How to Pick a Cantaloupe

Picking cantaloupe is a simple gardening task. Whether picking garden cantaloupes or choosing them in the supermarket, there are a few simple tricks to selecting the right melon. Having a good eye and a keen sense of smell helps greatly in cantaloupe selection.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Choose a supermarket cantaloupe by holding close and smelling the melon. The cantaloupe should have a distinctive fresh, melon odor.

2. Give the cantaloupe a gentle push with the thumb on the blossom end of the melon. This should yield slightly to the pressure. This determines just how long the melon has been sitting or how long it has been stored.

3. Look at the cantaloupe. If the melon was ripened directly on the vine, there will be a smooth depression where the stem was attached.

4. Notice that when picking cantaloupes from the garden the melon will have a bleached appearance on one side, yet should not be lopsided or flattened.

Tips & Warnings

• Cantaloupes can be left at room temperature for 2 to 4 days. This allows the flesh to soften slightly and the melon become juicier.
• Store any uneaten cantaloupe in plastic bags in the refrigerator.
• Cantaloupes are oftentimes referred to as muskmelons. Both are the same melon that ripens in the late spring and early summer.
• Allow the melon to ripen to a golden color on the vine. Cantaloupes do not ripen any further once removed from the garden.
• Ensure that all refrigerated portions of the cantaloupe are stored in airtight containers as ripe melons can exude a strong odor that may permeate surrounding foods.

Resources

• Read a good cantaloupe article here
• Review a doctor's guide to better health including cantaloupe tips.
• Find a paradise of vegetable tips and articles here.

[sedna]

on 6/22/2009 My grandfather once told me the best cantaloupes in grocery stores are the ugliest. I started experimenting and found he's right. I now pick the ugliest cantaloupe in the lot and it's almost always sweet and delicious.