Revised August 2002

It is melon season! Even though, melons are available year round, local melons are the real treat this time of the year and in this produce man's opinion, there is nothing like our local crop. Variety Melons and I have a fond history.

I loved going to the country to buy produce from farms, especially melons. Honeydews, orange fleshed honeydews, cantaloupes, casabas, crenshaws and even "cantadews and honeyloupes", you could never find the latter two in thesupermarkets. But we had them! We worked several deals with the growers and a few deals with the crop pickers as well. It was amazing what a bottle of fine scotch could add on to your load. One person would drive slowly through the field and another person (usually me) would stand up in the back of the truck. The workers would follow the truck, pick and toss the melons to me and I would drop them into the bins. Then we would pay the farmer, drive back to the Bay Area to the market, sell 'em, and eat 'em.

That was 25 years ago. Today, legalities and regulations prohibit that mode of melon purchasing from the farm. In fact the large melon growers follow a strict HACCP plan which sanitizes the melons in a solution of water and chlorine to kill any bacteria that may be harmful when consumed, such as ecoli and salmonella.

Melons are available year round with shipments coming from Mexico, New Zealand, and South America in the winter.

In the summer California produces the highest percentage of melons in the U.S. Arizona, southwest Indiana, and Texas follow behind.

Varieties

Cantaloupe named not for it's area of origin, but for the region in Europe that grows them. The papal gardens of Cantaloupe Italy. However the Cantaloupe that grows here in the U.S. are actually muskmelons. They originated in either the Sudan or Asia. The debate continues to this day.

Several varieties come into the commercial market and most of them are named for their growing regions like the Saticoy and the Starfire both varieties grown on opposite sides of the country. Other varieties are merely numbered. The cream of the crop is grown in Firebaugh California. Known as Westside melons these cantaloupes are packed with sugar and juice.

When selecting cantaloupes in the store, look for melons with a gold undertone to them. Heavy surface netting is also a good sign of sugar. Combine the two descriptions and you have the perfect cantaloupe. A few cracks around the stem area is a sign of high sugar as well.

Cantaloupes come to us from mid May through October. Then the "off-shore" melons arrive on the market from various growing regions below the equator to fill the demand during the winter. They are usually picked and shipped green and rarely have any sugar. Cantaloupes do not ripen after they are picked they only ferment and eventually decay. So what is selected on the stand is as ripe as it will get.

One of my favorite new players in the game the past few years is called a Temptation. This melon is fabulous! It is very heavy which is a great indication of how juicy it is. It is also very high in sugar which makes it very sweet! It looks like a large honeydew and has bright orange flesh inside. These melons are still a bit pricey, about $4.00 and sometimes 5.00 bucks a piece, but it is well worth it. It's an absolute must for the melon lover!

Cavaillon (kah-vee-on) or Le Melon De Cavaillon is whitish green colored on the outside with ribs running from the stem end to the blossom end all around the melon. It is sized a little larger than a softball and had a slight oval shape to it. It cuts with a deep orange flesh, is very sweet and mildly crisp. This exceptionally refreshing melon is flown in from Cavaillon France where it has been cultivated
since the 1400s. It is mainly is used at high end white table cloth hotels and restaurants, but could be found in some specialty stores. Kind of pricey for the size, but worth a try.

More common on the commercial market is the Orange Fleshed Honeydew. When this melon is picked at its peak of ripeness, it is sweet as candy. Juicy too! When you head to your favorite produce
shop this summer ask for them. Look for a mild orange cream colored melon with a waxy surface and nice give to it. What is give you ask? When you gently press in with your fingers the melon should "give in" a little bit. If it does not, most likely it is not ready to cut. Smell the melon too, if it has a sweet smell along with the give you know it has all the credentials of being the perfect melon.

A green and/or gold fleshed Honeydew will have the same characteristics. The only difference is a yellow cream color on the outer surface. Honeydews are fully packed with vitamin C, calcium and potassium.

By the way, did you know that the honeydew was named by a five year old girl? She was in the melon field at sunrise with her father who developed the nameless melon, when she said to him "father the morning dew looks just like honey on the melons." Hence the name honeydew was born.

Other common melons include the Casaba. When selecting, look for yellow all around. A green stem end is okay. The give on this melon is at the bottom or the blossom end If it is there is a give in this area it is ripe. The casaba is normally shaped like a big yellow Hershey Kiss with a round bottom and deep wrinkly, but firm skin. The stem is at the top of the melon as they are displayed that way to keep them from rolling onto the floor.

Persian melons and Galia melons look similar to Cantaloupes except for the netting on the outside. The netting on a persian Is loose, spread out and a lot finer. They are usually more round in shape like a ball. The flesh is deep salmon colored like a cantaloupe, but a little more firm. The flavor is musky sweet. This melon tends to soften quickly. Check for a light give.

The Galia is similar as far as picking one out that is ready, but it is a different melon altogether.
It's flesh is green and it is incredibly juicy and sweet. It is more perfumy in aftertaste and if
allowed to get too ripe it will develop an unpleasant chemical taste.

The Sharlyn is an oval mildly netted melon. The flesh is white, extremely sweet and kind of perfumy. The texture is buttery soft and juicy. This one gets soft fast also. Pick them when they have a gold cast and a fair give.

The Crenshaw is a paler salmon color with a sweet spicy aroma & flavor. This melon is very juicy & should also be gold in color and have a good give to it on the blossom end. It is softer than other melons so handle with care to avoid bruising.

My favorite melon out of them all is the Canary melon. Although this melon is canary yellow in color, it is named for it's breeder Juane Canari. They are yellow surfaced and football shaped. The flavor in this melon has got to be the ultimate.

A real treat are two new yellow seedless varieties of watermelon that hit the market two summers ago. "Orange Sunshine" and "Orange Surprise." They are smaller varieties developed to fit the whole melon in the refrigerator. Kind of like an Orchid Melon more commonly seen in organic markets.

If you live in Japan, and have 82.00 you can buy a square watermelon. Farmers in the small town of Zentsuji are growing watermelons in square glass cases. This forces the melon to form into a square and at the exact size of the common household refrigerator shelves of Japan. Why? you might ask. Lack of space. These melons don't roll around on refrigerator shelves, and how about cut watermelon squares? At that price don't expect to see them in U.S. Produce departments anytime soon!

All the melons mentioned here are high in sugar and incredibly juicy. Juicy enough to satisfy your thirst. They should have a fair give to them and be heavy for their size. I mean 4-6 pounds each on the larger melons and 3-5 pounds on the smaller ones. Make sure you don't pick them too soft as they will ferment and taste like vinegar.

The rinds hold a lot of calcium which protects them from spoiling. In ripe melons, the calcium moves from the rind to the seeds and that is what makes them break down and soften up. In fact, some packers are now giving melons a bath in a calcium solution (all natural) to help prolong the life of the melon.

A sweet aroma is an indication of a good melon. Ask your produce person to help you find the perfect one. Don't always expect them to be ripe. The ripest melons will not hold up very long, you will have to use them right away. If you are a weekly shopper pick firm melons and ripen them at home. Then when it reaches the stage of ripeness that you prefer, you can cut it and enjoy it. Remember, A melon will not develop any further sugar after it has been picked.

All melon varieties make great ice cream topping. Cut them up and drop them on top. Another way is to cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds with
a large spoon and fill with ice cream, frozen yogurt or other fruit like berries and grapes. Try different varieties together. Cut them onto cubes and mix them in a bowl or slice them onto a platter. Try juicing them in a juicer, or adding ice and buzzing them around in the blender for a few minutes. Add tequila or rum, for a fresh daiquiri or margarita.

Firm melons such as cantaloupe and persian melons are great on the grill! Just cut about 2 inches thick (rind on) and grill for 5 minutes turning evenly. Guido, my Produce Pair partner, swears by this.

Melons are a good source of potassium and are high in Vitamin C with the orange fleshed varieties high in Vitamin A.

Melons date back as far as 4,000 years to Egypt where watermelons were portrayed in the art work.

Before cutting a variety melon wash it in warm water and mild soap. With a clean knife cut it in half. Using a large spoon, scoop the seeds out of the cavity and discard. Then place the cut half upside down on a sanitary cutting board and start slicing from one end to the other. The individual slices can then be peeled if you are going to cube it or use it on a platter.

You may ask yourself why go through all the trouble of cutting up melons when I can buy melons already cut and cubed at the store? While it is a great convenience, you don't have any control over ripeness. The melons have to travel and hold up enough to look good in the store. This cannot be done with ripe and ready to eat melons unless it is done on the spot. Ripe melons just won't hold the form. Most of the time it is done by a processor that is not in house.

I'm not telling you not to use precut melons, I'm just simply stating that you do not have the control over the ripeness that you may want. In the winter when it is hard to find a ripe melon due to offshore fruit, then you don't have a choice, but during peak season don't miss out on the best. Cut 'em yourself!

Newer varieties are coming into the market each year along with a resurgence of older varieties.
Now is prime time, so eat your melons…you'll have a real good time!