Eating Home Grown Melons
Canteloupe melons fresh off the vine….
Do you remember a recent post I wrote on growing melons? Well, my hothouse has produced the goods once again and despite the distinct lack of sunshine I have managed to pick two ripe canteloupe melons for my breakfast today.
Now they might not be the biggest melons you’ve ever seen but I prefer mine small, round and perfectly formed 
There is a real difference between freshly picked and shop bought melons, these had a very strong scent and cutting into them was a real joy. I ate them just as they were, straight from the vine, split in half, seeds removed, flesh scooped out and eaten with great gusto.
Melon can be a pretty tasteless and dull affair, you’re either in the mood or you’re not. Canteloupe, charantaise and ogen melon are varieties I can happily eat on their own, not so water and/or honeydew. The latter need help. In the eighties and still, somewhat regretably today everyone served a fan of honeydew melon with some port or raspberry coulis or, worse still ‘exotic fruits’. Now don’t get me wrong, a plate of melon with exotic fruits is great-if you’re on a beach in Malaysia but not in a restaurant in the North East of England in the middle of January.
So here’s my tip, find the best variety you can, take it out of the fridge for an hour or so before eating and get stuck into it. Slurp on the juice and scrape the skin clean, it’s invigorating.
Miles,
I think melons are fantastic….. they’re full of nutrients as well as water and are very low in calories. You’re the only person I know who’s managed to grow a melon in this country and the fruit be ripe enough to eat.
Not that I grew them but this week I’ve treated myself to the ripest of plums and some golden kiwi. My grocer has a shop packed full of fruit and veg and dare I say it, autumn is just around the corner so the next crop should be on its way.
I haven’t inspected my butternut squash lately although from the window I can see the greenery is growing quickly now. The miniature pumpkin is producing tiny yellow ‘fruits’ and as yet I’m not sure what to do with them, but at the size of a tangerine presumably roasted whole?
Cid
August 14, 2008 @ 9:12 am
Cid,
You’re butternut is doing better than mine-I only grew one plant and it’s been a disaster
That aid I am overun with courgettes and other squash.
August 14, 2008 @ 6:30 pm
Miles,
I find strong fresh mint and honey will make an entirely different honeydew. Add blueberries or blackberries, and it’s downright tasty. (Not too exotic.) Just a thought.
On the other hand, my newly favorite Indian curry cookbook has a recipe for watermelon curry with chile, turmeric, coriander, garlic, cumin, lime, etc. Haven’t tried it yet, but how can one go wrong with curry like that?
August 15, 2008 @ 5:08 am
Karen,
The honey and mint sounds like a nice combination. I would never have thought of watermelon curry, that sounds intriguing but you are quite right, with those flavours anything will be good.
I have been messing around with melon and cheese combinations recently, as nice as melon and parma ham is I can’t get away with putting that on a menu now-I’d be called a dinosaur
Thanks for the tip, I shall try that.
Miles
August 15, 2008 @ 6:18 am