JSngry Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 This has been a really good year for cantelopes in our area. The farmer's markets and roadside produce stands out in the country (but not the supermarkets!) have had a seemingly endless supply of locally grown melons that have that intoxicating smell that tells you before you even cut into them that you'll be lucky if they last until the end of the day, so buy as many as you can right now. In the ongoing debate of is there or is there not a god, a good cantelope is about as good as evidence as can be put forth not just that there is a god, but that it is a kind and loving god who wants us to enjoy life to the ultimate degree. Worship at the cantelope of your choice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Agreed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeBop Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I got meloned-up in West Africa. Canteloupes were just one if the local melon delights. Though I'm more accustomed to melons at breakfast or lunch, they also made a nice evening/iftar food to end a long, hot day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 My last three cantaloupes have been like candy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 my grandmother could pick a cantaloupe like nobody's business, perfect every time. one of my many memories is of her sniffing through the stand for the best! as a kid i'd have half with vanilla ice cream scooped inside. that's health food! now i need to go find a good one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I wish my luck with honeydew melons was as good as it usually is with cantaloupes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I love cantaloupes (I think that is the correct spelling, at least in these parts), but I love honeydew even more. Best of these melons I ever had was years ago from an Amish stand near Lebanon, PA. The fragrance was remarkable; something you hardly ever get from supermarket melons. How to tell if a melon is ripe: press in on both ends If there is a supple "give" to the melon, it's ripe (should also have some of that fragrance). If too soft, it's over-ripe. No give at all means it is not ripe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeweil Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I wish my luck with honeydew melons was as good as it usually is with cantaloupes. Could you please explain to me the difference between the two or post some photos? Thanks!Oh - Leeway read my mind! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 See, that cantaloupe looks perfect, but the honeydew looks like I just wasted my money on rind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 A good honeydew is also a thing of joy, but around here, almost impossible to get. Or so it seems. Maybe the soil's not right for them like it is for the muskmelons (as my from-Illinois father preferred to call them). Best cantaloupe (yes, correct spelling, my pre-coffee bad on that one) was from a side-of-the-road vendor outside Tampa about 10 years ago, something called an Ambrosia... unbelievalby rich, complex flavor and scent, otherworldly, almost. But the guy was only there that one day, never again, and no other so-called Ambrosia variety I've found since then has even come close, so...maybe this guy was from heaven, or another universe, or something...whatever the deal was, I'd like for him to come back with some more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I wish my luck with honeydew melons was as good as it usually is with cantaloupes. Could you please explain to me the difference between the two or post some photos? Thanks! Oh - Leeway read my mind! You're lucky I'm not talking about what else I found See, that cantaloupe looks perfect, but the honeydew looks like I just wasted my money on rind. You're right, not a very good pic. Hard to find even pics of ripe dew! This is a bit better I think: The problem is that wholesalers and supermarkets ship long before they are ripe. The only solution is to let them sit on the counter for a few days until you get some give when pushing the ends. Don't know why, but if you put them (or any fruit like peaches, nectarines, etc) in a paper bag (not plastic) it will accelerate the ripening process. Works pretty well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Its been quite a while since I've gne for some cantaloupe or honey dew - both are usually equally welcome but it seems to have been about a year since I snagged one, for whatever reason. I have a feeling that will change very soon. Beer & cantaloupe - the most compelling evidence that god loves us and wants us to be happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 Beer & cantaloupe - the most compelling evidence that god loves us and wants us to be happy. in Portugal I once had melon awash with the bar owner's own moonshine - aguardente ? - woof some crazy stuff that was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I've only bought cantaloupe since moving to DC a couple months ago. They were good, but not quite "to die for". I haven't tried the honey dew here yet. My sense (back in Kansas City) was that there were at least some cantaloupe and honey dew grown in the Midwest (I used to see them at farmer's markets, not just in stores) -- but I must confess, I have no idea where they're sourced from out here on the east coast. Anybody know? Are either grown out here? - or are they brought in from afar? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeway Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I've only bought cantaloupe since moving to DC a couple months ago. They were good, but not quite "to die for". I haven't tried the honey dew here yet. My sense (back in Kansas City) was that there were at least some cantaloupe and honey dew grown in the Midwest (I used to see them at farmer's markets, not just in stores) -- but I must confess, I have no idea where they're sourced from out here on the east coast. Anybody know? Are either grown out here? - or are they brought in from afar? The ones in the DC markets, Like Giant or Safeway, are never ripe; usual hard as a brick. Wegman's or Fresh Fields might be a good sources to try. My understanding is that the melons come either from Texas or Central America, especially Guatemala. They are not raised locally, at least in commercial quantities. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete C Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 (edited) I've only bought cantaloupe since moving to DC a couple months ago. They were good, but not quite "to die for". I haven't tried the honey dew here yet. My sense (back in Kansas City) was that there were at least some cantaloupe and honey dew grown in the Midwest (I used to see them at farmer's markets, not just in stores) -- but I must confess, I have no idea where they're sourced from out here on the east coast. Anybody know? Are either grown out here? - or are they brought in from afar? Melons in NY generally suck. Except at farmers markets very little produce is local. Everything comes from different places depending on time of year. Edited August 29, 2011 by Pete C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neal Pomea Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 (edited) I've only bought cantaloupe since moving to DC a couple months ago. They were good, but not quite "to die for". I haven't tried the honey dew here yet. My sense (back in Kansas City) was that there were at least some cantaloupe and honey dew grown in the Midwest (I used to see them at farmer's markets, not just in stores) -- but I must confess, I have no idea where they're sourced from out here on the east coast. Anybody know? Are either grown out here? - or are they brought in from afar? They grow them on the eastern shore of Maryland, but they are not as good as the ones from California, in my opinion. If it is not fully ripe when you buy one, just leave it on the counter for a few days until it is a little mushy. If you like peaches, they are very good this summer because of the dryness. They are grown near Thurmont Maryland in mountainside orchards. Edited August 29, 2011 by Neal Pomea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Wheel Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 I wish my luck with honeydew melons was as good as it usually is with cantaloupes. Could you please explain to me the difference between the two or post some photos? Thanks! Oh - Leeway read my mind! You're lucky I'm not talking about what else I found See, that cantaloupe looks perfect, but the honeydew looks like I just wasted my money on rind. You're right, not a very good pic. Hard to find even pics of ripe dew! This is a bit better I think: The problem is that wholesalers and supermarkets ship long before they are ripe. The only solution is to let them sit on the counter for a few days until you get some give when pushing the ends. Don't know why, but if you put them (or any fruit like peaches, nectarines, etc) in a paper bag (not plastic) it will accelerate the ripening process. Works pretty well. It's because the melon emits ethylene gas as it ripens, and the gas in turn further causes ripening. Put the melon in a paper bag and the gas is trapped in the bag, causing it to get more and more concentrated. This really works like a charm with pears. A farmer once told me that he thinks some melons will actually ripen further in the refrigerator even after you cut them. Makes a certain amount of sense because many melons like colder weather anyway. Have only had mixed results with this method, mainly because I am not patient enough to conduct a true experiment once I have cut a melon open... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Although most honeydew I have had has never come close to even an average cantaloupe, there have been a few that almost (almost) beat out even my fondest cantaloupe memory. Yes to Ambrosia! As everyone has said, melons are best bought from local farms. And cantaloupe ripens extremely quickly in the fridge! Especially once sliced! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Yes to Ambrosia! a-HA! Somebody else knows about these...what's the deal, just how "local" are they anyway...I really want to get another one as good as the one I bought from that vanishing farmer that one time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Well it's a seed, a varietal, so you could grow your own if you had the means. Do a search. Lots of great sharing these days online with regard to homegrown food and small scale farming! "Homesteading" has found a new generation... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 You think the spoil in one part of the country would produce the same flavor as that in another? Because we got really tasty 'lopes here. But that Ambosia in Florida....man, that was something else altogether! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.:.impossible Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Hard to say! You may luck out in the first few years... you may spend a decade trying to get it right. That's part of the reward right? The Quest! Check it. Nice experiment here, specifically Ambrosia seeds: http://www.mastergardeners.org/projects/ninepalms/2006/melon.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted August 30, 2011 Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JSngry Posted August 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2011 Those are "personal watermelons". For real! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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