 kilo of sugar). Yes.. Yes... That's a lot, but keep in mind that chances are you won't eat the full jar in one day. In this recipe, because we're also adding honey, we've reduced the amount of sugar slightly, but tried to keep a ratio of approximately 60% fruit - 40% sugar. If you're not using honey, we advise you to use the tant-pour-tant method to ensure your jam won't turn into a soup.
 20 minutes + 24h resting time |
 40 minutes |
 6 jars (370g/each) |
