The New Complete Book of Food
Buying This Food
Look for: Vine-ripened melons if possible. You can identify a vine-ripened melon by check-
ing the stem end. If the scar is clean and sunken, it means that the stem was pulled out of a
ripe melon. Ripe melons also have a deep aroma: the more intense the fragrance, the sweeter
the melon.
Cantaloupes should be round and firm, with cream-colored, coarse “netting” that stands
up all over the fruit. The rind at the stem end of the melon should give slightly when you
press it and there should be a rich, melony aroma. Casabas should have a deep-yellow rind
that gives at the stem end when you press it. Ripe casabas smell pleasant and melony. Honey-
dews should have a smooth cream-colored or a yellowish white rind. If the rind is completely
white or tinged with green, the melon is not ripe. Like cantaloupes, Persian melons have a rind
covered with “netting.” As the Persian ripens, the color of its rind lightens. A ripe Persian
will give when you press it. Watermelons should have a firm, smooth rind with a cream or
yellowish undercolor. If the undercoat is white or greenish, the melon is not ripe. When you
shake a ripe watermelon, the seeds inside will rattle; when you thump its rind, you should
hear a slightly hollow sound.Storing This Food
Hold whole melons at room temperature for a few days. Melons have no stored starches to
convert to sugar, so they can’t get sweeter once they are picked, but they will begin to soften
as enzymes begin to dissolve pectin in the cell walls. As the cell walls dissolve, the melons
release the aromatic molecules that make them smell sweet and ripe.
Refrigerate ripe melons to slow the natural deterioration of the fruit. Sliced melons
should be wrapped in plastic to keep them from losing moisture or from absorbing odors
from other foods.Preparing This Food
In 2008, following an outbreak of food-borne illness traced to contaminated cantaloupes,
the FDA released recommendations for the safe preparation of cantaloupes and other melons
that minimize the chances of contaminating the fruit inside the melon with organisms on
the outside of the rind. One safe method is as follows:Wash the melon under running water, scrubbing the rind.
On a cutting board, cut the melon into large pieces with a knife and remove
the central seeds, if any.
Wash hands with soap and water.
On a second cutting board, use a second knife to cut the fruit away from the
rind and then into smaller pieces.
Refrigerate the melon pieces until ready to use.
Wash and dry the knives and cutting boards in hot water and soap, preferably
in a dishwasher that uses hot water and dries with heat.1.
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