Table of Contents
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 you know if a honeydew melon is ripe?
How to tell if honeydew is ripe: Consider the color. The rind of a ripe honeydew will be a bright, creamy yellow color. Test the texture. Is that rind smooth and waxy? Give it a feel. Find the blossom end, which is opposite the end where it was attached to the vine.
How long does it take for melon to ripe?
Melons typically ripen over a short period of time, up to 3 to 4 weeks for cantaloupes. As soon as one melon is ripe, the others won’t be far behind. About a week before a melon is ripe, minimize watering to just enough to keep vines from wilting.
How can you tell when 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 long does it take a honeydew melon to ripen?
Tip. Honeydew melons mature in 65 to 100 days, depending on the cultivar.
Should honeydew melon be green inside?
Your melon should have next to no greenness once it has fully ripened, so keep an eye out for any green veins running across the rind (the outer skin of the fruit). A ripe honeydew will have lost its green tinge and moved over to a nice whitish yellow or golden hue.
Do melons ripen after picking?
Do melons ripen after they are picked? Once picked, melons no longer get sweeter or tastier, so it is worth seeking ones out that ripened fully on the vine. As with most fruit, melons are picked before they fully ripen to give them more time and durability for transportation to grocery stores.
Do melons continue to ripen after picking?
However, the melons will continue to ripen after being picked. Their sugar does not change after harvest, so they don’t get sweeter with age. However, they do become more desirable to eat because the flesh continues to soften and the melon becomes juicier, the University of California-Davis reports.
How do you ripen a honeydew melon quickly?
She recommends that you ripen them faster in a perforated paper bag. When ripe, refrigerate. Cut melons should be wrapped in plastic to contain the odor. Do not remove the seeds until ready to eat because the seeds keep the flesh from drying out.
How do you pick a melon?
Tips for Picking a Ripe Melon Pay Attention to Size and Weight. Whether it’s large or small, a ripe melon will feel heavy for its size. Check for Defects on the Rind. Turn the melon in your hands and carefully inspect the surface area. Look at the Color. “Knock” on the surface. Give it a Sniff.
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.
Will a cantaloupe ripen in the refrigerator?
Will a cantaloupe ripen if it is in the refrigerator overnight? No, it will not ripen once it is in the refrigerator.
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.
Can you ripen a melon in the microwave?
Place the piece of unripe fruit in the microwave. Heat it on medium power for 15 seconds.
Can you eat unripe honeydew melon?
An immature honeydew melon will remain hard, bland, and, frankly, inedible, so it’s vital they are picked once they’ve moved over to maturity. The confusion between mature and immature melons comes about because mature honeydews can still be unripe.
How can you tell a good honeydew?
The ripe honeydew should be slightly soft and springy, and it should smell fresh and faintly sweet. You should also feel fine ridges in the skin, whereas less ripe melons will have smoother skin. Your ripe honeydew should smell fragrant.
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 ).
