How to Pick a Good Cantaloupe

A few experiments should tell you whether you're getting a good cantaloupe.

There's nothing more frustrating than picking out a melon at the grocery store that tastes terrible once you get it home. A melon is the classic black box -- you can't really know what's inside until you take it home and cut it up. But you can do some simple experiments to help you determine whether you're buying a ripe, sweet, juicy cantaloupe or a candidate for the cardboard factory.

Things You'll Need

• A nice selection of cantaloupe to choose from.

Instructions

1. A ripe cantaloupe smells sweet. It should not smell musty or green.

2. The outer skin should not appear to have a green hue. There should not be any vine attached. Ripe cantaloupes fall right off of the vine. It should be smooth and slightly green around the edges where the vine was once attached.

3. Press on the end that was not attached to the vine. It should give a little, indicating that it is fresh and ripe.

4. It should sound hollow when you tap the middle of the fruit.

5. Choose a cantaloupe that is firm, but not hard. Avoid cantaloupe that are soft or appear to be bruised.

6. A cantaloupe should feel heavier than it looks, indicating that it's ripe and juicy.