Cantaloupe in a new light

Another fantastic reason to support local farmers: fresh cantaloupe! I bought a huge one this week and it was fresh, tender, sweet, and ready for us to sink our teeth into.

Our family just can't eat a whole cantaloupe. What to do?

Cantaloupes are great because they hold their shape well and don't release their liquid quickly (like watermelons, for instance). So, while with watermelon it's better to liquefy and pour into popsicle molds, an easy thing to do to preserve that wonderful cantaloupe [and it's perfect in-season flavor] is to freeze large chunks on a popsicle stick. They are just as yummy frozen, and quite refreshing as a popsicle. The first bites are a bit hard, but once it's been out for a minute or two, it's perfect.

I recommend getting a cookie pan, and laying a sheet of parchment paper on it. For each large chunk of cantaloupe, put a popsicle stick in about halfway. Lay the cantaloupe in a way that the least amount of fruit is touching the paper, and not touching each other. Freeze. Once frozen, remove from the paper and place in a freezer safe zipper bag, and place back in the freezer until ready to enjoy.

The pic on the right shows frozen cantaloupe pops that are ready to come off the paper and be placed into a bag then back to the freezer! Hope you'll try this next time you have too much cantaloupe!