Cantaloupe is the chameleon of summer time fruit. It’s so candy-sweet that it will possibly make for a lightweight dessert by itself (although lest we not overlook cantaloupe bowls). But its syrupy attribute additionally provides it the ability to counter salty substances—the traditional Italian pairing of prosciutto and cantaloupe is all of the proof you want that opposites appeal to. So go forward, and switch cantaloupe into salads, grate it right into a marinade for grilled meat, or pile it with a bacon-cashew crumble.
However for all of this melon’s deliciousness, there’s only one tiny downside: It may be exhausting to select a superbly candy cantaloupe. In contrast to berries, which reveal their ripeness to the bare eye, and stone fruit that asks nothing greater than so that you can press on it as an indicator, cantaloupe likes to play exhausting to get. You’re left to easily choose one on the grocery retailer or farmers market, guess if it is ripe, and maintain your breath while you minimize into it.
However there’s a greater choice. Right here’s the simplest technique to choose the perfect cantaloupe:
Tips on how to inform if a cantaloupe is ripe
When deciding on the way to choose the very best melon, there are 4 issues to contemplate:
Really feel: A ripe, candy cantaloupe ought to really feel heavy for its measurement and the webbing on its rind needs to be thick. It needs to be pretty agency when pressed, although not as agency as a watermelon. As an alternative, the floor ought to give barely while you gently press the stem finish and its reverse finish, often known as the blossom finish, together with your thumbs. Alternatively, if there are any smooth spots or if it’s mushy when pressed, that is an indicator that the cantaloupe is overripe.
Shade: Search for a lightweight golden hue between a cantaloupe’s webbing. A ripe melon ought to function shades of beige: tan, sandy, and/or pale yellow-ish tones. Inexperienced means it’s not ripe sufficient.
Sound: Give the cantaloupe a delicate knock. Hear for a low, deep, heavy sound. In the event you hear a hole sound, maintain off—it’s not ripe.
Odor: Take a whiff of the blossom finish. A juicy cantaloupe ought to odor candy and have a faintly musky scent. No scent signifies it’s unripe, whereas a fermented odor means it’s overripe.
Will cantaloupe proceed to ripen after it’s been picked?
Sadly, probably not. Whereas different fruits like bananas and peaches carry on ripening after you’ve introduced them residence, melons don’t proceed to ripen a lot after they’ve been picked. In the event you carry an unripe cantaloupe residence and let it sit on the counter or in a paper bag at room temperature for a few days, the flesh will soften, however it would by no means be as candy and juicy as a cantaloupe picked at peak ripeness.
Tips on how to retailer a cantaloupe
In the event you suspect the cantaloupe you introduced residence isn’t ripe, strive leaving it on the counter at room temperature for a day or two. As talked about above, it’s sadly not a foolproof resolution, because the melon received’t get any sweeter, however it would not less than assist make it just a little softer. Retailer uncut ripe cantaloupe within the fridge for as much as 2 weeks. As soon as minimize, retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
What to do if you happen to minimize open an unripe cantaloupe
Fortunately, not all is misplaced if you end up with an underripe cantaloupe. Mix it into agua fresca, including just a little honey or agave nectar to style if wanted, and use it in smoothies with different ripe fruit. It’s additionally spectacular pickled and tossed in a salad or on a cheese board. Or flip it into probably the most surprising jam, which can remind you of sunny summer time days lengthy after they’re gone.
Sheela Prakash is a meals and wine author, and the creator of Salad Seasons and Mediterranean Each Day. Her favourite technique to eat cantaloupe is with prosciutto, white wine, and summer time sunshine.
