Title: Melon Basics
Categories: Dessert Fruit
Yield: 1 Servings

SELECTING,STORING

SEASON: April through December, depending on the variety.

LOOK FOR: Fully ripened melons for beat sweetness and flavor, heavy for their size. Avoid bruised or cracked fruit. Use these guidelines for selecting specific varieties:

CANARY: Oval in shape, with a bright yellow rind, this melon gives off a rich aroma when ripe. The sweet flesh tastes similar to honeydew. Look for canary melons from mid-June to mid-September.

CANTALOUPE: Available June through September, this melon has a golden or greenish beige skin with thick, coarse netting. The scar at the stem end should be smooth, without any of the stem remaining. When ripe, cantaloupe has a pleasant aroma and salmon colored flesh, and it feels tender but not mushy at the blossom end.

CASABA: The casaba is round with a pointed end, chartreuse yellow with lengthwise furrows and no netting; the flesh is cream colored. When the fruit is ripe, the rind is a rich yellow and the blossom end yields to gentle pressure. Supplies are best in July through October.

CRENSHAW: Globe shaped and pointed at the stem end, with shallow furrows, the crenshaw melon has a gold and green rind that turns all gold when the melon is ripe; the pink flesh has a rich aroma; blossom end yields to gentle pressure. Look for them July through October.

HONEYDEW, HONEYBALL: These melons are similar except that the honeyball is smaller. The rind is cream colored with patches of netting. When the melon is ripe, the skin should feel velvety and the rind should give slightly. Look for honeyballs from July through November, honeydews all year.

PERSIAN: Resembling the cantaloupe but larger, with finer netting, the Persian melon has a dark green background that turns lighter green when the fruit is ripe. The skin gives under slight pressure. The flesh is orange pin, and the aroma is distinct. Persian melons are available from June through November.

SANTA CLAUS: Available in December, this melon is a large, oblong fruit with yellow green flesh and a green gold slightly netted rind that turns yellow when ripe. The blossom end will yield to gentle pressure.

TO STORE: Let melons ripen at room temperature; then refrigerate them and use them within 2 to 3 days. Keep them well wrapped; after cutting.

Source: The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook ISBN: 0-688-03897-2 Typos by Dorothy Flatman 1995

From: Dorothy Flatman Date: 05-10-96 (08:42) Online Connections (410) National C

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