How To Know If A Cantaloupe Is Ripe

As with cantaloupe, color is your first sign of ripeness. The melon’s green rind will take on a creamy yellowish color. If the color is right, gently push on the end of the melon opposite from the stem. If there is a slight give, the melon is probably ripe.

How do I tell if a cantaloupe is ripe?

To select a ripe cantaloupe, look for tan cantaloupe with light green lines across it, and avoid choosing melons with brown or soft spots. The melon should be firm but not too soft or too hard.

How do you ripen a cantaloupe from the store?

To quickly ripen a cantaloupe, place it in a large brown paper bag with a ripe apple or banana. Roll the top of the paper bag to close it. Leave the bag out at room temperature for a few days, checking periodically to test the ripeness.

What do ripe cantaloupes look like?

How to Tell If a Cantaloupe Is Ripe. Look it over: The overall color of the rind should be beige, sandy gold, or creamy yellow—but not green (green indicates unripe). The webbing should appear as strong, raised ridges. The yellowish spot can indicate that the melon is ripe.

Will a cantaloupe ripen on the counter?

However, cantaloupe and similar fruit will continue to ripen after harvest. Once into the ripening process, fruit will gain sugar, flavor will improve and flesh soften. However, cantaloupe and similar melons bought in winter probably need to be held at room temperature for a few days or more to allow it to improve.

Will cantaloupe ripen after being cut open?

Place the fruit in a brown paper bag rolled closed at the top to help the melon to ripen faster for eating. Once you’ve already cut the cantaloupe it needs to be refrigerated, which slows any further softening.

How can you tell if a melon is ripe?

As with cantaloupe, color is your first sign of ripeness. The melon’s green rind will take on a creamy yellowish color. If the color is right, gently push on the end of the melon opposite from the stem. If there is a slight give, the melon is probably ripe.

What is the sweetest cantaloupe?

7 Sweetest Cantaloupe Varieties to Grow (& How to Get Seeds) Cantaloupe Variety Brix (sugar %) Days to Maturity Sugar Cube 11-14% 80 days Honey Rock 13.1% 80 to 85 days El Gordo 10-16% 75 to 85 days Hannah’s Choice 12-14% 75 to 85 days.

How long does cantaloupe take to ripen?

How long does it have to grow? Cantaloupe matures in about 80 to 90 days. Melons are normally ready to harvest when they start turning yellow on the bottom and the stem starts turning brown.

Are cantaloupes good for you?

The fiber, potassium, and vitamin C present in cantaloupe are vital nutrients for your heart health. Potassium can help to lower high blood pressure, which is a risk factor for heart disease. Fiber helps to decrease levels of “bad cholesterol” in your body. It can also keep your blood pressure in check.

What does an unripe cantaloupe look like?

A ripe cantaloupe will have beige, tan, creamy yellow or golden rind. Green rind indicates that the fruit is unripe. The fruit will have a raised, textured webbing on its exterior. Don’t be concerned with discoloration – this is usually just the spot where the melon rested on the ground while being grown in the field.

Can you eat unripe cantaloupe?

Today: Your unripe melon isn’t destined for the compost bin after all. Making a melon jam or chutney. Using it as a thick base for a smoothie, or blending it with lime juice and honey for cantaloupe agua fresca. Grilling the melon with a touch of salt to bring out its sweetness, from AniQuadros.

How do you make cantaloupe sweeter?

Watermelons, cantaloupes, and honeydews lean sweet—and that’s why they play so well with salt, vinegar, and cheese. Sweet, ripe, summer melons are better with salt. Salt makes their flavor pop. It contrasts their sweetness and accentuates their refreshing qualities.

How do you ripen a cantaloupe quickly?

Set the cantaloupe in a paper bag once you want to speed up the ripening process. Keep it at room temperature during this process. Place ethylene-producing fruits such as an apple or banana in the paper bag with the cantaloupe to further speed up the ripening.

Will melon ripen after cut?

Will a honeydew melon ripen once it’s cut? Nope. Unfortunately, melons don’t ripen after they’re harvested, so what you buy is what you get. But if you slice into a honeydew and it happens to be underripe, don’t despair.

How do you sweeten an unripe cantaloupe?

Some swear by a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice. This complements the inherent anti-flavor going on and provides a kick where there wasn’t one before. Others swear by Tajín, a spicy, lime-y seasoning that hails from Mexico.

Can you ripen cantaloupe in the microwave?

Place the piece of unripe fruit in the microwave. Heat it on medium power for 15 seconds.

Can dogs eat cantaloupe?

So, can dogs eat cantaloupe? Yes, the tasty melon is safe for pups to eat in moderation and can be a healthy alternative to traditional treats, especially if your dog is overweight. Even the seeds are harmless, but you should avoid feeding them to your dog intentionally, as they can be a choking hazard.

Are honeydew and cantaloupe the same?

Honeydew melon and cantaloupe are two members of the same species, Cucumis melo (1). Yet, though they’re closely related, they’re two distinctive fruits. They’re similarly sweet, but honeydew melon has a smooth, light-colored rind and green flesh, while cantaloupe has a darker, netted rind and orange flesh (1, 2 ).

Is Rockmelon and cantaloupe the same?

The cantaloupe, rockmelon (Australia and New Zealand, although cantaloupe is used in some states of Australia), sweet melon, or spanspek (South Africa) is a melon that is a variety of the muskmelon species (Cucumis melo) from the family Cucurbitaceae. Cantaloupes range in weight from 0.5 to 5 kilograms (1 to 11 lb).