How to Choose a Good Cantaloupe

Picking out the sweetest melon of the bunch is a piece of cake.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Eye the melons.
   
   First, approach the cantaloupes in your grocery store. Decide if they are worth buying. If there are fruit flies or if all the fruits are bruised, steer clear. Otherwise proceed to step two.

2. Select a large round melon.
   
   Take a guess and pick a cantaloupe that looks more orange brown than green.

3. Smell and press the cantaloupe.
   
   Pick up the melon you have chosen. Smell it at the circular spot where the stem should be. Is it sweet? If so, you have selected a ripe melon. If your melon smells bad, pass it up. You can choose a melon that doesn't have a smell, but you shouldn't cut it for a few days--it's not yet ripe.
   
   As you're smelling your cantaloupe, try squeezing in the top stem area. The melon should give a bit. Try to find a fruit that is supple, not squishy. Once you've found a cantaloupe that smells sweet and gives when you push it, you've got a winner!

[Panda229]

on 7/19/2009 I love cantaloupe! Great tips! 5*