Juicy summer melons
There’s nothing quite as refreshing as a cold piece of melon straight out of the fridge after a long day at the beach. But which melons make for the juicest kind and how do you spot a good melon without cutting open?
Rachel Zammit Cutajar
Botanists consider melons, squashes and cucumber to be one and the same coming from the same family of vine fruits. For culinary purposes all are treated as vegetables, save the melon, which is treated as a fruit due to its high sugar content.
Though there is a huge variety of melons Maltese supermarkets and greengrocers sell local watermelons, cantaloupes and honey dew melons. Cantaloupe and honeydew melons are closely related, however a cantaloupe is generally round and the fleshy part of the fruit is orange as opposed to the oblong shape and white flesh of the honeydew melon.
Melons are eaten when ripe, when the fleshy part of the fruit turns sweet. However recognising a good melon is not always easy, however there are a number of characteristics that indicate how good the fruit is likely to be.
In the case of a watermelon the first thing you need to do is check the shape of the melon. A good watermelon has a symmetrical shape. It does not matter if the fruit is round or oval in shape as long as it is regular in shape.
Check the bottom of the watermelon. There is a discoloured spot at the bottom where the watermelon has been in contact with the ground while it was growing. If the spot is light green in colour then the watermelon is probably not ripe yet. If the spot is yellowish-white then it is probably ripe.
You can also tell if any melon is ripe by thumping it, if you know what you are listening for. When you thump the side of a ripe watermelon it will sound hollow. If you hear a thud or a tone that is high in pitch the fruit has not ripened yet.
When you pick up the melon pay attention to how heavy it is. Melons are 90% water so the ones that seem heavy for the size are going to be the juciest watermelons.
Most of these tips can be used in to pick a good cantaloupe or honey dew melon, though the skin of either of these should have a sweet smell.
Melons are generally non-toxic, non-fat and low in calories, but due to their high water content have a modest nutritional value, making them particularly good for weight-loss diets. Melons need almost no digestion and, on an empty stomach will go straight through.
Melons come in a variety of colours and including as many colours in one’s diet has been thought to reduce the risk of some cancers. Melons are found in red, orange, white, green and the less popular blue/purple.
