Melon Disappointment!

So, I finally picked on of my heirloom Tigger melons that I have been coddling all summer. Aren't they gorgeous?! They're softball sized, and a lovely orange with tan markings on them. They smell divine. But when I finally went to eat one today, I discovered they are nearly flavorless with a slight raw pumpkiny aftertaste. Talk about a letdown... I am hoping they all don't taste like this. Maybe there are some that are sweeter. I hate it when that happens!

Sheesh! I had no idea how many tomatoes it would take to make sauce for canning. I had two nearly full grocery bags full of tomatoes, and when all was said and done, it literally boiled down to two jars of sauce for canning. Crazy. I guess when you see pantry shelves lined with jars of tomatoes, they must have acres of plants growing. Oh well. I got the two jars done, plus seven jars of peach jam. It was a bit chaotic trying to do both things at the same time... I don't recommend it. I make my own ground spice mix for jam which has cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon in it. I think I didn't grind it finely enough though, because there are chunky bits of clove and cardamom in it. That doesn't bother me, but it might not fly with State Fair judges. Oh well. I did get the labels on the jars and boy do they look spiffy.