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Sinking your teeth into a summer melon |
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Written by Karen Herzog, MCT
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Monday, 23 July 2007 |
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All you need is a sharp knife and an appreciation for the sweet things in life to dig into a melon.
Melons come in many varieties, several of which are grown locally.
Watermelon is a refreshing treat by itself. Fragrant cantaloupe and honeydew melons star in summer fruit salads. Melon chunks wrapped in prosciutto make a dynamite sweet-salty antipasto.
And melon shells make useful vessels. Early settlers used watermelons as canteens — we turn them into decorative fruit bowls. Watermelon seeds are perfect for spitting, though modern genetics have largely eliminated them for practical reasons.
Talk about a slice of summer: While you can buy melons at any supermarket, a few rustic stands along winding rural roads and highways still sell them on the honor system. Take what you want and leave the money in a can.
"People are very good about it, and I have few problems," said Joe Keller, who sells watermelon and cantaloupe, along with sweet corn and assorted vegetables, at Keller's Kornucopia at the end of his driveway in Wisconsin.
"I just stock it before I leave for work. I consider myself always open."
Wherever you find melons, here are some tips to maximize the eating pleasure.
CUT WITH CARE
Always wash melons in warm soapy water before cutting to get rid of any impurity on the rind that could be carried from the knife blade to the flesh.
You don't have to wield a large knife in fell swoops to cut a melon.
To cube a watermelon, take a quarter watermelon and lay it on the rind, interior facing up. Place the knife about ¾ of an inch down from peak of wedge. Holding knife parallel to far side of the fruit, and starting at edge of rind, cut a horizontal line through the fruit all the way across to the rind. Next, place the knife blade ¾ of an inch lower and make the same cut. Repeat. Next, turn the fruit to the other side and make the same horizontal cuts.
And last, starting at the edge of the rind, make vertical cuts ¾ inch apart all the way across. Remove cubes and serve.
When cubing a cantaloupe or honeydew, cut melon in half. Remove all seeds and strings. Then cut into quarters, wedges or cubes, or scoop it out with a melon baller.
For melon rings, cut the whole melon into thick crosswise slices, scrape out the seeds, and then remove the rind, if desired.
EAT MELONS, BE HEALTHY
Watermelon is an excellent source of vitamins A, B6 and C. It also contains fiber and potassium.
Cantaloupes are very low in calories and are a good source of beta carotene, potassium and vitamin C.
FUN FACTS
Africa is considered to be the native home of the watermelon. The first recorded watermelon harvest occurred nearly 5,000 years ago in Egypt.
A recipe for watermelon rind pickles appeared in the first cookbook published in the United States in 1796.
By weight, watermelon is the most-consumed melon in the U.S., followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.
GROW THEM IN YOUR GARDEN
Melons grow best in sandy, well-aerated, well-watered soil that is free of weeds.
Watermelon is susceptible to frost and requires a long growing season with relatively high temperatures. Buy watermelon plants and start them inside about four weeks before the anticipated planting time.
Some experience is required to harvest a watermelon at its peak. As a watermelon ripens, the ground spot changes from pale green or white to cream or yellow. The tendrils near the fruit stem will dry and turn brown.
The western states of California, Arizona and Texas provide the majority of the cantaloupe crop. The top watermelon-growing states are California, Florida, Georgia, Texas and Arizona.
Sources: www.cantaloupe.org; the National Watermelon Promotion Board
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RECIPES
The first two recipes are from the National Watermelon Promotion Board.
GRILLED WATERMELON AND PINEAPPLE SKEWERS
Makes 4 servings
12 (1-inch-square) fresh seedless watermelon chunks
12 (1-inch-square) fresh pineapple chunks
½ cup unrefined natural sugar (see note)
1 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar mixture
1 cup warm fudge sauce
Alternate 3 watermelon and 3 pineapple chunks on each skewer and sprinkle fruit skewers with unrefined sugar and cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Grill over medium hot coals on all four sides, about 30 seconds per side.
Arrange on platter and drizzle with warm fudge sauce.
Note: Granulated sugar, brown sugar or turbinado sugar can be substituted.
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WATERMELON CITRUS SOUP
Makes 6 to 8 servings
1 box (4-serving size) lemon-flavored gelatin mix
1 box (4-serving size) lime-flavored gelatin mix
2 cups boiling water
6 cups seedless watermelon puree, chilled
¾ cup fresh mint leaves
Place gelatin mixes in heat-proof bowl and pour in boiling water. Stir until dissolved. Stir in watermelon puree and divide among bowls. Sprinkle mint over tops of each bowl and serve immediately.
The next two recipes are from Gourmet magazine and www.epicurious.com.
The first recipe removes cucumber from traditional tabbouleh to make room for fresh honeydew.
The second recipe is an adult Popsicle-like treat for your next backyard barbecue.
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MELON AND MINT TABBOULEH
Makes 4 side-dish servings
1 cup boiling water
¾ cup (5 ounces) fine bulgur
1 ½ cups loosely packed fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 cup (½-inch pieces) honeydew melon
½ cup very thinly sliced red onion
½ teaspoon salt
Pour boiling water over bulgur in a bowl, then cover bowl tightly and let stand 30 minutes. Drain in a sieve if watery.
Meanwhile, puree mint with oil in a blender until smooth. Toss bulgur with mint-oil blend, lime juice, honeydew, onion and salt.
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MIDORI MELON ICE POPS
Makes 6 servings
4 cups (½-inch pieces) ripe honeydew melon
5 tablespoons Midori melon liqueur
3 tablespoons vodka
1 ½ tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Pour puree into a sieve lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth set over a bowl and let drain, undisturbed, 30 minutes. Discard solids in sieve. Pour liquids into six 1/3-cup ice pop molds and freeze at least 24 hours. Add wooden stick to each mold when mixture is slushy, after about 1 hour.
This recipe, a variation on the classic, is from the Food Network.
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MELON AND PROSCIUTTO WRAPS
Makes 48
½ cantaloupe
½ honeydew melon
24 very thin slices prosciutto
48 toothpicks
Scoop out seeds from each melon half. Cut each half into 6 wedges. Remove melon skins. Wrap 1 or 2 slices of prosciutto around each wedge. Secure prosciutto with 4 toothpicks. Cut each wedge into 4 bite-sized pieces. Cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled.
Note: Can be made 2 to 3 hours ahead and chilled. Be sure melon wedges are well wrapped so they don't dry out. | Only registered users can write comments.
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