FoodFood InformationFruitMelon
By far the sweetest melon, if not the sweetest fruit, that grows is a
vine ripened honeydew. Unfortunately, they are not easy to come by. I've
seen huge displays of honeydews in supermarkets, with not one vine-ripened
honeydew among the hundreds being offered. This scarcity of ripe honeydews
is especially prevalent in markets that are self-service. Along with vine-ripened
tomatoes, vine-ripened honeydews are too delicate and fragile to withstand
rough handling by overzealous shoppers in self-service markets. Therefore,
these markets usually buy immature, rock-hard melons to cut down on losses
due to less than gentle handling by consumers.
All honeydews, whether ripe or immature, are light green in flesh color,
except for a recently developed orange-fleshed variety that has all the
prospects of a real winner.
How does one identify the elusive vine-ripened honeydew? There are four
criteria: fragrance, skin color, skin texture, and the slight give to gentle
pressure at the blossom end.
A ripe honeydew is as fragrant as a flower. The blossom end, as opposed
to the stem end, will be more fragrant. A hard, immature honeydew won't
have any odor.
The skin color of a vine-ripened honeydew is the color of creamery
butter. If it is chalky white, pale green, or canary yellow, it is not a
good sign. However, if the skin has a netting or a ribbing and especially
if the skin is blemished with freckles, don't pass up the melon. These freckles
are clues to high sugar content.
The feel and texture of the skin are foolproof keys to quality. The
skin of a truly vine-ripened honeydew will feel velvety and slightly tacky-like
a freshly powdered baby's bottom. The unripe honeydew will have a skin texture
that is smooth and slick.
The blossom end of the honeydew should have a slight yield to gentle
pressure. The word gentle is emphasized because too many fine melons are
destroyed by well-meaning but overzealous shoppers. Don't apply any more
pressure than you would to a grape.
When you purchase a honeydew, what you see is what you get. Unlike a firm,
high-colored cantaloupe or a firm, golden-colored crenshaw, a firm
honeydew will not ripen after purchase. If you settle for a hard honeydew,
no matter if you incubate it for months on end, it will not ripen or get
any sweeter.
Sometimes an unscrupulous produce manager who is up to his ears in rock-hard
honeydews will bang them on the blossom end. In the parlance of the produce
trade, this practice is known as hammer-ripening. Don't fall for this skullduggery.
If a honeydew is soft at the blossom end but the rest of it feels slick
and hard as a rock, it probably was hammer ripened.
Having cautioned you against purchasing very firm honeydews, let me warn
you about those that are too soft. A soft, soupy honeydew especially if
the seeds go "slurp" when you shake it gently, is probably overripe.
In an overripe honeydew the flesh will show shatter (be broken up) or will
appear to be frozen and look glossy. As a rule, when you cut open an overripe
honeydew, you had better have a towel or even a mop handy to catch the liquid.
An overripe honeydew may be as sweet as sugar even while being at the point
of fermentation. Eating it could result in a very upset stomach (melon colic?).
Very often a superb honeydew is too sweet and will cause discomfort. If
you have one that is too sweet, sprinkling it with a few drops of fresh
lime or lemon juice will solve the problem and could even enhance the flavor
of the melon.
California grows the finest honeydews. Those grown in Arizona, Texas, and
Mexico aren't quite as good. Although the California honeydews make their
annual debut in June, the peak of season is August, September, and October.
In that time period we get honeydews that are grown in the Turlock area
of central California. These are the finest in the world. There are four
major growers in that area and they identify their products by attaching
gummed labels to each melon. The trade names to watch for are: King of the
West, Peacock, Sycamore, White House, and White Star (the last two belong
to the same grower). While it is possible to get a too firm Turlock that
was picked prior to reaching full maturity, the above labels have a great
track record.
In one sentence, the way to select a perfect honeydew is to choose one that
smells like a flower, is the color of butter, has a slight give at the blossom
end, and feels like a baby's bottom. If you can't find a truly ripe honeydew,
switch to the more reliable cantaloupe or check out the crenshaws.
WHEN TO BUY: At peak July through October
WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Not bruised, fragrant, cream-colored fruit that is velvety
but not soft
HOW TO STORE: Refrigerate immediately
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