I asked 4 farmers how to select the best Kantaloupe, and everyone said the same thing

It is difficult to refuse a fresh, ripe, juicy cantalouce during the high season. (Incidentally, this is June to August, and according to Cantaloupe farmer John Gingerich, the best appears out of the pile.) Nevertheless, a reasonable amount of allrecipes fans have inscribed to tell us that they approach Cantalupes with a little skepticism-and we understand why. According to the victim of one (or more) too many below -average restaurants Fruit salad This sub -group of domestic chefs has admitted that they have admitted with sad, tasteless honeydew, Kantaloupe and grapes that they tend to have trust problems

In contrast to delicate fruits such as Berries And PeachKantaloupe bark are quite clever to camouflage the quality of the fruits hidden inside. But that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to say which melons are adorable … and which types are. During the heart of the harvest time, we met with a handful of Cantaloupe farmers and industry experts to achieve their secrets to separate the best from the others.

Meet the farmers

• John Gingerich, a Cantaloupe farmer in Summertown, Tennessee based
• Katy Green, a product inspector based in San Diego, California in San Diego, in San Diego, California Whole Foods Market
• Coy Hancock, hydroponic farmer at The Hancock Farm in Bartow, Georgia
• Hunter Slade, one in Cordele, Georgia, local sales employee for Syngenta Vegetable seeds that work directly together with many Cantaloupe farmers every week during the vegetation period

The best way to select the sweetest Kantaloupe according to the farmers

Before we dive the easiest Opportunities to recognize whether a cantalouce is ripeIt is important to note that there are two main types of Kantalupen, according to the generation inspector Katy Green: Melons, which are “cut off” from the vine and the melons.

• Slip Have about a quarter -sized circle and indentation at an end of the melon, where the vine used to be attached. Of course, these fill out of the plant when they are ready to ripe and eat.
• Cut off melons Take a short regular connection at one end of the melon. Cut off melons are not released from the vine and must be cut by the Harvester based on a quick determination of maturity.

Since cut -off melons are often selected before they are fully ripe, it does not spend a strong smell – and do not offer much taste. A simple way to choose the best Kantaloupe is to give him smell, agree with Hydroponic Farmer Coy Hancock, Saatguts sales -Puell -Hunter -Hunter Slade and Gingerich. When you pick up a cantalouce and smell the blossom; The opposite side of the place where the stem was attached. A mature cantalouce should offer a sweet, fruity, floral and slightly muscled smell. Compare the aroma of the Kantaloupe, which you keep in the stack with a few others. Choose the sweetest smelling selection, recommends Gingerich.

“I always smell them in the shop until I find one that I like! It could feel a bit silly, but your nose knows,” says Hancock.

Other signs of a high -quality melon

These additional functions that normally offer a note that a Kantalouce earns a place in your shopping cart:

• Perform a spot check for a trunk. As already mentioned, cut cantalups are less ripe and ready. “On the farm we know that a Kantalouce is ripe when it slips directly from the vine,” explains Hancock. “Search for a clean, slightly furnished area in which the stem was located in the shop.
• Perform a skin test. Healthy Kantaloupen are covered with a coarse network, which is consistent in the melon, the slade and the green representation. “If it is excessively smooth or the melon feels too soft, they skip it,” says Hancock. As for the color between the light TAN network, “it should usually be a creamy, light orange or gold color. If it is mostly green, the melon is not yet ripe,” says Hancock.
• Take it up. A cantalouce that is tight and feels difficult for its size generally has more juice – and more taste – than its neighbors have the same size, but lighter, green and slade.
• Knock, knock. Imagine you knock on a door, do this only on the bowl. The best cantaloupes offer a deep, solid, resonant sound. Unterripe or overripe sounds high, full and hollow.

What can be avoided when choosing a cantalupe

Pay attention to these red flags that your fruits could “go out:”

• Soft or mushy spots
• Green skin
• An attached stem
• Sauer, fermented or in other ways bad aroma
• Bruise, cracks or cuts
• Toothpaste (bluish green) color under the network

How to enjoy Cantaloupe in the farmer style

Green is firmly convinced that “if you get a really great Kantaloupe, there is not much better than eating fresh.”

Hancock agrees and adds that a chilled mature Cantaloupe cooling cube came to the point: “Especially for breakfast on a hot summer morning,” he says. “I know that some people like to get creative by grilling it, turning it into soup or making jams, but for me the right way is simple and sweet.”

If you long for more creative opportunities to maximize your melon strength Recipes Cantaloupe: