Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Melon

Summer

Description: Melons are large, hard-skinned fruits with sweet, juicy flesh. They are part of the gourd family. Watermelon has the highest water content. Cantaloupe and honeydew are varieties of muskmelon.

Selection: Melons should give to gentle pressure at the blossom end and smell sweet. Hard melons should sound hollow when knocked with a knuckle. Avoid any melons with lumps or soft spots and watermelons with a flat side. Choose cantaloupe that are heavy for their size, with a fruity aroma and thick, well-raised netting.

Storage and handling: Keep uncut melons at room temperature until fully ripened, then refrigerate for up to 5 days. Before cutting, wash the skin well. Cut melon can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic, up to 3 days.

Preparation: Cut honeydew and cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. Remove skin if desired and cut into wedges, balls, or slices.

Serving suggestions: Eat melon plain or in fruit salads. Chill and drizzle with lime juice. Use in sherbets and sorbets (SIS, p. 159).

Nutrients:Varies; most varieties are high in Vitamins A and C.

1 lb. raw = 2 cups
1 lb. cooked = n/a

Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Melon

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	Guide General Tips Apples Asparagus Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Collards Corn Cranberries Cucumbers Edamame Edible flowers Eggplant Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melon Mesclun Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Persimmons Potatoes Pumpkins Raspberries Rhubarb Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Strawberries Swiss chard Sweet potatoes Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips Wild greens Winter squash Fruit and Vegetable Guide Melon Summer Description: Melons are large, hard-skinned fruits with sweet, juicy flesh. They are part of the gourd family. Watermelon has the highest water content. Cantaloupe and honeydew are varieties of muskmelon. Selection: Melons should give to gentle pressure at the blossom end and smell sweet. Hard melons should sound hollow when knocked with a knuckle. Avoid any melons with lumps or soft spots and watermelons with a flat side. Choose cantaloupe that are heavy for their size, with a fruity aroma and thick, well-raised netting. Storage and handling: Keep uncut melons at room temperature until fully ripened, then refrigerate for up to 5 days. Before cutting, wash the skin well. Cut melon can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic, up to 3 days. Preparation: Cut honeydew and cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. Remove skin if desired and cut into wedges, balls, or slices. Serving suggestions: Eat melon plain or in fruit salads. Chill and drizzle with lime juice. Use in sherbets and sorbets (SIS, p. 159). Nutrients:Varies; most varieties are high in Vitamins A and C. 1 lb. raw = 2 cups 1 lb. cooked = n/a More from our readers Do you have a tip, comment or recipe you would like to add to this page? Send your tips, helpful comments or recipes Name Email Address Email Address confirm Comments The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season. Subscribe to a recipe a week from the Simply in Season cookbook.
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