A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit.
Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The word melon derives from Latin melopepo, which is the latinization of the Greek μηλοπέπων (mēlopepōn), meaning "melon", itself a compound of μῆλον (mēlon), "apple, treefruit (of any kind)" and πέπων (pepōn), amongst others "a kind of gourd or melon". Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of cantaloupes.
Summer brings more than 20 different types of delicious, succulent melons to the farmers market. Local farmers choose rare and heirloom varieties and let them slowly mature on their vines until perfectly ripe so that their sweet, subtle tastes can be savored as summer slips into fall. Bursting with juice and flavor, these stars of summer are dead-ripe and delicate, nothing like the bland, hard melons found off-season in supermarkets and dreary hotel buffets throughout the rest of the year.
Here are 3 kinds of melons you may want to try.
1. WATERMELON
Scientific name: Citrullus lanatus
Taste: Sweet, refreshing, juicy
Watermelon is a must at every summer soiree, and if you’ve tasted it before, it should be no mystery why. To pick a ripe one at the grocery store or farmers market, look for a watermelon that’s deep green in color with a cream- or yellow-colored ground spot. Pick it up and give the ground spot a hard tap—if it sounds deep and hollow, it’s ready to devour.
Recipes: Grilled Watermelon-Feta Skewers, Vegetarian Watermelon Poke Bowls, Grilled Watermelon Steaks
2. PERSIAN MELON
Scientific name: Cucumis melo
Taste: Sweet, crunchy
A cultivar of the musk melon family, Persian melons are elongated and smooth with yellow banded skin and orange flesh. They taste similar to cantaloupe, but their large size makes them milder in flavor.
Recipes: Persian Melon Salad, Kharbozeh and Persian Melon Popsicle
3. CANARY MELONS
Scientific name: Cucumis melo L. (Inodorus Group) ‘Canary’
Taste: Sweet, tangy, juicy
Named for its sunny yellow rind, canary melon’s flavor is like honeydew with a distinct tanginess. Its texture is firmer than mealy watermelon, like a pear. In Asia and South America where it’s cultivated, it’s used in fruit salads and enjoyed raw at breakfast. They also pair beautifully with fresh citrus and herbs.
Recipes: Chilled Canary Melon Soup, Melon Granita, Canary Melon Jam
When choosing a melon, you’ll use most of your senses: sight, smell, sound, touch, and taste. Seek out symmetrical melons with a “filled-out” look. Weight offers hints about taste: a melon that feels heavy for its size holds lots of juicy flesh. Melons don’t become sweeter after harvesting, but the texture and aroma can continue to improve.
First, look at the stem scar. A smooth, hollowed scar indicates that the melon was harvested ripe. If a piece of the stem remains, it may have been harvested too early. For thinner-skinned melons, exert very gentle pressure on the base of the melon opposite the stem end. If the skin is easy to depress, the melon is ideal for eating. A musky aroma, produced by enzymes that generate more than 200 different esters, also signals ripeness.
A ripe watermelon has dull, not shiny, skin, and the lighter colored part of the rind, where the melon rested on the ground, should be yellow or creamy, not green or white. A light tap to the rind should produce a hollow sound.
Delicious on their own, melons add sweetness to salads, cold soups, drinks, and sorbets. Although melons are refreshing when served chilled, refrigeration diminishes their flavor so serving at room temperature is ideal. Or try grilling them: cooking concentrates their sugars.
