If I had lived in the 1950s, I might have asked my husband for a fur coat for winter. Now, in the 2010s, I am asking him for a root cellar to store the bounty from my garden over the winter. He has not given in yet but I’m working on it.

Citron melons are supposed to keep well into the New Year. However, lacking a suitable cold storage, I had to tackle them within weeks of harvesting them.

This, I promise, will be my last post on citron melons. Unless, of course, I come up with another recipe…

In all five recipes, letting the melon sit with sugar and condiments long enough is crucial, as the melon needs time to release a lot of liquid and absorb the flavors.

Citron melon is not acidic enough for safe canning.

Citron Melon Jam with Orange and Star Anise

I adapted this recipe from a French blog. The jam has the consistency of marmalade. I find it especially good in sweet and savory combinations. So far I had it with hard cheese and blue cheese. I think it is also good with cold cuts, pâté or other charcuterie.

2¼ pounds seeded and peeled citron melon (see my previous post on prepping)

1 pound 2 ounces sugar

1 organic orange

1 star anise

½-inch piece vanilla bean

Juice of 1 to 2 lemons, to taste

1. Coarsely grate the melon in the food processor or by hand.

2. Wash the orange under running hot water and dry it thoroughly with paper towel. Zest it and finely chop the zest. Cut the orange in half horizontally and scoop out the flesh with a grapefruit spoon, avoiding any of the bitter white pith.

3. Tie the star anise in a small piece of cheesecloth. This will save you fishing for the pieces later. The jam requires a lot of stirring and chances are that the star anise will break apart. Split the vanilla bean open.

4. Mix the melon, orange zest and flesh, star anise and vanilla bean in a non-reactive container with a lid. Cover and let stand for at least 12 hours or overnight.

5. The next day, put the mix in a heavy pot and slowly bring to a boil. Do not pour off the liquid. Turn down the heat to low to medium and cook until the melon is translucent and liquid turns into thick syrup, about 45 minutes. Stir every few minutes at the beginning, almost constantly at the end. Be careful not to overcook it, or you will caramelize the jam.

6. Remove the star anise and vanilla bean and stir in lemon juice to taste.

7. Ladle the jam into sterilized jars with screwtop lids. Let cool and close jars. Store in the refrigerator and use within a month.

Makes 2-3 half-pint jars 

Citron Melon Jam with Ginger and Lime

After the rather mellow jam with orange, I wanted something with more zing, which this one definitely has.

2¼ pounds seeded and peeled citron melon (see my previous post on prepping)

1 pound 2 ounces pure cane sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated organic lime zest

1 packed tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

¼ to ½ cup freshly squeezed lime juice, to taste

1. Finely dice the melon and mix it with the sugar, lime zest and ginger in a non-reactive container with a lid. Cover and let stand for at least 12 hours.

2. Proceed as described in Steps 5 and 6 of the previous recipe, finishing the jam with lime instead of lemon juice. Ladle the jam into sterilized jars with screwtop lids. Let cool and close jars. Store in the refrigerator and use within a month.

Makes 2-3 half-pint jars

Candied Citron Melon

Adapted from a recipe by Sand Hill Preservation Center, a seed company that actually offers several citron melon varieties in its catalog.

This is the recipe that I am the most excited about because it supplies me with a homemade substitute for candied lemon peel, a common ingredient in German Christmas baking. The usual store-bought candied lemon peel contains high-fructose corn syrup.

8 cups seeded and peeled citron melon (see my previous post on prepping)

1½ cups sugar

3 cups water

1½ cups sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons finely grated lemon zest

1. Cut the melon into ½-inch cubes.

2. Bring 1½ cups sugar and 3 cups water to a boil. Add the melon and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand overnight.

3. The next day, drain the melon. Reserve 1 cup of liquid and discard the rest. Pour the reserved liquid back into the pot and add 1½ cups sugar, the lemon juice and peel. Bring to a boil, add the drained melon cubes and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed and the melon turns translucent, stirring often. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will caramelize.

4. Place the melon cubes in a colander and drain well.

5. Put some sugar onto a plate and have more sugar stand by. Line 2 to 3 cake racks with wax paper. When the cubes are cool enough to handle, roll each piece in sugar and place it on the wax paper. Work quickly; if you wait until the melon is completely cooled off, the pieces will stick together and be difficult to handle.

6. Let dry for several days in a cool place free of dust and cooking fumes. Store in an airtight container or jar in the refrigerator.

Makes about 5 cups

Citron Melon Mostarda (Mostarda mantovana di anguria bianca)

Adapted from Food 52, recipe by Maria Teresa Jorge

When I asked a friend who visits Italy often whether she had ever heard of citron melon, she said no, but citron melon sounded like something that would be used for the Italian condiment Mostarda.

Right she was! There is indeed Mostarda di anguria bianca (Mostarda with white melon), and the melon looks similar to citron melon. I could only find the finished product and no recipes so I adapted a recipe for Mostarda mantovana, a variation from the city of Mantova that is made with fresh fruit, not with candied fruit like the more common Mostarda cremonese.

2½ pounds seeded and peeled citron melon (see my previous (see my previous post on prepping)

2½ 
cups sugar

2 ounces mustard powder

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

1. Cut the melon into thin slices. Mix it with the sugar in a large pot. Cover and let stand for at least 12 hours or overnight in a cool place.

2. Drain the melon over a bowl and pour the entire liquid back into the pot. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and return the melon to the pot. Let cool, then cover and let sit for 1 day.

3. Repeat this process the next day, and let sit for another day.

4. The next day, slowly bring the mix to a boil. Do not pour off the liquid. Turn down the heat to low to medium and cook until the melon is translucent and liquid has turned into thick sticky syrup, about 45 minutes. Stir every few minutes at the beginning, almost constantly at the end. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will caramelize.

5. Remove from the heat. In a small bowl, stir the mustard with the vinegar until smooth, and add it to the mix while still hot. It seems like a lot of mustard at first, that is all right, Mostarda has a strong mustard flavor. Mix well.

6. Ladle the Mostarda into sterilized screw-top jars. Let cool and refrigerate. Use within a month.

Makes about 3 cups

Vegan Mincemeat with Citron Melon and Apples

Adapted from The River Cottage Preserves Handbook

The chunky, glistening consistency of the two jams looked like something that would work well to hold together a rich holiday pie filing – in other words, mincemeat. A pile of apples in the basement that were getting past their prime (did I say before that I needed a root cellar?) came in handy here.

The original recipe called for orange marmalade, which I did not have so I substituted it with my Citron Melon Jam with Orange and Star Anise.

2¼ pounds seeded and peeled citron melon (see my previous post on prepping)

Finely grated zest of 3 organic oranges

¾ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 pound 3 ounces peeled and cored tart apples, diced

1¼ cup currants

1¼ cup raisins

1¼ cup  golden raisins

1/3 cup orange marmalade, or Citron Melon Jam with Orange and Star Anise

1¼ cups pure cane sugar

½ teaspoon ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

¾ cup chopped walnuts

¼ cup brandy

1. Mix all the ingredients except for the brandy in a non-reactive container with a lid. Cover and let stand for at least 12 hours or overnight.

2. The next day, put the mix in a heavy pot and slowly bring to a boil. Do not pour off the liquid. Turn down the heat to low to medium. Cook for about 45 minutes. The melon should be translucent, the apples very soft, and the liquid almost completely absorbed. Stir every few minutes at the beginning, almost constantly at the end. Be careful not to overcook it, or it will caramelize.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the brandy.

4. Ladle the piping hot mix into sterilized pint jars with screwtop lids. Let cool and close jars with lids. Refrigerate and use within a month.

Makes 4 pint jars

Photos by Ted Rosen