Recipe - Info - A Guide To Lesser-Known Melons

*** NON NE *****

+ Honeydew: This large oval melon has smooth, creamywhite to yellowgreen
skin. Its pale green flesh is crisp, juicy and, when ripe, it is very
sweet. Some say it is the sweetest of melons. Choose melons that are on the
creamywhite side with a honeylike aroma. The blossom end should be
slightly soft. Skip those with flat white or greenish color. Ditto those
that are as hard as a baseball.

+ Orangeflesh honeydew: Part of the honeydew family, this sweet melon is
more like a cantaloupe in color, taste, texture and aroma. When ripe, the
rind is light salmon pink.

+ Juan canary: Sweet, fragrant and juicy, this oblong melon has a
pleasantly crisp texture. It is ripe when the rind has turned canary
yellow.

+ Crenshaw: A cross between a casaba and a Persian melon, this melon has
dense, salmoncolored flesh. The flavor is both sweet and spicy. When ripe,
the melon will be medium yellow all over. Handle with care crenshaws are
fragile. Refrigerated, it will keep longer than a week.

+ Santa Claus: Striped like a watermelon, these melons have creamywhite to
yellow flesh. Crisp and juicy, they taste similar to a casaba. The brighter
the yellow in its stripe, the riper and more flavorful it will be. Both
ends should give slightly under pressure.

+ Sharlyn: Sweet and fragrant with creamysoft, juicy flesh that is good
down to its rind. It is fully ripe when then skin under the netting is a
uniform orange.

Published Wednesday, August 27, 1997, in the San Jose Mercury News. Copied
with permission.
Posted to Digest eatlf.v097.n228 by Reggie Dwork reggie@reggie.com on
Sep 10, 1997