Meal Makers Digest

Tips for Selecting the Ripe Melon

Watermelon

   

• The watermelon should be firm and with no bruises or soft spots

• The texture should be slightly bumpy
• Watermelons should be heavy for their size.   Fact: A watermelon is made up of 92% water.
• The underside should have a creamy yellow spot this is where the melon sat on the grown as it was growing. A white or greenish bottom could indicate an unripe melon.
• The stem should be withered and brown
• When pressed, the mellow should spring back
• The color between bans should be consistent
• Don't forget the thump test.Smack the melon and listen for a hollow sound, not high pitched or tight must be hollow!

Is Watermelon a Fruit or a Vegetable?  

Cantaloupe

• A cantaloupe should be beige in color with grey webbing. A green melon with tan webbing is not ripe
• The webbing should be tight and not have soft spots or bruises
• A ripe cantaloupe will have a sweet cantaloupe smell. Note: Smell the ends of the melon
• Cantaloupes should be heavy for their size
• The stem end should be slightly soft wand indented with no traces of the stem left.

Honeydew

• Honeydew should be pale yellow green with beige veining. A tan honeydew is not ripe.
• Honeydew should be heavy for their size.
• Honeydew should have a waxy surface.
• When pressed, the stem end should give a little and have a mild aroma. If the aroma is strong the melon is probably overripe

Wash All fruits before using!
According to the FDA, you should wash all fruits and vegetables, including melons, in clean, running water before eating them. Some melons may be difficult to place in the sink and run water over. Use a clean paper towel with a vinegar water solution to clean.
This is true of all fruits and vegetables, whether they have rinds or not. You should also use clean knives and cutting surfaces, taking care to
never cut fruit or vegetables with a knife just used to cut raw meat, chicken or seafood. Additionally, persons preparing melons, fruits,
vegetables or other foodstuffs should thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water prior to preparing the food for eating.

Recipes for Melons

Melon Panzanella
Watermelon Salsa
Pickled Watermelon Rind
Cantaloupe Preserves
Spiced Cantaloupe Butter
Honeydew Melon with Toasted Peanuts and Southeast Asian Herbs
Honeydew Cucumber Drink Video Recipe  This drink is refreshing!