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Cantaloupe is the chameleon of summer season fruit. It’s so candy-sweet that it may possibly make for a lightweight dessert by itself (although lest we not overlook cantaloupe bowls). But its syrupy attribute additionally provides it the facility to counter salty substances—the traditional Italian pairing of prosciutto and cantaloupe is all of the proof you want that opposites entice. So go forward, and switch cantaloupe into salads, grate it right into a marinade for grilled meat, or pile it with a bacon-cashew crumble.
However for all of this melon’s deliciousness, there’s only one tiny downside: It may be laborious to select a superbly candy cantaloupe. In contrast to berries, which reveal their ripeness to the bare eye, and stone fruit that asks nothing greater than so that you can press on it as an indicator, cantaloupe likes to play laborious to get. You’re left to easily choose one on the grocery retailer or farmers market, guess if it is ripe, and maintain your breath once you minimize into it.
However there’s a greater choice. Right here’s the best technique to choose the perfect cantaloupe:
The right way to inform if a cantaloupe is ripe
When deciding on learn how to choose the perfect melon, there are 4 issues to contemplate:
Really feel: A ripe, candy cantaloupe ought to really feel heavy for its dimension and the webbing on its rind needs to be thick. It needs to be pretty agency when pressed, although not as agency as a watermelon. As a substitute, the floor ought to give barely once you gently press the stem finish and its reverse finish, also called the blossom finish, together with your thumbs. Then again, if there are any tender spots or if it’s mushy when pressed, that is an indicator that the cantaloupe is overripe.
Coloration: Search for a lightweight golden hue between a cantaloupe’s webbing. A ripe melon ought to function shades of beige: tan, sandy, and/or pale yellow-ish tones. Inexperienced means it’s not ripe sufficient.
Sound: Give the cantaloupe a delicate knock. Hear for a low, deep, heavy sound. If you happen to hear a hole sound, maintain off—it’s not ripe.
Scent: Take a whiff of the blossom finish. A juicy cantaloupe ought to odor candy and have a faintly musky scent. No scent signifies it’s unripe, whereas a fermented odor means it’s overripe.
Will cantaloupe proceed to ripen after it’s been picked?
Sadly, not likely. Whereas different fruits like bananas and peaches carry on ripening after you’ve introduced them dwelling, melons don’t proceed to ripen a lot after they’ve been picked. If you happen to carry an unripe cantaloupe dwelling and let it sit on the counter or in a paper bag at room temperature for a few days, the flesh will soften, however it can by no means be as candy and juicy as a cantaloupe picked at peak ripeness.
The right way to retailer a cantaloupe
If you happen to suspect the cantaloupe you introduced dwelling isn’t ripe, strive leaving it on the counter at room temperature for a day or two. As talked about above, it’s sadly not a foolproof resolution, because the melon gained’t get any sweeter, however it can a minimum of assist make it just a little softer. Retailer uncut ripe cantaloupe within the fridge for as much as 2 weeks. As soon as minimize, retailer it in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 3 days.
What to do should you minimize open an unripe cantaloupe
Fortunately, not all is misplaced if you end up with an underripe cantaloupe. Mix it into agua fresca, including just a little honey or agave nectar to style if wanted, and use it in smoothies with different ripe fruit. It’s additionally spectacular pickled and tossed in a salad or on a cheese board. Or flip it into essentially the most sudden jam, which is able to remind you of sunny summer season days lengthy after they’re gone.
Sheela Prakash is a meals and wine author, and the creator of Salad Seasons and Mediterranean Each Day. Her favourite technique to eat cantaloupe is with prosciutto, white wine, and summer season sunshine.
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