In search of the sweet melons
Hello again. Its Nona again, the food lover-gone-WeightWatcher on a mission to find healthy yet tasty dishes.
One of the best parts of WeightWatchers is that, on the flex plan, no food is really off limits. You just have to account for what you eat, and you quickly learn to get the most food for your daily points ration, it’s best to find lower calorie foods that are higher in fiber and lower in fat.
For a dessert lover like me, that means a small portion of something sinful, or a heartier portion of something less decadent.
With that in mind, I am thinking a nice melon salad would be a great dessert this weekend. Satisfies the sweet tooth and I get a lot of food for relatively few points.
It’s still a little early for most melons in this region, but I did pick up a nice mini-watermelon and a very sweet cantaloupe last week at Kroger. Have you ever observed people as they shop for melons? Some are thumpers, some are bouncers, some are smellers. Seems like everyone has a different idea on how to select the best melon.
I usually go by the “does it feel heavy for its size” guide. That means I pick it up and handle it for a few seconds, kind of bouncing it in my hands. This usually works for me but you do have to pick up several melons until you find one that feels right.
Other ways to judge the worthiness of a melon include looking at the field spot, the point in which the melon rested in the field as it grew. This spot should be yellow on a green-skinned melon. I have observed people sniffing this spot. Their noses must be more sensitive than mine, because I get nothing from that experiment.
I am venturing out at lunch to the Farmer’s Market. If anyone there is selling melons, I will see what they recommend for choosing the freshest and ripest in the bunch.
What tips do you use for spotting the best melons or other fresh produce?
June 6, 2008 - 11:54 AM
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I did find a lovely cantaloupe at the market. The helpful young lady behind the table recommended I sniff the spot where the stem was removed. She said if it smells sweet, but not too sweet, the melon is ripe.
My sniffer only detected the faintest hint of melon scent on the one I purchased. I passed over one that smelled very strong.
And to think I have been juggling these melons all these years.
Nona is spot on for cantelope. Make sure you smell the ‘stem’ end, though. I prefer a slightly stonger than a ‘whiff’ of melon smell, but it should definitely smell like a ripe ‘lope.
Having sold produce for more than 7 years, I have heard some doozies…from flipping, plunking, to balancing a piece of straw on them. Most I’ve heard bordered on insanity.
I avoid produce stands/departments where:
1. The people working their can’t tell you how to find a good melon.
2. The place selling it isn’t confident enough in their product to offer to cut melons in half upon request.
I have found that the stronger smelling ones usually need to be eaten pretty soon. A good low-cal summer dessert is fat-free vanilla yogurt or ice cream with canteloupe cut up in it. Very refreshing!
Smell is often a good way to tell if produce is ripe. Like melons, tomatoes and peaches should also smell like…well, tomatoes and peaches! Think of how good the strawberries at the farmer’s market smell. I have also found that in addition to a good melon smell, a ripe cantelope will have a bit of “give” on the stem area when gently pressed. Thanks for the melon report Nona, I’m heading down there in the morning!
Hi Nona, I’m just going to agree w/ everyone else here. We have great success smelling the cantalope where it was cut from the vine. If it smells like a cantalope, it will taste like cantalope! Same for peaches, if they smell like peaches….
My daughter fixed a delicious canteloupe soup this weekend. Simply pureed cantaloupe, olive oil, salt and pepper with fresh mint sprinkled on top. She served with proscuitto and fresh mozzarella on a baguette. Great summer meal!