THE USEFUL PIE-MELON

New Zealand Listener, Volume 8, Issue 201, 30 April 1943, Page 11

THE USEFUL PIE-MELON

OST families have already eaten quite a big proportion of their new season’s jam. To these the useful pie-melon is a real boon, for’ two reasons — first, because it is cheap, and second, because having no distinctive flavour of its own, it can be blended with a small quantity of dearer fruit — passion fruit, or guavas, Or, in pre-war days, pineapple or dried apricots and peaches-to make a fine variety of jams, A very good idea is to use it with some of the fruit which you pulped during the flush of the season, when both time and sugar were scarce, Raspberry pulp is especially good to use in this way. Probably the most popular melon jam was flavoured with preserved ginger and lemon, but as this ginger is now scarce, one must be satisfied with the flavour obtained by boiling root ginger, well-bruised, with the melon, removing it before bottling. A pinch of cayenne pepper, or a few chillies boiled with the jam, give it a subtle tang. As a general rule, use a pound of sugar to a pound of prepared melon, sprinkle half the sugar ovér this diced fruit, and leave all night, then bring to the boil, add remaindér of sugar and flavouring and boil steadily till it will set when tested. Melon jam becomes very stiff and sugary if over-boiled. The. juice of one or two lemons will help it to set, Pie-melon and Raspberry Jam Six pounds melon (weighed after peeling, seeding etc.), and 6lbs. sugar. Cut up the melon, sprinkle layers with sugar and leave over night. Next day, boil until tender, and then add 3lbs. raspberry pulp and 3lbs. sugar, @r a 2Ib, tin of raspberry jam and no sugar. Boil till it will set when tested. Melon and Quince Jam, Five pounds of melon, 3lbs. quinces, 6lbs. sugar. Peel the melon, remove seeds and cut into dice. Sprinkle half of the sugar over melon, and leave all night. Next morning boil for one hour, Pare, core and cut up quinces and stew till soft in some of the juice from the boiling melon. Then put both together, add the. rest of the sugar, and boil till it will set when. tested. L Melon and Passion Fruit Conserve (from "Beth" at Henderson): ’ To 6lbs. melon (peeled, seeded and cut into dice), allow 6lb. sugar, 1 quart water, rind of 114 lemons, about %4 cup lemon juice, and 1 dozen passion fruit. Put in pan, the water and sugar, and when sugar is dissolved, add the melon, lemon juice and rind cut very finely. Boil for 3 hours until the melon is clear, and then add the pulp etc. from the passion fruit,) and a little ‘longer, remove scum as it rises, but this conserve does not need much stirring. . Melon and Passion Fruit Jam (Excellent) Cut up 6lbs. melon. Put into a basin with 1lb. sugar. Allow to stand all night. Then take the pulp of 4 dozen passion ~~

fruit, and tie in a piece of muslin. Put all in preserving pan with another 5lbs. sugar, and boil 2% to 3 hours. Melon, Cape Gooseberry and Passion Fruit Jam Six pounds of melon, 1tlbs, cape gooseberries, 16 passion fruit, and 6lbs. sugar. Cut melon into blocks and shell gooseberries. Cover with sugar, stand 24 hours. Boil 2 to 3 hours. Put passion fruit in when jam boils.