Cantaloupe Pickles — NCHFP
A tested NCHFP two-day boiling-water canning recipe for spiced cantaloupe pickles.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 5 lb cantaloupe 1-inch cubes from about 2 medium under-ripe melons
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cinnamon sticks 1 inch each
- 2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 4 1/2 cups cider vinegar 5% acidity
- 2 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar packed
Equipment
- Boiling-water canner
- Canning jars About four pint jars
Directions
Instructions
- Day one: Select full-size, nearly green, firm cantaloupes. Wash, halve, seed, peel, and cut into 1-inch cubes; weigh 5 pounds into a large glass bowl.
- Tie red pepper flakes, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger in a spice bag. Boil 5% cider vinegar and water, turn off heat, add spice bag, and steep 5 minutes.
- Pour hot vinegar mixture and spice bag over melon. Cover and refrigerate about 18 hours.
- Day two: Drain liquid into a large saucepan and boil. Add both sugars and dissolve. Add melon, return to a boil, then simmer until translucent, about 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Remove melon; boil liquid 5 minutes, return melon, and bring to a boil.
- Pack melon into hot pints, initially leaving 1-inch space, then cover with syrup to 1/2-inch headspace. Remove bubbles, adjust, wipe rims, and apply lids. Process 15/20/25 minutes for 0–1,000/1,001–6,000/above 6,000 ft.
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Recipe Notes
Safety status: research-tested NCHFP recipe. Use under-ripe firm cantaloupe and cider vinegar labeled 5% acidity. Preserve the overnight refrigerated soak. Developed at the University of Georgia; released August 2003. Source accessed September 12, 2026.
Exact source: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/pickle/fruit-pickles/cantaloupe-pickles/