Cantaloupe Jam

• 14 cups 1-inch cantaloupe cubes (or other orange-fleshed melon)
• ¼ cup kosher or canning salt
• 4 cups sugar
• ¾ cup bottled lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon crushed pink peppercorns, optional

1. Salt the melon: Toss melon with salt. Cover and let stand for 2 hours. Drain, rinse well with cold water, and drain again.
2. Cook: Combine melon, sugar, and lemon juice in a 6-quart stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, until melon is soft.
3. Mash & reduce: Mash melon with a potato masher. Continue simmering uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring often, until the jam reaches the gelling point. Cooking time may vary because cantaloupe releases a lot of water. Skim foam as needed. Stir in pink peppercorns, if using.
4. Fill jars: Ladle hot jam into hot half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center lids, and apply bands fingertip-tight.
5. Process: Place jars in a boiling-water canner and process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove the lid, and let jars stand for 5 minutes.
6. Remove jars and cool completely, then check the seals after 12 to 24 hours. Any jar that didn’t seal goes in the refrigerator to use first.

Tip: The jam’s cooking time can vary considerably depending on how much water the melon releases, so use the gelling point rather than the clock as your final guide.